MLB Picks & Parlays Wednesday 05/22
Wednesday brings with it a full slate of baseball, with five games on the early slate and the remaining 10 taking to the field in the evening.
Here are Today’s MLB Picks:
This is a nice spot for the Yankees. They are coming off back-to-back victories over the Orioles, and they have the pitching advantage in this matchup. Dan Straily is on the mound for the Orioles, with his 8.51 ERA, and having allowed 15 earned runs in his last 12 innings. In contrast, CC Sabathia has allowed just six earned runs in his last 16 innings. Additionally, the Yankees cover the spread 60% of the time on the road, compared to the Orioles who cover it just 40% of the time at home.
1u - NY Yankees -1.5 @ -142
These are two of the worst hitting teams in all of baseball. They both rank among the worst in the league in runs scored, home runs and slugging percentage. In addition, both pitchers have numbers which somewhat lie about their performances. Daniel Norris’ 4.50 ERA is a product of two outings where he gave up four and six earned runs respectively. In his other seven outings he has allowed three runs or less. The same goes for Jose Urena, who struggled to start the season, but has allowed over two earned runs just once in his last six outings.
1u - Under 8.5 Total Runs @ -110
The odds are not great on this bet, but it is another pitching mismatch. The White Sox are starting with Ivan Nova, who has a 7.42 ERA and allowed eight earned runs to a poor Toronto offense last time out. In contrast, Gerrit Cole takes the mound for the Astros, having allowed just seven earned runs in his last five outings, and 31 1/3 innings. Additionally, the Astros cover the spread 64% of the time at home, and 65% of the time in the game following a win. That is thanks to them ranking top-five in runs, home runs and slugging percentage. Meanwhile the White Sox rank 20th, 21st and 19th in those categories respectively.
This line would be a nice parlay piece with the Yankees -1.5.
1u – HOU Astros -1.5 @-150
Go back a few years and tell someone you are backing a team with Martin Perez starting against a team with Matt Harvey pitching and they would look at you in disbelief. However, Perez has a 2.89 ERA and has allowed over three earned runs just once in seven starts. In contrast, Harvey has a 6.35 ERA and has allowed over three earned runs four times. Add in how potent this Twins offense has been, ranking first in runs and second in home runs and slugging, and it is very hard to pick against them right now.
1u – MIN Twins -1.5 @ +135
By Ben Rolfe