MLB Best Bets for Today: Astros, Cardinals, & White Sox | Thursday, May 12th
MLB Best Bets for Today: Great pitching matchup tonight in Minnesota
Today's slate of MLB games will feature many great pitching matchups. There's a point in every week where a lot of the teams' Opening Day starters will take the mound on the same day. Today is that day. There are only nine games being played today, so it's important to truly find the best bets available, and we're here to help with that.
Below, you will find three of the best value bets for today's MLB slate.
Bet #1: Houston Astros/Minnesota Twins F5 under 4.5 (-120)
The pitching matchup in this game tonight is a very good one. The Houston Astros will send Luis Garcia to the mound, and the Minnesota Twins will hand the ball to Josh Winder. Winder has filled in very well for a Twins pitching staff that finds themselves dealing with injuries. He made his first two career starts last week and didn't allow an earned run in either game.
Luis Garcia is also coming off a very effective start against the Tigers. Both the Astros and Twins pitching staffs rank inside the top five of important MLB categories such as ERA, WHIP, and opponent batting average. These teams have seen similar offensive production too, as they both rank toward the bottom of the MLB thus far in team batting average.
A little skip celebration from Luis Garcia after his strikeout. https://t.co/mBinG2aNCW
"A little skip celebration from Luis Garcia after his strikeout" - @ Michael Schwab
These trends greatly support the bet we're taking on in this game. We're going with these teams to combine for four or fewer runs through the first five innings of this one.
Bet #2: St. Louis Cardinals Team Total over 4.5 (-115) vs. the Baltimore Orioles
#THATSAWINNER 👏👏👏 https://t.co/aiSUEKXui7
"#THATSAWINNER"- @ St. Louis Cardinals
So far, the St. Louis Cardinals have the eighth ranked offense in the MLB. Since there is such a small sample size, one bad game or one good game can drastically change the rankings. However, the offensive talent that the Cardinals possess is among the best in the MLB. Today, the Baltimore Orioles will most likely send out left-hander Keegan Akin to face this Cardinals lineup.
One very important trend to look at is St. Louis' performance against left-handed pitching. Considering the best hitters in the Cardinals lineup are right-handed, it makes sense to perform much better against the southpaws. This season, the Cardinals are hitting .264 with an .813 OPS (on-base + slugging percentage) against lefties as opposed to a .235 average and a .668 OPS against right-handers. Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt, Tyler O'Neill, and Albert Pujols are among the right-handed bats in the Cardinals lineup that have a great matchup against Akin today. We're going with the St. Louis Cardinals to score 5+ runs against this struggling Orioles pitching staff.
Bet #3: Chicago White Sox F5 -0.5 (-115) vs. the New York Yankees
The New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox are two of the most talented teams in the MLB. However, they have started their respective seasons on opposite ends of the spectrum. On one hand, the Yankees have jumped out to a 22-8 start, which puts them among the best records in the MLB. The White Sox are clinging to a 15-14 record that has them behind the Twins for the American League Central division lead. The pitching matchup in tonight's contest may give the White Sox some hope of picking up a much-needed win.
The White Sox will start Dylan Cease, and the Yankees will give Luis Gil his first start of the season. Cease has been spectacular for Chicago thus far, allowing two or fewer runs in five out of his six outings. They are going to need Cease to keep the bats of Aaron Judge, Anthony Rizzo, and Giancarlo Stanton quiet tonight in order to walk away victorious. Luis Gil will make his first start of the season after seeing some struggles in his previous five minor league starts. Gil has allowed at least two runs in each of those starts, and three or more in three out of five. So, Gil has had some trouble with his efficiency, and that is not a problem you want when facing this White Sox lineup. Although the Chicago bats haven't been performing to their capabilities, this is a great matchup for them. We're going with the White Sox to have the lead after five innings of play.