Top MLB Betting Odds & Picks for Tuesday, May 10th (2022)

Yesterday was a quirky day in Major League Baseball. First, it took 28 games, but the Pittsburgh Pirates finally got a win from its starting pitcher, which was the longest season-opening streak without a win from a starter by any team in MLB history. And what made it even more strange is that the win came against the Dodgers of all teams. Second, a team once again rallied from 6+ runs down in the ninth inning, as the Guardians stunned the White Sox 12-9 in extra innings after entering the ninth trailing 8-2. Finally, does it get any more strange than the Reds winning a second consecutive game?

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

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

New York Yankees Team Total vs. Toronto Blue Jays

Nestor Cortes threw 7.1 innings of no-hit baseball against the Rangers yesterday, but the biggest takeaway is that the Yankees offense has been in a funk ever since having back-to-back games postponed for rain last weekend. The Yankees scored four combined runs on eight hits in Sunday’s doubleheader and followed up with one run on five hits yesterday.

When New York’s offense is right, they are one of the most dangerous lineups in baseball. But when they’re cold, they are viewed as a lineup that consistently fails to get “the big hit” and is littered with hitters who strike out a lot.

The Yankees and Blue Jays meet for the eighth time tonight, the most such meetings of any two opponents this year. One of those games was started by Yusei Kikuchi (1-1, 4.35), who earned his first win of the season in a brilliant performance last Wednesday. Kikuchi held the Yankees to one run on three hits over six innings and had much better command of the strike zone, issuing just one walk, the first of five starts where he had fewer than two. We like for Kikuchi to take advantage of New York’s slump and limit the Yankees offensively.

Bet: New York Yankees Team Total UNDER 3.5 Runs (+110 at DraftKings)  

Houston Astros vs. Minnesota Twins O/U

Tonight’s pitching matchup in the Astros-Twins series opener is fascinating as veteran Justin Verlander (3-1, 1.93) faces rookie Joe Ryan (3-1, 1.63). The Twins clearly think highly of Ryan, as they were bold enough to make him their Opening Day starter. He has pitched every bit like an ace to this point, leading the Twins rotation in IP (27.2), pitches per start (81.6), strikeouts (28), WAR (1.1), WHIP (0.83), and ERA.

Meanwhile, Verlander has quickly shut down any notions that he may not be the same pitcher after missing all of last year due to Tommy John surgery. Verlander leads the league with a 0.704 WHIP, and he is on pace for his fourth consecutive season (when healthy) with double-digit strikeouts per nine innings.

The under is 4-0 in Verlander’s last four starts as a road favorite and is 3-0-1 in Minnesota’s last four overall. This game has the lowest total of any on Tuesday’s slate, but we are still firing on the under.

Bet: Astros-Tigers UNDER 6.5 Runs (+100 at DraftKings)  

Kansas City Royals vs. Texas Rangers ML

The Royals have struggled mightily against left-handed starting pitching this season, winning one of their last nine games against opposing southpaws. They were beaten by Baltimore lefty Tyler Wells 6-1 yesterday and now face Texas’ Martin Perez (0-2, 2.25).

Though Perez is winless on the season, the team is a respectable 2-3 in his starts, though both wins have come on the road. The Rangers have not had much success in Perez’s home starts, going 1-7 in the last eight. He is trying to follow a slew of teammates who pitched admirably on the road against the Yankees despite losing two of the three games.

In recent memory, Texas has dominated this head-to-head rivalry, winning 26 of the last 33 meetings. We are getting a reasonable price here because of Perez’s shortcomings at home and the fact that the Rangers are 0-6 in their last six games as home favorites. However, the Royals are just 3-8 on the road after losing two of three at Camden Yards to the Orioles. Therefore, we like for Texas to break out of its slump as favorites tonight.

Bet: Texas Rangers ML (-135 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.