MLB Best Bets for Today: Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, & Oakland Athletics | Thursday, May 26th
MLB Best Bets for Today: Chicago Cubs take care of the Reds
Another day, another MLB best bets article. If you like to bet on baseball, then you've come to the right place, because we have three great bets. Let's get into these picks!
Below, you will find three of the best bets for today's slate of MLB games.
Bet #1: Chicago Cubs ML (-125) vs. the Cincinnati Reds
Willy and Nico return to the #Cubs starting lineup! https://t.co/GmW5X6B4uq
"Willy and Nico return to the #Cubs starting lineup" - @ Chicago Cubs
It's no secret that the Cincinnati Reds have been the worst team in the MLB this season. Their offense ranks 28th in the league in terms of team average, their bullpen ranks second to last in ERA, and their pitching staff as a whole ranks last in the MLB in many important categories. To keep things simple, the Reds aren't a good team.
The Chicago Cubs have been mediocre at best this season, but they have a great matchup tonight. The Cubs have won two out of three games in the series so far and are looking to win the series against Hunter Greene and the Reds tonight. Hunter Greene was the Reds' first round pick two years ago, and he has struggled very much at the MLB level. So far this year, Greene has a 1-6 record and a 5.49 ERA. Neither of those numbers are good, and with the lack of production on offense, he will have to be nearly perfect tonight.
We're going with the Chicago Cubs to win this game today. The value just seems too good to pass up.
Bet #2: Boston Red Sox F5 -0.5 (+115) vs. the Chicago White Sox
Let's talk about Trevor. https://t.co/8H5ZgeL7Dg
"Let's talk about Trevor" - @ Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox will play in a series rubbermatch tonight in Chicago. Boston's offense has been extremely productive over their last handful of games. They have scored six or more runs in four out of five games, including a 16-run performance in game one of this series. Trevor Story, J.D. Martinez, and Rafael Devers have led the charge for the Red Sox.
The starting pitching has improved for Boston as the season has gone on, and they now find themselves ranked inside the top 15 in many important categories. Michael Wacha will get the start for Boston, and he has been extremely effective. Wacha holds a 3-0 record, with an ERA of 1.76.
For Chicago, Dallas Keuchel will get the start and he has had a season to forget about thus far. Keuchel's 6.60 ERA is among the worst in the MLB among qualified starting pitchers. His most recent performance saw him give up six earned runs to the Yankees in four innings of work. The White Sox offense is flooded with talent. Tim Anderson, Jose Abreu, and Luis Robert are among the stars who will produce for Chicago.
Given the clear advantage in starting pitching goes to Boston, we're going to take the Red Sox and their hot offense to lead after five innings.
Bet #3: Oakland Athletics F5 Team Total over 1.5 (-115)
The Oakland Athletics and Texas Rangers will meet tonight to begin a four-game series. The Oakland offense has been the worst in the MLB so far, but this seems like a great matchup for them tonight. Left-hander Martin Perez will start for Texas, and he has been extremely effective thus far. Perez has given up fewer than three runs in every start.
However, the Athletics have won two games in a row and have found ways as of late to manufacture runs. Oakland's offense perfoms much better against left-handed pitching, so this seems like something we can exploit. Perez is due for a rough start, so we're taking the A's to score 2+ runs within five innings.