Key Points
- Tigers Host Red Sox in Finale of Three-Game Series
- Mets and Pirates Play at Citi Field
- Yamamoto Toes the Rubber for Dodgers
Our picks for Monday went 2-for-3, which is good enough if you're pursuing a batting title. But we want to be more efficient than that during our MLB Best Bets series.
(Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Tonight we have three more game picks and a player prop.
Odds for Wednesday MLB games are from BetMGM Sportsbook. That betting app is available in excess of 30 states and the District of Columbia.
Lock in Red Sox vs Tigers Picks at Legendz 🏀
- Social Sportsbook + Slots
- Hundreds of Vegas-style slots
- Live dealer casino games
Sign up for 3 SC + 500 Gold Coins FREE and 50% extra on your First Purchase!
Open Legendz Casino
Red Sox at Tigers: Skubal on the Bump in Detroit
A recent survey by MLB.com revealed that Detroit lefty Tarik Skubal is the leading candidate to win the CY Young Award at the one-quarter point of the season.
Skubal took home that trophy last season when he garnered the pitching triple crown
Still only 28, Skubal is already the third-greatest southpaw in Tiger history, following Mickey Lolich and Hal Newhouser.
Tonight he faces the Red Sox in a matchup of two of the better power lineups in baseball. Both the Tigers and Sox rate in the top ten in 4-baggers this season.
Skubal has allowed only 23 home runs since opening day in 2023, the lowest total among pitchers to start at least 40 games
The thick-bodied lefty is on a dominant run: a 50-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his last six starts, a span for which he has a 0.97 ERA. There are good pitchers, there are aces, and then there are pitching gods. Skubal belongs in that latter group.
The current Boston lineup has little success off Skubal
Last season, Tarik tossed an 8-inning, four-hit, one-run performance against the BoSox.
BEST BET: Skubal Over 7.5 Strikeouts (+145 from BetMGM)
Pirates at Mets: Is the Best Team in Baseball in Queens?
The Dodgers command so much attention that other capable teams can get lost in the barrage of headlines centered on the Hollywood team.
The Padres, Giants, and Diamondbacks can attest to that
But, one east coast team is also living in the large shadow of the reigning World Series champs. That's the Mets, who have the best record in the National League.
The Mets received oodles of press for ponying up for hundreds of millions of dollars to lure Juan Soto into their uniform last offseason. But, forgotten is the fact that the team also welcomed back first baseman Pete Alonso.
The Polar Bear is getting lots of fresh fish, thank you very much: he's slashing above the coveted 300/400/600 mark, and making a serious push for his first MVP honor.
But the Mets have arguably the best "Big Three" in team history: Alonso, Soto, and shortstop Francisco Lindor are superstars in their prime. All three are off to excellent starts, even if Lindor has yet to really get into a consistent groove.
Watch out once he does. The main takeaway is this: come playoff time, the Mets will have a trio of primetime players to carry the load.
This Wednesday matchup against the dismal Pirates leans heavily to the Mets at Citi Field
Start8ing pitcher Clay Holmes has allowed only one home run in 2025, and his command has been impeccable. The transition from relief specialist to starter has been seamless for the 6'5 righty: he's 5-1 with a 2.74 ERA this season.
It helps that skipper Carlos Mendoza is giving Holmes a day or two extra rest when he can between his starts.
BEST BET: Mets -1.5 Runs (-125 from BetMGM)
Athletics vs Dodgers: Yamamoto has League-Best ERA
One of the surprise stories of the '25 MLB season is the decent success of the Athletics, playing their first campaign as renters at the Sacramento minor league ballpark.
So far, interestingly, the A's have been better on the road: 13-7 as opposed to 8-13 in Sacramento
The team is nonplussed: they battle every game, a testament to manager Mark Kotsay, who was a scrappy MLB player himself.
A nice boost has come from Brent Rooker, who seems headed toward putting up 100+ home runs over a three-year stretch going back to 2023.
Rooker is a one-trick pony: he murders fastballs and mediocre sliders
He has pull power, and punishes pitches on the inside of the plate. Otherwise, he's a terrible base runner, can't field any position, and doesn't seem to know what to do with a good major league curveball.
The A's always seem to have a "grip and rip it" guy like Rooker
When the A's get men on base, like they can with Rookie of the Year candidate Jacob Wilson (.348 through Monday) in the leadoff spot, their lineup can be pesky.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto was exposed in his last outing against the Diamondbacks: five earned runs and six hits in five innings. That counted as his third loss of the season, despite a glimmering and league-leading 1.80 ERA through eight starts.
The worry about Yamamoto is his stubborn affinity for his worst pitches
According to StatsCast, Yamamoto has thrown his curve, cutter, sinker, slider, and sweeper almost 40 percent of the time, but hitters are batting .296 with three tanks off those pitches.
By comparison, hitters are .132 with one HR off his four-seam fastball and splitter
The Dodgers should order Yamamoto to rely more heavily on his best pitches, if they want him to win games.
In his two seasons as a Dodger, the team is 5-5 when Yamamoto doesn't get a decision: he either pitches dominantly and grabs a win, or he leaves the hill and basically makes the Dodgers .500 in his starts.
BEST BET: A's on Moneyline (+220 from BetMGM)
BALLISLIFE.COM
