Five of the 12 games in Major League Baseball on Monday are between division rivals as the last full week of May begins. Read on for our top MLB prop picks and best bets for Monday based on the best MLB odds.
While five divisional games will be played Monday, just one of them (the Toronto Blue Jays vs. Tampa Bay Rays) is between teams with winning records. Thus, more attention will be centered around the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Atlanta Braves matchup, two teams that have met in the NLCS in two of the previous three seasons.
Here are our top MLB prop picks and best bets for Monday (odds via our best MLB betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Monday's MLB schedule and odds
(Odds via DraftKings)
- Chicago White Sox (+105) vs. Cleveland Guardians (-125)
- Texas Rangers (-140) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (+120)
- Arizona Diamondbacks (+175) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (-205)
- St. Louis Cardinals (-190) vs. Cincinnati Reds (+160)
- Toronto Blue Jays (+100) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (-120)
- Los Angeles Dodgers (+135) vs. Atlanta Braves (-155)
- Detroit Tigers (-105) vs. Kansas City Royals (-115)
- Houston Astros (-115) vs. Milwaukee Brewers (-105)
- San Francisco Giants (+125) vs. Minnesota Twins (-145)
- Miami Marlins (-125) vs. Colorado Rockies (+105)
- Boston Red Sox (-105) vs. Los Angeles Angels (-115)
- Oakland Athletics (+260) vs. Seattle Mariners (-315)
Monday's MLB best bets
- Player prop: Chris Bassitt Over 5.5 hits allowed (-155 via DraftKings) vs. Rays ???
- Player prop: Christian Walker Over 0.5 total bases (-167 via Caesars) vs. Phillies ???
- Player prop: Charlie Morton Over 2.5 earned r uns allowed (+125 via DraftKings) vs. Dodgers ???
- Alternate run line: Cardinals -2.5 vs. Reds (+126 via Caesars) ????
Not intended for use in MA
Affiliate Disclosure: Sportsbook Review may receive advertising commissions for visits to a sportsbook
Monday's MLB prop picks
This is a strength vs. strength matchup, as the hottest pitcher in baseball faces the sport's best offense.
Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Chris Bassitt comes into this start with a 27 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings streak, the longest active streak in baseball. In addition, per Inside Edge, Bassitt has not allowed an extra-base hit in 11 2/3 straight innings and has recorded at least 21 outs in three consecutive starts (only Nathan Eovaldi has a longer active streak with four straight starts). Given Bassitt 9;s ability to keep the ball in the yard, we are not backing the Over on the Tampa Bay Rays' team total. Instead, this is a three-star play since we expect Blue Jays manager John Schneider to use Bassitt as a workhorse again, which means more opportunities to allow hits.
Tampa Bay leads the majors in nearly every statistical offensive category, so while Bassitt has allowed four or fewer hits in eight consecutive starts, consider this a contrarian play with good offense beating good pitching. Head to DraftKings for the best value, as Caesars is offering less profitable -164 odds.
Five Arizona Diamondbacks hitters have 130-plus at-bats, and Christian Walker has the second-lowest on-base percentage at .321. However, when he does get on base, he usually does damage, as his 85 total bases are the most on the team.
Walker is 6-for-11 with two extra-base hits in his career against Philadelph ia Phillies righty Zack Wheeler. While Wheeler ranks in the 83rd percentile in xSLG, his xWOBACON is at its highest since 2019. This is a three-star play since Walker gets excellent protection in the lineup from Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who has reached base safely in 17 straight games.
We don't mind paying slightly extra in juice for this wager, especially since the O/U is 0.5 and not 1.5. However, if you think Walker is due for an extra-base hit or multiple hits, the +125 odds at FanDuel for him to record 2-plus total bases makes more sense.
Braves righty Charlie Morton has allowed a combined .301/.345/.795 slash line to current Los Angeles Dodgers hitters over 136 combined at-bats, and two of L.A.'s best hitters have done much of that damage. First baseman Freddie Freeman and outfielder Mookie Betts have combined for 19 of the 43 hits and three of the four home runs against Morton.
Los Angeles has the best wRC+, wOBA, and OPS of any National League team against right-handed pitching. And its offense has been hot lately, scoring five or more runs in six of the last seven games.
Morton has averaged six innings per start in his previous seven starts, recording at least 18 outs in five of those outings. But with a lineup as potent as the Dodgers', we expect them to break out offensively later in the game, given that Morton's ERA is 5.62, 2.25, and 4.76 in the fourth through sixth innings, respectively, this season.
We fully expected to have to pay up in juice for this number, so the plus-money odds are fully welcomed. Caesars is slightly lower at +115.
Monday's MLB game picks
Since May 5, the St. Louis Cardinals have the best record in the National League (11-4), and they have made up five gam es in the division in that span. The Cardinals look to continue that success against Cincinnati Reds lefty Brandon Williamson, who dazzled in his MLB debut on Tuesday at Coors Field, allowing one earned run in 5 2/3 innings.
Though Williamson never threw more than 15 pitches in an inning and retired 14 consecutive batters at one point, we are not getting too excited, given he pitched to a 6.62 ERA in eight starts at Triple-A. Since St. Louis' winning ways began earlier this month, it ranks best in the majors in HR/FB rate (19.4%) against left-handed pitching, with the second-highest hard-hit rate.
Cincinnati entered Sunday 17-6 with a 39.7% ROI against the run line after a loss this season (per Inside Edge), which was the best in the majors. And despite it also entering Sunday with the second-best record (8-3, 33.4% ROI) against the run line at home in the last 30 days, we expect St. Louis to expose the youngster in his first home start.
Caesars offers slightly better value than its competitors, with FanDuel and DraftKings at +116 and +125, respectively, for this alternate runline.
MLB best bets made 5/22/2023 at 6:23 a.m. ET.
Here are our best MLB betting sites:
- FanDuel: $1,000 No Sweat First Bet | 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)