MLB Best Bets For Today, 5/24 - Expert Picks, Predictions, & Props
Time to check in with the MLB Best Bets and Props for today, Friday, May 24! Thankfully, there is no daytime baseball for us to deal with as betting games where players aren’t at their best is the last thing I want to do. I understand that many of you just want the action, but I’m all about winning and that means you bet where you are comfortable.
Perhaps I will adjust the schedule, so I am not dealing with a split slate, or maybe I just stay focused on the evening games. Either way, we have a full slate of games beginning at 6:40pm ET and that means we have a ton of great options.
MLB Picks, Predictions, & Best Bets Today, May 24th
It was a horrible day yesterday and it’s been a rough week with so many afternoon games on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. We were up significantly to open the week and now, we are back closer to even. This season’s MLB predictions are still in the black – or the green, I should say – but we need to replenish this bankroll and head into the weekend with positive momentum.
- Yesterday’s Record: 1-5
- Season Record: 152-132-4
- Bankroll: +5.11 units
*The respective odds will be listed next to each of my MLB picks below.
Astros vs. Athletics Prediction: Friday, 5/24
While the Athletics have definitely been better than advertised, they are still a weak lineup on a struggling franchise and the Astros, behind the arm of veteran ace Justin Verlander, should take care of business in this matchup. Ross Stripling pitches to contact and is sitting on a 1.56 WHIP. He’s not walking a ton of guys, but he’s allowing baserunners at a rapid rate.
The Astros, a team sporting a .330 wOBA against righthanded pitching this season and a .378 wOBA over the past seven days, should be able to plate runners and force Stripling into some bad situations.
On the other side, Verlander has not quite been himself, but should be able to contain this lineup, at least to give the offense the opportunity to extend a decent lead for the game. Walks have been a problem for him, allowing at least two in each of his last five starts, so the first of today’s MLB best bets is going to attack that prop as the A’s have a 9.4-percent walk rate against righties.
- Expert Astros vs. Athletics Picks:
- Houston -1.5 Run Line (+100 on BetMGM)
- Justin Verlander Over 1.5 Walks (-135 on BetMGM)
- Jake Meyers Over 1.5 Hits+Runs+RBI (-125 on BetMGM)
Guardians vs. Angels Prediction: Friday, 5/24
We’ve got two teams who hit lefties fairly well, so for me, it’s a matter of which lefty I trust the most to make any MLB predictions on. Funny enough, it’s Patrick Sandoval. He can hit a bump in the road like any other starter, but has done a real nice job recently, most notably limiting the Rangers to just one run over six innings. While I don’t expect him to shut down this Guardians lineup, I think he can do enough to give his team an early lead in this one.
On the other side, it’s Logan Alen throwing for Cleveland. He’s coming off back-to-back shutout performances but now faces a lineup that not only has a .339 wOBA against southpaws, but also has a .324 BABIP which means they make strong contact and keep the ball in-play. Some of these Angels bats spend all their time just hitting the crap out of lefties, most notably Luis Rengifo who owns a .440 average with a .462 wOBA and a .160 ISO.
- Expert Guardians vs. Angels Picks:
- Los Angeles First 5 Innings Money Line (-125 on Bet365)
- Luis Rengifo Over 1.5 Total Bases (+105 on DraftKings)
Yankees vs. Padres Prediction: Friday, 5/24
While the Yankees might be a little travel weary, I’m still going to side with them for the full game in today’s MLB picks finale. Yes, I know Yu Darvish is currently sporting a 25-inning scoreless streak, but that just means he’s due for a bit of a pasting. Maybe it doesn’t come all at once, but this Yankees lineup is incredibly patient, they own a league-best .348 wOBA against righties this season and have a .377 wOBA with a .250 ISO over the last seven days.
Oh yeah, and this is Juan Soto’s first game back in San Diego, so I expect him to be amped up. The Padres, on the other hand, have been atrocious against lefthanded pitching this season. We’re talking about a .280 wOBA with a .121 ISO. Those numbers are not good. However, they have shown some nice plate discipline still, posting a 9.1-percent walk rate. So, we can back the Yankees overall, but still find a way to win some money off the Padres doing something good.
- Expert Yankees vs. Padres Picks:
- New York Money Line (-115 on Bet365)
- Carlos Rodon Under 1.5 Walks (+120 on Bet365)
- Juan Soto Over 1.5 Hits+Runs+RBI (-125 on Bet365)
Best MLB Props For Today, 5/24
- Seth Lugo Over 5.5 Strikeouts (-130 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Shota Imanaga Over 5.5 Strikeouts (-118 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Nico Hoerner Over 1.5 Hits+Runs+RBI (-115 on BetMGM Sportsbook)
Player News
Teoscar Hernández went 4-for-5 with two doubles, four RBI, and two runs scored to lead the Dodgers to a 15-2 win over the Marlins on Tuesday.
Hernández continues to come through with runners on for the Dodgers as he drove in four on Tuesday on four hits, including two doubles. The 32-year-old slugger is up to an MLB-high 31 RBI while slashing .297/.313/.613 with nine homers and two steals across 116 plate appearances.
Shohei Ohtani went 1-for-4 with a solo homer, two runs scored, one steal, and a walk against the Marlins on Tuesday.
Ohtani sent the first pitch he saw out of the yard with a solo homer off Sandy Alcantara to lead off the first inning. He drew a walk in the second and stole a base before scoring on a double by Teoscar Hernández. The 30-year-old superstar is up to seven homers and eight steals while slashing .288/.392/.550 across 130 plate appearances.
Jack Dreyer allowed one run with three strikeouts over two innings as the opener against the Marlins on Tuesday.
Dreyer got the start as the opener with the Dodgers’ rotation thinned by injuries. He gave up a run in the first inning on a triple and a base hit, then struck out two batters in a clean second inning before he was relieved by Matt Sauer. Sauer went on to toss five innings of one-run ball with four strikeouts to put himself in line for the win.
Sandy Alcantara allowed seven runs with two strikeouts over 2 2/3 innings in a loss against the Dodgers on Tuesday.
Alcantara’s struggles to start the season continued on Tuesday against the Dodgers. Shothei Ohtani took his first pitch out for a solo homer in the bottom of the first inning. Los Angeles added two more runs on the board before Alcantara got out of the opening frame. They’d add four more runs before he was pulled with two outs in the third. The 29-year-old right-hander ends the day with an 8.31 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, and a 19/17 K/BB ratio across 26 innings.
Xander Bogaerts went 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI, and two runs scored in the Padres’ 7-4 win over the Giants on Tuesday.
Bogaerts put the Padres on the board early with a base hit in the first to score Manny Machado from second base before coming around to score on a hit by Jose Iglesias. Bogaerts later extended the lead with a two-run blast off Randy Rodríguez in the seventh for his first home run of the season. The 32-year-old shortstop is hitting .253/.342/.364 with 13 runs scored, eight RBI, and four steals over 114 plate appearances.
Willy Adames went 2-for-4 with a home run and two runs scored against the Padres on Tuesday.
Adames led off the fourth inning with a solo homer off Nick Pivetta to put the Giants on the board. He later led off the sixth with a double and scored on a base hit by Jung Hoo Lee. It was one of Adames’ better days at the plate as he had just five total extra-base hits on the season before adding two on Tuesday. The 29-year-old shortstop is slashing .212/.286/.305 with two homers, 16 runs scored, and 15 RBI across 133 plate appearances.