MLB Picks Today
We have a small set of games in the MLB for Thursday, May 16th, with the Yankees and Twins being the only day game on the slate (1:10 PM). There are also several good divisional matchups today, with the Rays and Red Sox facing off along with the Pirates and Cubs. To close things out, the Reds are on the road to face the Dodgers.
Moneyline Plays
New York Mets vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Mets (+128) – Phillies (-150) | O/U 8.5
Jose Quintana is 1-4 with a 5.44 ERA for the Mets this year, and he has made just one quality start. Quintana is facing a Phillies offense that is 1st in scoring and 3rd in homers. He has also allowed at least one homer in four straight outings. The Mets are 19-23 and trail the Phillies by 11 games in the NL East. Philadelphia is 31-13 and has won three straight games.
Brandon Nimmo is hitting just .215 for the Mets and is 3/22 in his last seven games. However, he has six homers, which is 12th in the league. Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor are also near the top of the league in homers. Alonso is hitting .225 with nine homers, while Lindor is hitting just .200 but has seven homers.
Philadelphia’s Alec Bohm is hitting .331 and has 35 RBIs, which is the best mark in the league. Bryce Harper is hitting .271 with 32 RBIs and 10 homers. Harper is also on a three-game hitting streak.
The Phillies are the betting favorite, with their moneyline odds sitting at -150. The over/under line is currently 8.5 runs. First pitch is set for 7:05 EST, and the game will be on MLBN.
New York Mets ML +128
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Boston Red Sox
Rays (-109) – Red Sox (-108) | O/U 8.5
The Rays are 22-22 overall and trail the Yankees by seven games for the AL East lead. They are 4th in the division and have gone 6-7 in divisional matchups. Tampa Bay will take on the Red Sox today, with the Rays leading the series 2-1. The Red Sox are 22-21 overall and 6.5 games behind the Yankees. They are 3rd in the division and have gone 1-5 against AL East teams this year.
Isaac Paredes has been swinging a hot bat for the Rays, going 10/30 in his last eight games and is hitting .302 overall. He is tied for the team lead with eight homers. Yandy Diaz is hitting .316 in his last nine games and is hitting .253 overall. Tampa Bay’s offense is 19th in scoring at 4.1 runs per game, while the Red Sox are 16th at 4.3 runs per game. Boston’s team batting average of .242 is 8th in the league.
Ceddanne Rafaela is the Red Sox top power threat, but he is hitting just .207 this season and is 4/22 in his last seven games. Tyler O’Neill and Triston Casas have also been key power hitters for the Red Sox, with O’Neill having 10 homers and Casas going deep six times. Today, the Red Sox are slight underdogs at -108, and the over/under line is at 8.5 runs.
Zack Littell is 2-2 with a 3.02 ERA for the Rays, and he has an ERA of 2.29 on the road compared to 3.39 at home. Littell will be facing a Red Sox lineup that is 27th in strikeouts this year. Cooper Criswell is 2-1 with an ERA of 2.10 for the Red Sox and has a WHIP of 1.01. He most recently faced the Nationals on May 11th and finished with a no-decision. Criswell has an ERA of 2.99 at home compared to 1.04 on the road.
Tampa Bay Rays ML -109
New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins
Yankees (+101) – Twins (-119) | O/U 8.0
Carlos Santana has been struggling this season for the Twins, but he has gone 6/20 with three homers over his last five games. Ryan Jeffers has 10 homers for the Twins this season but is just 2/16 over his last four games. The Twins will be looking to get their offense going today against Clarke Schmidt, who is 4-1 with a 2.95 ERA this season. Schmidt has a WHIP of 1.27 and is allowing a .242 batting average to opponents.
Joe Ryan is 2-2 with a 3.21 ERA this season for the Twins and is coming off a strong outing in which he gave up just one earned run in seven innings of work. He will be facing a Yankees offense that is 2nd in home runs and 6th in batting average. New York is also 3rd in on-base percentage and 1st in the AL East with a record of 29-15.
Minnesota is 3rd in the AL Central, two games behind the Guardians. The Twins are 24-18 overall and trail the Yankees by two games in this series. New York is the slight underdog today at -119, and the over/under line is currently sitting at 8 runs. First pitch is set for 1:10 PM ET from Target Field.
Minnesota Twins ML -119
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Chicago Cubs
Pirates (+114) – Cubs (-133) | O/U 7.5
Justin Steele is still looking for his first win of the season, and he will be facing a Pirates offense that is 26th in scoring. The Cubs are the favorite at -133, and the over/under line is currently at 7.5 runs. First pitch is set for 7:40 PM ET from Wrigley Field.
On the mound for the Pirates is Jared Jones, who is 2-4 and has an ERA of 2.68. He will be looking to bounce back from a start on May 10th, where he gave up three runs across six innings. The Cubs are 25-19 and trail the Brewers by 1.5 games in the NL Central. As for the Pirates, they are 19-25 and are 7.5 games behind the Brewers. Overall, the Pirates are 4-7-3 in series matchups.
Oneil Cruz has three homers in his last nine games for the Pirates, and he is hitting .266 for the season. As for the Cubs, they are 11th in scoring and are hitting .237 as a team. Cody Bellinger has two homers in his last eight games and is hitting .263 for the season. Chicago’s leading hitter is Christopher Morel, who is 5th in the league in homers but is hitting just .212.
Chicago Cubs ML -133
Over Under Plays
Cincinnati Reds vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Reds (+243) – Dodgers (-305) | O/U 8.0
Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers offense will be looking to keep things rolling on Thursday, as they are facing a Reds pitching staff that is 16th in the league in runs allowed. Ohtani is 7/17 in his last four games, and he has 12 homers this season, which is 2nd in the league. Teoscar Hernandez is also near the top of the league in homers, but he is just 3/22 in his last five games.
Elly De La Cruz is hitting .258 with nine homers for the Reds this season, and he is 7/29 with one homer over his last eight games. The Reds are 16th in scoring this year, putting up 4.3 runs per contest. They are facing Tyler Glasnow, who is 6-1 with a 2.53 ERA and leads the league with 73 strikeouts. Glasnow is also averaging 11.53 strikeouts per nine innings.
First pitch is set for 10:10 PM ET, and the Dodgers are the heavy favorite, with their moneyline odds sitting at -305. The over/under line is currently at 8 runs. The Reds are starting Brent Suter, who has a 3.86 ERA and a 0-0 record. Suter most recently pitched on May 14th, and he went one inning without giving up a run.
Over 8 Runs -114
Oakland Athletics vs. Houston Astros
Athletics (+179) – Astros (-213) | O/U 8.5
The Athletics are 19-26 this season and are 9-13 on the road. They are 5.5 games behind the Mariners for the AL West lead and are 4-9 against AL West teams. Today, they are the underdog at +179, and they are 15-25 as the underdog compared to 4-1 as the favorite. The Astros are 18-25 and trail the Mariners by 5.5 games. They are the favorite at -213 and are 14-19 as the favorite compared to 4-6 as the underdog.
Offensively, the Athletics are 22nd in batting average and are 3rd in homers and 6th in Isolated Power. Brent Rooker and Shea Langeliers are 11th and 15th in RBIs, respectively. The Astros are 14th in scoring and are 4.8 runs per game at home. Houston’s offense is led by Kyle Tucker, who is 10th in RBIs and leads the league with 13 homers.
Joey Estes will be starting for the Athletics, and he picked up a win in his first start of the season. Cristian Javier is starting for the Astros and is coming off a rough outing, where he gave up 7 runs in 1 1/3 innings. First pitch is set for 8:10 PM ET from Minute Maid Park.
Over 8.5 Runs -114
