Top MLB Betting Odds & Picks for Thursday, May 12th (2022)

As much as we have ridiculed the Cincinnati Reds for their historically poor start, they deserve credit where credit is due. Cincinnati’s offense has been the best in baseball over the last week, scoring an MLB-best 54 runs and ranking in the top five with a .828 OPS. The Reds allowed 11 runs to Milwaukee yesterday, which many would think would be an automatic loss, but they triumphed after scoring 14 runs of their own, which sent our Brewers runline tickets up in flames.

The teams involved in today’s wagers have something in common with Cincinnati in that they are all well below .500, and none are better than fourth place in their division. Even still, poor teams can make bettors money all the same.

Here are our best bets for Thursday's MLB action. (Odds courtesy of DraftKings)

View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet >>

Oakland Athletics vs. Detroit Tigers O/U

The numbers for each team’s starting pitcher in this matchup suggest we should be in for a high-scoring game. However, even though James Kaprielian (0-2, 5.87) and Beau Brieske (0-2, 4.20) are still searching for their first wins, we expect each to be successful against opposing lineups that rank as two of the worst in the majors.

Kaprielian is making his third start of the season and has struggled with command, issuing six walks in 7.2 innings. Brieske’s biggest issue has been keeping the ball in the yard, as he has surrendered five home runs in 15 innings. However, the Tigers have scored a Major League-worst 85 runs and have been held to two or fewer runs in eight of the last nine games (1-8 in that span). Meanwhile, Oakland entered Wednesday with a Major League-worst .575 OPS and .200 batting average. That should give Kaprielian and Brieske, who have just 26 starts between them, an opportunity to build confidence.

The under is 6-1-1 in Oakland’s last eight games and is 5-2 in Detroit’s last seven at home. We like both trends to continue this afternoon. 

Bet: Athletics-Tigers UNDER 7.5 (-115 at DraftKings)  

Kansas City Royals vs. Texas Rangers ML

This wager is all about Kansas City’s struggles against left-handed pitching, as the Royals have won one of their last ten games against opposing southpaws. The previous two lefties they have faced were Baltimore’s Tyler Wells and Texas’ Martin Perez, who will not be in the running for Cy Young Awards anytime soon. However, the latter beat Kansas City for his first win of the season, and we expect the Rangers’ Taylor Hearn to overcome similar struggles against the Royals.

Hearn is 1-2 with a 6.53 ERA in five starts this year. The Rangers are 2-3 in Hearn’s starts, but those two wins have come in his last three appearances. Kansas City ranks 27th with a .604 OPS against left-handed pitching this year, so it should not be much of a concern that Texas’ win in Hearn’s last home start against Atlanta was its first win at home with Hearn on the mound in six tries.

Texas has dominated this head-to-head rivalry in recent memory, winning 27 of the last 35 meetings. We are getting a reasonable price here because of Hearn’s shortcomings at home and the fact that the Rangers are 1-7 in their last eight games as home favorites. However, the Royals are just 4-9 on the road after splitting the first two games of this series with the Rangers. Therefore, we like Texas to win yet again and improve its poor record as favorites again tonight.

Bet: Texas Rangers ML (-130 at DraftKings)  

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Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.