Top MLB Betting Picks of the Week – May 20th Edition

The New York Yankees won a crucial series against the Tampa Bay Rays this weekend and moved into first place in the American League East, leading the Rays by a half-game and Boston by 4 ½ games. In the AL Central, the Minnesota Twins have moved 4 ½ games of Cleveland, who has struggled since losing Corey Kluber to injury. Looking at the AL West, Houston has won nine of ten as the rest of the division has slumped, and they lead the Angels and Rangers by 8 ½ games. In the National League East, Philadelphia leads Atlanta by 2 ½ games — and the Mets were swept over the weekend by Miami, who won their 11th, 12th and 13th games of the season against 31 losses. In the NL Central, the Cubs and the Brewers keep swapping the lead, but the Cubs lead by 1 ½ games now. The Dodgers lead the NL West by 5 ½ games over the Arizona Diamondbacks, winners of seven out of ten. Are you going to include baseball in your MLB betting this week? We have some solid picks for you to consider.

Top MLB Betting Picks of the Week – May 20th Edition

.@markdero7 breaks down his latest power rankings. Who do you have in your top five? #MLBCentral pic.twitter.com/J3EvMKPca5

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) May 20, 2019

Tuesday, May 21

Cincinnati at Milwaukee (7:40pm ET)

• Projected Pitching Matchup: Sonny Gray (0-4, 4.30 ERA) (CIN) vs Gio Gonzalez (2-0, 1.69 ERA) (MIL) 

The Cincinnati Reds have not gotten much from their investment in Sonny Gray to join their pitching rotation. He has permitted at least three earned runs in five of his last six starts, not the sort of pitching that the Reds thought they were getting when they inked him to a four-year, $38 million deal. In his last start, Gray permitted three runs on five hits, including a pair of home runs, in five innings. So even though he struck out seven batters in a game the Reds would come back and win after Gray had departed, he’s not controlling opposing offenses. Gio Gonzalez started the season late, as he entered 2019 without a team. The Brewers signed him to a one-year deal worth $2 million, and Gonzalez has delivered. He has only permitted two earned runs combined over his last three starts, as the team won all three of those games over the Mets, Cubs and Phillies. In his last start, on May 15, he scattered seven Philadelphia hits, with a solo shot scoring the only run over 5 ⅓ innings. Given the form that Gonzalez has shown, it’s hard to argue against the Brewers on Tuesday. MLB Betting Prediction: Milwaukee 4, Cincinnati 2

Chicago White Sox at Houston (8:10pm ET)

• Projected Pitching Matchup: Dylan Covey (0-2, 4.41 ERA) (CHI) vs Justin Verlander (7-1, 2.38 ERA) (HOU)

Dylan Covey hasn’t been bad — but he hasn’t been all that good for the White Sox yet. On April 1, he didn’t record a single out, permitting a hit, two walks and two runs (one earned) in a relief appearance. He has three starts, and his last one, against Toronto, showed improvement, as he permitted just two hits (including a home run) and two runs (one earned) in 5 ⅔ innings. But can he deliver against a monster Houston lineup? Covey’s counterpart on Tuesday is Justin Verlander. His only loss on the season came in a tough-luck outing in Minnesota on April 29, when he permitted just a single run on two hits in a 1-0 loss. His last two starts have been dominant, as he held Texas scoreless with just one hit over seven innings on May 10, in a 3-0 Houston win, and then threw seven innings of two-hit, one-run ball on May 15 in Detroit. In those two games, he struck out 17 combined with just four walks. As well as he’s pitching right now, it’s hard to see Chicago winning. MLB Betting Prediction: Houston 6, Chicago 1