May kicks off with an 11-game slate, including a matinee featuring Paul Skenes.
Our MLB betting experts have 2 picks for the Cubs vs. Pirates game, but that's not all — far from it, actually. There are also picks in Brewers vs. White Sox, Nationals vs. Phillies and Red Sox vs. Blue Jays, so continue reading for today's MLB best bets.
MLB Best Bets Today
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that 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 |
|---|---|---|
  | 12:35 p.m. | |
| 12:35 p.m. | |
  | 2:10 p.m. | |
  | 6:45 p.m. | |
  | 7:05 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. | ||
Will Priester's Cubs vs Pirates Best Bet: Big Game Coming for Skenes?
By Will Priester
The Cubs have been really good this season and although Paul Skenes hasn't demonstrated his strikeout prowess consistently this year, I'm still going to side with him and his body of work.
If he's on, I think he can neutralize any team, and I'm hoping he carries the momentum from his previous start into this one. He "only" has a 27% strikeout rate, but I suspect there may be on an uptick if some big performances show up.
Pick: Paul Skenes Over 6.5 Strikeouts (-126)
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Charlie Wright's Cubs vs Pirates Best Bet: Back Both Starting Pitchers
Paul Skenes had one blip against St. Louis, but other than that rough start, he’s allowed two or fewer runs in every outing and outdueled Yoshinobu Yamamoto last time out in a win over Los Angeles.
Chicago poses a tough test, but Skenes gets them in an early game at PNC Park. It’s also a getaway day for the Cubs, who are set to head to Milwaukee tonight, so we could see some sleepy bats.
Colin Rea is the bigger question. The Cubs are doing their emphasize-the-fastball thing with him and the results have been tremendous as Rea has allowed just two earned runs all season. He throws a 94-mph heater that doesn’t appear to be anything special, but he’s throwing it more than half the time. Outside of the fastball, Rea is throwing six ([) other pitches 5-10% of the time. The kitchen-sink approach has produced a career-high strikeout rate and a career-low hard-hit rate for Rea. His xERA is just above 3.00.
Rea draws a Pittsburgh offense that ranks bottom five in OPS, wOBA and wRC+ against righties. It’s a nice spot and Rea has made some intriguing changes.
Pick: First 5 Innings Under 4 (-125)
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Grant Neiffer's Brewers vs White Sox Best Bet: Great Spot for Chourio
This is a great spot today for the Brewers and FanDuel seems to have them drastically mispriced.
The weather isn't bad with winds blowing out to left center for the majority of the early stages of the game and temperatures only a bit below average. The matchup vs. Sean Burke is also solid as he's got close to neutral splits and has been hit hard by righties while allowing heavy fly ball and hard contact numbers. I have the true odds around +400, making this a great EV bet.
Pick: Jackson Chourio Over 0.5 Home Runs (+480)
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Grant Neiffer Nationals vs Phillies Best Bet: Can Wood Stay Hot?
James Wood has been on an absolute tear to start the season, hitting nine homers through 31 games.
