MLB Best Bets for Monday, May 9, 2022

We had a nice weekend overall. A sweep on Saturday was a great start and then yesterday we ended up going 1-1 on plays, unless you didn't rebet after Marcus Stroman was scratched. So, I'll officially take an 0-1 day. Either way, a 3-1 weekend is fine by me.

Athletics vs. Tigers

Starter Paul Blackburn has been very steady and consistent for the Athletics this season. In his first four starts of the season, he went five innings in all of them, and he allowed three hits in three of them. Most recently, he only allowed three runs in 4.1 innings to the Rays. One thing that has stood out to me is that Blackburn is allowing hitters just a .186 average against him the first time through the lineup. Michael Pineda is throwing for the Tigers. He hasn't been dominant against the Athletics in his career, but he hasn't allowed a lot of runs to them either. One area that he is excelling is as well is his first time through the lineup. It is a bit on the risky side, but I'm going to play under 1.5 runs through three innings at +132.

Guardians vs. White Sox

Zach Plesac is a solid pitcher, but he has had back-to-back rough starts for the Guardians. It was just a matter of time before he started allowing runs because he was allowing way too many baserunners, and it finally caught up with him. The White Sox could break out of this slump at any time. Maybe against a struggling Plesac is the time as they've hit .301 against him. Michael Kopech has not been going deep into the game, but he has been dominant while he steps on the hill. So far, in 23 innings, he's allowed just three earned runs. The Guardians don't scare me even though they've had decent success against Kopech in the past. I'm playing the under 4 through five innings at -115.

Rockies vs. Giants

I've written about Carlos Rodon more than enough to really spend too much more time explaining why you should ride the Rodon wave. He's been great and was probably the steal of the free agency. Rockies hitters have 11 hits in 35 at-bats against Rodon, so there is some success there. However, the Rockies are not good away from Coors Field. Their splits are just wild. Austin Gomber has been good for the Rockies away from Coors, though. At night, he has a 1.42 ERA and has been a bright spot in their rotation. Oddly enough, the Giants are also 11-for-35 against Gomber. I'm taking the Giants run line in this one at -110.