This is one of the best baseball weekends of the year because Monday is the Memorial Day holiday and thus many Americans are off until Tuesday. So with let’s build up that bankroll with three recommendations from the MLB schedule this weekend.
Top MLB Betting Predictions For Memorial Day Weekend
Only three teams EVER have gone back-to-back-to-back in extra innings:@Twins on 5/2/64@Royals on 5/31/02@pirates last night pic.twitter.com/fP6yRh5eIW
— MLB Stat of the Day (@MLBStatoftheDay) May 25, 2017
Baltimore Orioles at Houston Astros, Saturday
Your leading AL Cy Young candidate right now, all apologies for Boston’s Chris Sale, is Astros left-hander Dallas Keuchel. He is on track to return from the 10-day disabled list and start against Baltimore on Saturday. Keuchel had been dealing with a pinched nerve in his neck. Keuchel, who won the Cy Young Award in 2015, has a 1.84 ERA, 54 strikeouts and has held opposing hitters to a .186 batting average in his nine starts this season. This was his first trip to the DL in his major league career. Keuchel pitched just five innings in his last start — a 12-2 win over the Marlins – and allowed two runs on four hits while striking out four. Manager AJ Hinch was pleased that Keuchel came to them as soon as he noticed the problem. Keuchel has received 5.67 runs of support per outing, including 7.25 over his previous four. Had it not been for the Los Angeles Angels tacking on four runs in the bottom of the ninth on May 5 to tie the game, Keuchel — who earned a no-decision — would have another slash in the win column this season. It’s lefty Wade Miley (1-2, 2.59) for the Birds. Miley allowed three unearned runs over seven innings last Sunday in a loss to the Blue Jays. All three of those runs came in the top of the first inning, when Devon Travis launched a three-run homer after Kendrys Morales reached on an error and Justin Smoak singled to right field. It was a good outing overall for Miley, who struck out three and issued just one walk. Miley has allowed more than three earned just once all season. Go Astros here.
Tampa Bay Rays at Minnesota Twins, Sunday
You should see a total around 7.5 for this one and I’d go under as it’s two good pitchers. The Rays’ Alex Cobb (4-4, 3.82) was charged with four runs in 7 1/3 innings Tuesday in a loss to the Angels. Cobb should have been done after allowing two runs in seven innings, but Kevin Cash wanted him to face the top of the Angels’ lineup for a fourth time. After a one-out walk to Mike Trout and an Albert Pujols single, Cobb was pulled, and Danny Farquhar came in and allowed both runs to score. Cobb has made consecutive starts of at least seven innings, and has four such outings this season. Ervin Santana (7-2, 1.80) is expected to go for the Twins. On Tuesday night he fired a 2-0 shutout for the Minnesota Twins, becoming the first pitcher since Carl Pavano in 2010 to blank the Orioles at Camden Yards and lowering his MLB-best ERA to 1.80. His 66 percent strike rate was his second-highest this season, and the Orioles went 0-for- 12 on outside pitches, including 0-for-7 against his slider. He’s the first pitcher with two shutouts this season and has allowed two or fewer hits in five of his 10 starts. Batters are hitting just .134 against him, the lowest for a pitcher through his first 10 starts since Bob Turley’s .133 mark in 1955.
Chicago Cubs at Los Angeles Dodgers, Sunday
This might be the best pitching matchup of the season in the National League as it’s the best two lefties in the NL in the Cubs’ Jon Lester, last year’s Cy Young runner-up, and the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw, arguably the greatest regular-season pitcher in history. Those two didn’t face off in last year’s NLCS. Lester (3-2, 3.19) pitched a complete game, allowing one run on four hits with 10 strikeouts and no walks in Tuesday’s win over the Giants. Lester quickly showed that he had his best stuff, striking out the side in the first inning. He allowed just one base runner over the first four innings, cruising through the San Francisco lineup in just 99 pitches. Lester is now 12-0 with a 1.55 ERA in his last 16 regular-season home starts. Kershaw (7-2, 2.01) comes off a complete game against the Cardinals, allowing one run and striking out 10. Kershaw was robbed of victory when the Cards’ Randal Grichuk scored from second on a wild pitch in the ninth inning to tie it. While Kershaw has no peer in the regular season, Lester has been spectacular in the playoffs in his career. This likely will have the lowest total of the season at 6. Still go under. Both guys are capable of shutouts.
