MLB Best Bets, Prop Picks & Sunday Predictions 5/4

MLB Best Bets, Prop Picks & Sunday Predictions 5/4 article feature image
Credit:

Sam Navarro-Imagn Images. Pictured: Mets pitcher Tylor Megill.

In a galaxy not so far away, 16 Major League Baseball games line the odds board.

Our MLB betting experts came through with three best bets for Star Wars Day, including picks for Rays vs. Yankees, Guardians vs. Blue Jays and Game 2 of the Mets vs. Cardinals doubleheader.

Let's dive into our MLB best bets and top Major League Baseball picks for Sunday, May 4. May the Fourth be with you.

Note: While parlaying these picks isn't our official recommendation, we've put together an easy way to do so below.

Quickslip

Sunday MLB Best Bets, Prop Picks, Predictions

GameTime (ET)Pick
New York Mets LogoSt. Louis Cardinals Logo
5:15 p.m.
Tampa Bay Rays LogoNew York Yankees Logo
12:35 p.m.
Cleveland Guardians LogoToronto Blue Jays Logo
12:37 p.m.
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our MLB Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game.
Dodgers vs Braves Predictions, Picks, Odds, Sunday Night Baseball Preview Image


Rays vs Yankees Pick

Tampa Bay Rays Logo
Sunday, May 4
12:35 p.m. ET
MLB.TV
New York Yankees Logo
Taj Bradley Under 5.5 Strikeouts
DraftKings  Logo

By Jim Turvey

There are worrying signs for Taj Bradley on Sunday.

Here are his Stuff+ numbers for his last four starts: 109, 102, 100 and 97. His velocity is down a mile per hour, and he's failing to generate whiffs, with only 11 in his last two starts combined.

Now, he draws a Yankee lineup that has been demolishing everything in its sight.

They do have a high whiff rate, but with the Stuff+ drop Bradley has suffered, it's going to be hard to generate whiffs in what could very well be a short outing.

Pick: Taj Bradley Under 5.5 Strikeouts



Guardians vs Blue Jays Pick

Cleveland Guardians Logo
Sunday, May 4
12:37 p.m. ET
MLB.TV
Toronto Blue Jays Logo
Guardians F5 ML -106
FanDuel Logo

By Charlie Wright

Tanner Bibee has gotten off to a rough start this season, but it's really only been a couple of bad outings.

The Angels tagged him for seven earned runs in his second start of the year, and the Orioles got to him for six earned runs in mid-April.

Bibee has allowed a total of three earned runs in his other four starts. The seven home runs he has allowed bit him in the bad starts, but his 23.1% HR/FB is likely to regress.

The cutter was Bibee's best pitch last season. It graded out as one of the best offerings in the league with a +14 run value. He led with it last time out against Minnesota, throwing it 37% of the time in a dominant outing (7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER).

On the Toronto side. Bowden Francis has also struggled to begin the season, but his issues look much less fixable. He's been hit incredibly hard this season, ranking in the fifth percentile in hard-hit rate and in the eighth percentile in barrel rate.

Francis leads the league in home runs allowed with 11. His 27.5% HR/FB will also likely regress, but the loud contact is there.

The type of contact that leads to homers is also there. Francis has allowed a 32.3% pulled air contact rate, the eighth-highest mark in the league. His xERA (7.45) and xBA (.322) rank in the second and third percentiles, respectively.

Neither offense has been great this year, but Cleveland has shown more life.

The Guardians rank 19th in wRC+ against righties since the start of April. Toronto is bottom-two in most offensive categories against right-handers in that span, battling with the White Sox for the basement.

Cleveland has a clear pitching edge and a slight hitting edge, so I like getting it as a 'dog.

Pick: Guardians F5 ML -106

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Mets vs Cardinals Game 2 Pick

New York Mets Logo
Sunday, May 4
5:15 p.m. ET
MLB.TV
St. Louis Cardinals Logo
Mets ML -142
DraftKings  Logo

By Brit Devine

I really wanted yesterday's matchup of Tylor Megill vs. Erick Fedde that got rained out, but groundball specialist Andre Pallante will have to do instead.

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