We have a 15-game slate today on this Dinger Tuesday, starting early with Nationals vs Guardians at 6:10 PM ET at Progressive Field on MLB.TV and including Rockies vs Dodgers at 10:10 PM ET at Dodger Stadium on MLB.TV.
Our experts have analyzed the matchups and found great options for Tuesday, May 26.
Below are 5 expert MLB best bets today.
MLB Best Bets Today
The team logos in the table below represent each matchup our MLB betting staff is targeting from today's slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 6:10 PM | |
  | 6:35 PM | |
  | 7:10 PM | |
 | 9:05 PM | |
  | 10:10 PM | |
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. | ||
Jon Anderson's Nationals vs Guardians Predictions
By Jon Anderson
It's always a little surprising to see the Nationals as a favorite on the road (… or at home frankly), but it's justified here.
The Guardians' offense is nothing special, and Cavalli seems to match up pretty well with them. Meanwhile, Cantillo has been one of the worst in the league this year
The bullpen advantage goes easily to the Guardians, though. So I'd be on the Nationals F5 line rather than the moneyline. There's a good chance the Nats bullpen blows this one after Cavalli's work is done.
Pick: Nationals F5 ML (-110 or Better)
Check out Anderson's full Nationals-Guardians preview here:
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Sean Zerillo's Rays vs Orioles Picks
By Sean Zerillo
Editor’s Note: This written pick is a transcription from today’s episode of the Payoff Pitch Podcast.
I'm taking the Orioles today against the Rays. This is a team I was probably highest on coming into the season, and they’ve largely played up to that level so far.
That said, they’ve started losing some of those close games they were winning routinely early in the year. I do like them quite a bit in this spot.
I give the Orioles a clear bullpen advantage today. I have them as a top-5 bullpen, while I rate the Rays as slightly below average for this slate — especially considering the rest and availability on both sides after yesterday’s extra-innings game.
I also project the Orioles to have the better offense: 110 wRC+ versus right-handed pitching compared to a slightly below-average mark for the Rays. Reverting to my power and patience grades, I have the Orioles at a B- in both power and plate discipline — very strong team-wide marks. The Rays grade out as D- in power and C+ in plate discipline.
The Rays’ only real advantage is on the basepaths, but even that has been neutralized lately. A lot of it is tied to Chandler Simpson, whose stolen base success has dropped off sharply. He’s sitting at 14 steals and 8 caught stealings — his effectiveness has basically been wiped out.
Griffin Jax has improved as they’ve stretched him out as a starter, but his K-BB rate is still only around 8%. They’ve tried to expand his arsenal, but I’m not sure how much I buy into the changes. Right now, I project him as roughly a league-average starter with a weighted FIP around 4.1, and I’m not convinced he’ll get much better than that.
Overall, I make the Orioles around -130 in this matchup.
Pick: Orioles ML (-118 or Better)
Listen to the full episode of today's Payoff Pitch Podcast here:
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Grant Neiffer's Reds vs Mets Player Prop
Chase Burns is one of the better young pitchers in the league, but his strikeout stuff is largely negated by Juan Soto, and Burns has struggled heavily with lefty power, allowing a career 1.60 HR/9.
This ballpark isn't great for power, but with the wind blowing out tonight, the ball should be flying well.
Soto is one of the best power bats in the league, and I have the true odds here around +350, making this a great bet.
Pick: Juan Soto Home Run (+370 or Better)
Check out all of Neiffer's home run picks for Dinger Tuesday here:
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Adam Trigger's Triple-A Baseball Best Bet
Las Vegas Aviators @ Tacoma Riders
Tuesday, 9:05 PM ET
By Adam Trigger
The A’s dipped into their talent pool about a month ago, which hurt Las Vegas in the short term, but there are so many prospects in the A’s organization that the Aviators have bounced back via some call-ups.
Joshua Kurdoa-Grauer has now arrived at Triple-A and quickly gives Las Vegas a new best player. Tommy White got the call a couple of weeks prior, and he’s been solid while veteran guys like Cade Marlowe and Joey Meneses have been productive of late for the Aviators.
Las Vegas has a pair of veteran catchers in Brian Serven and Bryan Lavastida, who are helping the young pitching staff but have also contributed at the plate. Brett Harris is also a decent offensive option at this level.
Altogether, Las Vegas has a formidable lineup.
Las Vegas has more pitching I’m interested in backing than Tacoma, which I think gives the Aviators the upper hand in this series.
Tacoma has had one of the worst lineups in the PCL since Colt Emerson was poached by the Mariners, and the Aviators have a fairly veteran starting rotation that should fare well in what is one of the more pitcher-friendly ballparks in the PCL.
I’ll also be looking for Denzel Clarke to pop up in the Las Vegas lineup if they decide to give him another day or two as part of his rehab assignment.
No matter how you slice it, Las Vegas is a better, deeper team than Tacoma is right now, but the Rainiers tend to get love when they play at home, which could give us some nice price and spot combinations on the visitors this week.
Pick: Las Vegas Aviators ML
Check out all of Trigger's Triple-A Picks for Tuesday here:
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Evan Abrams's Rockies vs Dodgers Predictions
By Evan Abrams
This game triggered one of our Action PRO betting systems, powered by Evan Abrams:
The Colorado Rockies travel to Dodger Stadium as significant road underdogs against the Los Angeles Dodgers in this NL West matchup. The Dodgers have been one of the strongest teams in baseball with a win rate well above 60%, while the Rockies continue to struggle below .500 and enter this game on a losing streak.
The betting market reflects heavy public support for Los Angeles, with the Rockies drawing less than 35% of the moneyline tickets and handle. This exact public pile-on against a low-winning-percentage road team creates the precise inefficiency the system targets.
This setup fits the system perfectly: a poor-performing road underdog with minimal betting support facing an elite home favorite. Markets and the public consistently over-adjust to the stronger team’s record and home advantage, leaving plus-money value on the contrarian side that has proven profitable over time.
While the Rockies have been one of the weaker teams in the league this season, the system thrives in these spots by taking advantage of the oversized payouts created when the public heavily favors the “sure thing” home team.
Pick: Rockies ML (+180 or Better)
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