MLB Best Bets for Today: Blue Jays, Dodgers, & Cardinals | Friday, May 20th

MLB Best Bets for Today: Blue Jays take care of the Reds

MLB teams are shifting their focus towards their weekend series. At this point in the season, it's not imperative that your team is in the thick of the race. There's a lot of games to play and plenty of time to figure out what produces wins. However, some teams have fallen so far behind that they need to begin playing with a sense of urgency. Tonight, there are plenty of games and plenty of oppurtunities to profit.

Below, you will find three of the best value bets for tonight's slate of MLB games.

Bet #1: Toronto Blue Jays -1.5 (+115) vs. the Cincinnati Reds

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"Spring Cleaning" - @ Toronto Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays have found themselves in a rough patch. They have lost 10 out of their last 15 ball games and now sit with a 20-18 record. Led by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, George Springer, and Teoscar Hernandez, this Blue Jays offense has young, talented players dispersed throughout their lineup.

Hyun Jin Ryu will start the game on the mound for the Jays coming off his best start of the season. Although Ryu's 9.00 ERA isn't spectacular by any means, he only has three starts under his belt. His first two starts did not go the way he had hoped, but last start against the Rays, Ryu seemingly figured something out. Toronto's pitching staff has performed well, as they rank 12th in the league in team ERA.

The Cincinnati Reds pitching staff has seen complete opposite results. The Reds rank dead last in the MLB in ERA, 29th out of 30 teams in bullpen ERA, and last in home runs allowed. The offense ranks 28th out of 30 MLB teams in batting average, so they aren't performing well on either side. The Toronto Blue Jays have an amazing matchup tonight and should be able to exploit the Reds' deficiencies. We're going with the Blue Jays to beat an inferior team by 2+ runs at home!

Bet #2: Los Angeles Dodgers Team Total over 4.5 Runs (-125) vs. the Philadelphia Phillies

#DodgersSweep!

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"#DodgersSweep" - @ Los Angeles Dodgers

"We will win the World Series this season. Put it on record." Those were the words Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts muttered before the MLB season kicked off. As every manager should, Roberts has a lot of confidence in his players. However, the Dodgers have the talent to make that statement a reality. The Los Angeles front office doesn't mind spending money at all. Every manager dreams of having the talent on their team that the Dodgers possess, but many don't have the front office support that Roberts does. Led by Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Trea Turner, and Max Muncy, the Dodgers offense leads the MLB with 5.49 runs per game. The offense began to find their rhythm as they started the season far below expectations.

Tonight, the Dodgers face a familiar pitcher in the Philadelphia Phillies left-hander, Ranger Suarez. Just six days ago, Suarez pitched against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. He allowed three earned runs in seven innings of work, which is very efficient against a lineup of this caliber. The key for the Dodgers to get over this line tonight is to get Suarez out of the game relatively early. The Phillies' bullpen has been underwhelming to say the least, ranking 26th in the MLB in ERA. Let's go Dodgers!

Bet #3: St. Louis Cardinals F5 -0.5 (-110) vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates

The two teams met in the first series of the MLB season, and the Cardinals took two out of three games from Pittsburgh. In both wins, the Cardinals were winning after five innings. That's exactly what we ask of them tonight. Veteran Adam Wainwright will pitch this game for the St. Louis Cardinals, and he was very efficient on Opening Day against the Pittsburgh Pirates. In that game, Wainwright threw six scoreless innings on the way to a 9-0 Cardinals victory.

Zach Thompson takes the mound for the Pirates tonight. His 5.47 ERA through six starts is a great trend for this bet. Thompson has had back-to-back scoreless starts against the Reds, but this lineup is far better. Led by Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt, and Tommy Edman, the Cardinals offense looks to give Wainwright some run support early on. Let's go Cardinals!