Twelve of the 15 games on the Major League Baseball slate are series finales, and getaway day provides nine opportunities to wager on games in the afternoon window. Read on for our top MLB prop picks and best bets for Wednesday based on the best MLB odds.
Two National League pitchers with three Cy Young Awards apiece look to help their teams avoid series losses as Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw toe the rubber. So which future Hall of Famer makes our best bets column today?
Here are our top MLB prop picks and best bets for Wednesday (odds via DraftKings, FanDuel; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Wednesday's MLB schedule and odds
(odds via DraftKings)
- Oakland Athletics (+185) vs. New York Yankees (-215)
- Colorado Rockies (+125) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (-145)
- D etroit Tigers (+105) vs. Cleveland Guardians (-125)
- Los Angeles Dodgers (-165) vs. Milwaukee Brewers (+140)
- Miami Marlins (+120) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (-140)
- Texas Rangers (+160) vs. Seattle Mariners (-190)
- Washington Nationals (+135) vs. San Francisco Giants (-155)
- Toronto Blue Jays (-110) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (-110)
- Houston Astros (-120) vs. Los Angeles Angels (+100)
- Tampa Bay Rays (-120) vs. Baltimore Orioles (+100)
- New York Mets (-155) vs. Cincinnati Reds (+135)
- Boston Red Sox (OFF) vs. Atlanta Braves
- Chicago White Sox (-130) vs. Kansas City Royals (+110)
- San Diego Padres (+110) vs. Minnesota Twins (-130)
- St. Louis Cardinals (-110) vs. Chicago Cubs (-110)
Wednesday's MLB best bets
- Player Prop: Justin Verlander to not record a win (-160 via DraftKings) vs. Reds ???
- Player Prop: Merrill Kelly Under 2. 5 earned runs (-145 via DraftKings) vs. Marlins ????
- Player Prop: Mookie Betts Over 0.5 runs scored (-125 via DraftKings) vs. Brewers ????
- Total: Blue Jays-Phillies Over 8.5 runs (-102 via FanDuel) ????
Not intended for use in MA
Affiliate Disclosure: Sportsbook Review may receive advertising commissions for visits to a sportsbook
Wednesday's MLB prop picks
New York Mets righty Justin Verlander looked rusty in his first start of the season, needing 20 pitches to get out of the first inning and surrendering back-to-back home runs against the Detroit Tigers. While Verlander did settle down from there to allow five total hits over five innings, it will likely be a couple of starts until we see his pitch count reach the 90s (he threw 79 pitches in his first start).
This wager is n ot as much of a belief in the Cincinnati Reds offense as it is an indictment of the Mets offense. New York has gotten 11 of its 17 wins from its starting pitchers, largely because its offense that finished fourth in runs and seventh in OPS a year ago ranks 17th or worse in both categories this year. Thus, we would not bank on Verlander getting much run support against Reds righty Hunter Greene, especially since slugger Pete Alonso is in a 5-for-30 slump in May and has not gotten protection in the lineup all season, with the Mets hitting just .236 as a team.
We are making this wager at DraftKings over Caesars, who has much steeper -178 odds for the same prop.
The Miami Marlins team total is 20-15-2 to the Under this season, including cashing in the first game of this series. Now the Marlins face Arizona Diamondbacks righty Merrill Kelly, who will likely be excited not having to face a division rival.
Four of Kelly's seven starts have come against NL West teams, and he has allowed five earned runs in 19 innings (2.37 ERA) in the other three starts. Kelly's numbers would likely be even better if not for allowing four walks against the Milwaukee Brewers that aided in him allowing three earned runs. And while Kelly has walked five batters in a separate game since, this is a confident four-star play, as Miami is the least patient team at the plate in the majors, with a 6.6% walk rate.
Mookie Betts is tied for third on the Los Angeles Dodgers with 23 runs scored. Betts has scored at least one run in five of the eight games in May (even plating himself with three home runs), and we are making this a four-star play, given his success against opposing pitcher Wade Miley.
Betts is 9-for-16 in his career against Miley, and five extra-base hits have contributed to an astonishing 1.611 OPS in this head-to-he ad matchup. In addition, this is a four-star play as Betts is hitting 54 points and slugging 138 points better against left-handed pitching than righties this season and is protected by Freddie Freeman in the lineup, who has slashed .300/.333/.600 in 20 career at-bats against Miley.
DraftKings offers the cheapest odds for Betts to score a run, as Caesars and FanDuel are at -131 and -145, respectively.
Wednesday's MLB game picks
On paper, this sets up to be a pitcher's duel as aces Kevin Gausman and Zack Wheeler oppose each other. However, Gausman is coming off his worst start of the season, allowing eight earned runs in 3 1/3 innings to the Boston Red Sox after going 3-0 with a 2.65 ERA in six starts against them last season. And while Gausman entered that start with 11-plus strikeouts in three of his previous four starts, he now faces a Philadelphia Phillies lineup that does damage when they make contact, as evidenced by their MLB-leading .329 BABIP.
Facing Toronto should not be viewed as a walk in the park for Wheeler, either. The Blue Jays have arguably the deepest lineup from 1-9 in baseball. Outfielder Kevin Kiermaier entered the week tied for the MLB lead in total bases from the No. 9 spot, per Sportsnet Stats. In addition, Bo Bichette ranked top three among all shortstops in batting average, average exit velocity, barrels, barrels per plate appearance, and WAR. This is a four-star play, as Wheeler has allowed at least three earned runs in three of his previous four starts.
FanDuel is the only sportsbook where one can back the Over at less than the standard -110 juice.
MLB best bets made 5/10/2023 at 6:38 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
(21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER)
* Bonuses not applicable in Ontario.
Related pages
- Best Sports Betting Sites | Best Sportsbook Promos (U.S. only)