When you’re dealing with a bad team in the first month of the season, there’s a lot to consider as far as whether their slow start is genuinely indicative of their true talent or if they’re going through something and will figure it out before things get too far out of control.
Consider the case of the Chicago White Sox, who stumbled out of the gates to an 8-13 start and had quite a few people questioning whether they genuinely would reach the lofty expectations that existed before the season. However, the White Sox have now won six straight games and have gotten their record back above .500 with a large chunk of the season still ahead of themselves.
With less than 30 games played, there’s roughly 80 percent of the season available for talented teams to resurrect themselves and shake off a tough start. For a team like the Pittsburgh Pirates or Baltimore Orioles, nothing’s going to save them this season, but it’s a bit too soon to cut bait on the likes of the White Sox, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Seattle Mariners until we see a little more evidence from them that things are heading in the wrong direction.
With that in mind, here are the odds and lines for May 9.
MLB Odds, Schedule, and Probable Pitchers
Kansas City Royals vs. Baltimore Orioles
Run Line: KC: +1.5 (-185) | BAL: -1.5 (+150)
Moneyline: KC: +110 | BAL: -135
Over/Under: 7.5 (-110)
Royals vs. Orioles Starting Pitchers: Carlos Hernandez (KC) vs. Jordan Lyles (BAL)
Royals vs. Orioles Game Time: 12:05 p.m. EST
Royals vs. Orioles Location: Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore
Texas Rangers vs. New York Yankees
Run Line: TEX: +1.5 (-110) | NYY: -1.5 (-110)
Moneyline: TEX: +180 | NYY: -225
Over/Under: 7.5 (-110)
Rangers vs. Yankees Starting Pitchers: Glenn Otto (TEX) vs. Gerrit Cole (NYY)
Rangers vs. Yankees Game Time: 1:05 p.m. EST
Rangers vs. Yankees Location: Yankee Stadium, New York
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Run Line: LAD: -1.5 (-140) | PIT: +1.5 (+115)
Moneyline: LAD: -250 | PIT: +200
Over/Under: 7.5 (-110)
Dodgers vs. Pirates Starting Pitchers: J.T. Brubaker (PIT) vs. Connor Overton (CIN)
Dodgers vs. Pirates Game Time: 6:40 p.m. EST
Dodgers vs. Pirates Location: PNC Park, Pittsburgh
Milwaukee Brewers vs. Cincinnati Reds
Run Line: MIL: -1.5 (-105) | CIN: +1.5 (+115)
Moneyline: MIL: -185 | CIN: +150
Over/Under: 7.5 (-110)
Brewers vs. Reds Starting Pitchers: J.T. Brubaker (PIT) vs. Connor Overton (CIN)
Brewers vs. Reds Game Time: 6:40 p.m. EST
Brewers vs. Reds Location: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati
Oakland Athletics vs. Detroit Tigers
Run Line: OAK: +1.5 (-200) | DET: -1.5 (+165)
Moneyline: OAK: +105 | DET: -130
Over/Under: 7 (-110)
Athletics vs. Tigers Starting Pitchers: Max Scherzer (NYM) vs. Kyle Gibson (PHI)
Athletics vs. Tigers Game Time: 7:10 p.m. EST
Athletics vs. Tigers Location: Comerica Park, Detroit
Cleveland Guardians vs. Chicago White Sox
Run Line: CLE: +1.5 (-135) | CHW: -1.5 (+110)
Moneyline: CLE: +150 | CHW: -185
Over/Under: 7.5 (-110)
Guardians vs. White Sox Starting Pitchers: Vince Velasquez (CHW) vs. Nathan Eovaldi (BOS)
Guardians vs. White Sox Game Time: 8:10 p.m. EST
Guardians vs. White Sox Location: Fenway Park, Boston
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Los Angeles Angels
Run Line: TB: +1.5 (-185) | LAA: -1.5 (+150)
Moneyline: TB: +110 | LAA: -130
Over/Under: 7.5 (-110)
Rays vs. Angels Starting Pitchers: Kevin Gausman (TOR) vs. Shane Bieber (CLE)
Rays vs. Angels Game Time: 9:38 p.m. EST
Rays vs. Angels Location: Angel Stadium, Anaheim, Calif.
Miami Marlins vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
Run Line: MIA: -1.5 (+135) | ARI: +1.5 (-160)
Moneyline: MIA: -120 | ARI: +100
Over/Under: 9 (-110)
Marlins vs. Diamondbacks Starting Pitchers: Eric Lauer (MIL) vs. Undecided (ATL)
Marlins vs. Diamondbacks Game Time: 9:40 p.m. EST
Marlins vs. Diamondbacks Location: Chase Field, Phoenix
Chicago Cubs vs. San Diego Padres
Run Line: CHC: +1.5 (-145) | SD: -1.5 (+120)
Moneyline: CHC: +145 | SD: -175
Over/Under: 7.5 (-110)
Cubs vs. Padres Starting Pitchers: Cole Irvin (OAK) vs. Undecided (MIN)
Cubs vs. Padres Game Time: 9:40 p.m. EST
Cubs vs. Padres Location: Petco Park, San Diego
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Seattle Mariners
Run Line: PHI: +1.5 (-200) | SEA: -1.5 (+165)
Moneyline: PHI: +105 | SEA: -125
Over/Under: 7.5 (-110)
Phillies vs. Mariners Starting Pitchers: Beau Brieske (DET) vs. Luis Garcia (HOU)
Phillies vs. Mariners Game Time: 9:40 p.m. EST
Phillies vs. Mariners Location: T-Mobile Park, Seattle
Colorado Rockies vs. San Francisco Giants
Run Line: COL: +1.5 (-110) | SF: -1.5 (-110)
Moneyline: COL: +200 | SF: -250
Over/Under: 6.5 (-110)
Rockies vs. Giants Starting Pitchers: Undecided (WSH) vs. Undecided (LAA)
Rockies vs. Giants Game Time: 9:45 p.m. EST
Rockies vs. Giants Location: Oracle Park, San Francisco
Top MLB Predictions for May 6
We’ve got a bit of a lighter schedule, with nine of the 11 games taking place later in the day. Here are my MLB best bets for May 9.
MLB Best Bet May 9: Cleveland Guardians-Chicago White Sox Under 7.5 Runs (-110), 8:10 p.m. EST, available at BetMGM
The White Sox are playing a lot better as of late, but they’re still not hitting the ball all that well. Chicago might have won six straight games, but the Pale Hose haven’t scored more than four runs in any of those contests. Cleveland has stepped up it’s hitting compared to past seasons, but Michael Kopech has pitched very well this season and gone through five starts without giving up more than two runs.
I think there’s going to be a regression on the part of Cleveland’s bats in this series, and with Zach Plesac pitching well last time out, I think this one’s going to be a fairly low-scoring contest.
MLB Best Bet May 9: San Diego Padres ML (-175) vs. Chicago Cubs, 9:40 p.m. EST, available at BetMGM
MacKenzie Gore has pitched very well in all four of his starts this season, giving up no more than two runs and making it through five innings each time he’s taken the mound. The lineups he’s faced haven’t been the greatest, but the Cubs’ lineup isn’t all that strong either and neither is their pitching.
Kyle Hendricks is a contact pitcher, and the Padres are deadly when they’re actually putting the ball in play. Even though the Padres rank 22nd in batting average, they’re eighth in runs scored, which points to how efficient they are when they get men on base. Against Hendricks, they will get men on base and should cruise.
MLB Best Bet May 9: San Francisco Giants -1.5 (-110) vs. Colorado Rockies, 9:45 p.m. EST, available at BetMGM
One of the basic ways to play baseball bets over the past two years has been to fade the Rockies whenever they go on the road. When they go on the road against a good team like the Giants, fading them becomes an even stronger play. Unfortunately, there’s no value on the Giants on the moneyline, but with Carlos Rodon on the mound in this game, I think there’s a good chance that San Francisco can keep the Rockies’ bats under control well enough for the Giants to win this game on the runline.
