MLB Prop Picks & Best Bets – Can Rays Be First to Beat Yankees’ Cole?
MLB Prop Picks & Best Bets – Can Rays Be First to Beat Yankees’ Cole?iv class=”bodyContent col-lg-9 mb-3″>

Seven of the 15 series finales being played on Sunday could end in a sweep. Read on for our top MLB prop picks and best bets for Sunday based on the best MLB odds.

The Tampa Bay Rays had been 22-0 when scoring first in a game before squandering a 2-0 lead during a 3-2 loss Sunday to the New York Yankees. That was the longest such streak to start a season since the St. Louis Maroons did it in 1884, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com. Can the Yankees hand the Rays their second home series loss of the season?

Here are our top MLB prop picks and best bets for Sunday (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook, BetMGM and Caesars Sportsbook; Pick confidence is based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Check out our World Series odds.

Sunday's MLB schedule and odds

  • Baltimore Orioles (+140) vs. Atlanta Br aves (-165)
  • Boston Red Sox (+105) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (-125)
  • Toronto Blue Jays (-130) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (+110)
  • Colorado Rockies (+180) vs. New York Mets (-210)
  • Minnesota Twins (-125) vs. Cleveland Guardians (+105)
  • New York Yankees (-120) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (+100)
  • Oakland Athletics (-105) vs. Kansas City Royals (-115)
  • Detroit Tigers (+165) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (-195)
  • Miami Marlins (-125) vs. Chicago Cubs (+105)
  • Milwaukee Brewers (+110) vs. San Francisco Giants (-130)
  • Texas Rangers (+100) vs. Los Angeles Angels (-120)
  • Chicago White Sox (+105) vs. Cincinnati Reds (-125)
  • Houston Astros (+100) vs. Seattle Mariners (-120)
  • Washington Nationals (+140) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (-165)
  • Los Angeles Dodgers (-115) vs. San Diego Padres (-105)

Sunday's MLB best bets

  • Player Prop: Gerrit Cole to not record a win (-149 via Caesars) vs. Rays ?????
  • Player Prop: Shohei Ohtani Under 1.5 total bases (-160 via DraftKings) vs. Rangers ???
  • Player Prop: Max Muncy Over 0.5 RBIs (+170 via DraftKings) vs. Padres ????
  • Total: Blue Jays-Pirates Under 9 runs (-105 via BetMGM) ????

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Sunday's MLB prop picks

Yankees ace Gerrit Cole leads all American League pitchers in WAR (2.0) largely because he's 5-0 with a 1.35 ERA. The Yankees have won all seven of his starts despite scoring more than four runs in just two of those contests.

Cole has produced excellent success against current Rays, holding them to a .230/.268/.271 slash line across 148 combined at-bats. Howeve r, he's still just 1-3 in seven starts at Tropicana Field. More importantly, the league-leading Rays offense that's one of just three with 200-plus runs scored is the best Cole has faced since being a part of this AL East rivalry. 

This is a confident five-star play, as Tampa Bay's 21 victories against right-handed starting pitchers are more than the win total of three other teams. The unit can grind out enough runs against Cole to ensure he's tied or losing when exiting the game. However, given that New York is 7-0 in Cole's starts, we'll refrain from wagering on the Rays' moneyline.

Caesars and DraftKings are the only two among our best sportsbooks to offer “no” on the starting pitcher to record a win, and their odds are almost identical.

Check out our best sports betting sites.

Los Angeles Angels slu gger/pitcher Shohei Ohtani's 36 hits are one off the team lead, and he's logged more three-hit games (three) than hitless outings (two) during the previous nine-game stretch. However, while Ohtani is a respectable 4-for-14 (.286) against Texas Rangers southpaw Martin Perez, all four hits were singles, and he's struck out six times. 

This is a three-star play because Ohtani's numbers are much worse in 2023 against southpaws than when facing righties. Ohtani is slashing .257/.297/.486 against lefties, and .297/.369/.516 against righties. Meanwhile, Perez has allowed just one extra-base hit to a left-handed hitter all season.

Again, DraftKings and Caesars are two of the only sportsbooks offering the Under for this prop, but DraftKings' offering is more affordable than Caesars' -170 odds.

Check out our Cy Young odds.

Los Ange les Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy is benefitting from a prime run production spot in the team's lineup. His 28 RBI put him tied for second in the National League and are seven more than any other player on the team. He should again get plenty of chances to drive in runs because the two players who sit in front of him in the lineup (Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman) are each hitting .381 with a 1.015 OPS or better across 42 combined at-bats against San Diego Padres righty Joe Musgrove. 

This is a four-star play because Muncy himself is slashing .429/.571/.714 in 21 at-bats against Musgrove, with four of his nine hits going for extra bases.

We're getting the best value for this play at DraftKings, as FanDuel and Caesars are at +155 and +156, respectively.

Check out our MLB Rookie of the Year odds.

Sunday's MLB game picks

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 0-5 and rank 29th in wRC+ and wOBA, and 28th in BABIP and ISO since May started. That's a problem when facing Toronto Blue Jays lefty Yusei Kikuchi, who's 4-0 in six starts this season and has allowed one or fewer earned runs during four outings.

The Los Angeles Angels and Boston Red Sox roughed Kikuchi up to the tune of 11 earned runs in 8 2/3 combined innings. However, both of those teams rank in the top 13 in hard-hit rate against southpaws, while the Pirates sit 19th. Meanwhile, Pirates starter Roansy Contreras ranks in the top third of the league in barrels and has allowed just one earned run with a 13:4 K:BB ratio over his previous 12 2/3 home innings.

The Under has cashed in seven of the last eight meetings between these teams and in four of the previous five in Pittsburgh. BetMGM is the only sportsbook offering the Under at less than the standard -110 juic e.

Check out our MLB home run leader odds.

MLB best bets made 5/7/2023 at 7:06 a.m. ET.

Here are our best MLB betting sites:

  • FanDuel: Bet $5, Get $150 in Bonus Bets | Read our FanDuel Review
  • Caesars: Earn Up to a $1,250 Bet Credit | Read our Caesars Review
  • DraftKings: Bet $5, Get $150 in Bonus Bets | Read our DraftKings Review
  • PointsBet: Earn Five Second-Chance Bets Up to $50 Each | Read our PointsBet Review
  • BetMGM: Get a Bonus Bet of Up to $1,000 | Read our BetMGM Review

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