Top MLB Betting Picks of the Week (May 30th, 2022)

By Hank Blaine • May 30, 2022

One of the marquee MLB series of the week starts Tuesday night from the Bronx as the New York Yankees host the Los Angeles Angels in what could be a playoff preview. It also has a good chance of showcasing the eventual winner of the AL MVP Award as the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani is currently +210 to repeat, while the Yankees’ Aaron Judge is a +330 second favorite to win it for the first time and the Halos’ Mike Trout is +450 to win it a fourth time. Check back for MLB odds.

Top MLB Betting Picks of the Week (May 30th, 2022)

#Yankees news: Aaron Judge reflects on so-so series, better first two months; Yankees No. 2 in MLB rankings; Tommy John’s health scare; Texas swaps former Baby Bombers https://t.co/TcBGNhqIzX
— Pinstripe Alley (@pinstripealley) May 31, 2022

Los Angeles Angels vs. New York Yankees

When: Tuesday, May 31st, 2022. 7:07pm ET
Where: Yankee Stadium, New York City, NY
TV: Bally Sports West, TBS (out-of-market only), YES
Radio: KLAA 830 (Angels) / WADO 1280(Yankees)
MLB Betting Odds: Angels (+115) / Yankees (-132)

The Angels had been one of the biggest surprise teams in the American League but enter having lost a season-high five straight games. Ohtani went 2-for-3 with two home runs in Sunday’s 11-10 loss to the Blue Jays. Ohtani hit a 108.8 mph solo home run off of Jose Berrios in the bottom of the first and in the bottom of the third, he launched a 425-foot two-run home run over the center-field wall. It was his third multi-home run game of the season. The two-way star is slashing .249/.325/.470 with 11 homers, 32 RBI, 34 runs scored, seven stolen bases and eight doubles.

“A bunch of guys who had been really good, collectively, and all of a sudden, it’s difficult. I don’t have any answers for that. There’s been a lot of support and conversations. You normally know what to expect, and right now, we don’t know what to expect,” Manager Joe Maddon said of the team’s slump.

Ohtani is scheduled to start on the mound Thursday. New York enters the series on a two-game skid. Judge went 2-for-4 and hit his 18th homer in Sunday’s loss against the Rays. Judge had gone five straight games without homering, but even so, he leads the majors by four after hitting No. 18 today off Colin Poche. A total of 13 of those, including today’s, have been solo shots. Judge has hit safely in 25 of his last 31 games (since 4/24), batting .325/.386/.726 with 15 homers and 31 RBIs in that span. Judge also leads the majors in AB/HR (10.06), ranks second in slugging (.655, second in AL) and fourth in OPS (1.028, third in AL).

Noah Syndergaard (4-3, 3.08 ERA) is on the mound for the Angels. He’s making eighth start of the season and fourth on the road. The big right-hander earned the win in last start last Tuesday vs. Texas after tossing a season-high 8.0 innings and allowing one earned run on four hits with no walks and five strikeouts. Syndergaard has allowed three-or-fewer runs in six of seven starts this season. In two career starts against the Yankees, he is 1-1 with a 4.91 ERA and 12 strikeouts. Syndergaard has a 1.48 ERA at home this year but 5.93 ERA on the road. Syndergaard pitches in New York for the first time since leaving the Mets during the offseason.

It’s lefty Jordan Montgomery (0-1, 3.30 ERA) for the Yankees. Montgomery didn’t factor into the decision in last Tuesday’s 7-6 extra-innings win over the Orioles, allowing two runs on four hits over six-plus innings. He struck out five without walking a batter. He tossed 57 of 88 pitches for strikes en route to his third quality start of the season, but Montgomery got the hook after serving up a solo shot to Austin Hays to lead off the seventh inning and was then denied his first win of 2022 when his replacement, Michael King, coughed up three more runs in the frame.

MLB Betting Pick: Yankees

Houston Astros vs. Oakland< A's

When: Wednesday, June 1, 2022. 3:37pm ET.
Where: RingCentral Coliseum, California, CA
TV: ATT SportsNet-SW, NBCSCA
Radio: KBME 790 AM (Astros) / Bloomberg 960 AM (Atheltics)
MLB Betting Odds: TBA

AL Cy Young favorite Justin Verlander is on the mound, although the two-time winner of the award comes off a rare bad outing. Verlander had been so dominant in his first eight starts — he entered last Friday’s start in Seattle leading the majors in ERA (1.22), WHIP (0.72) and opponents’ average (.161) — that watching him get roughed up was startling. The Mariners tagged him for a career-high-tying four homers in the 6-1 win over the Astros.

Verlander (6-2) said he was susceptible to contact because of control issues, which may have also stemmed from not being able to grip the ball very well on a chilly night. When he left the mound after throwing his final pitch — a 97.7 mph fastball that Rodríguez swung through for one of his six strikeouts — Verlander’s ERA had risen to 2.03.

“It would have been nice to get in a rhythm, but I never felt like I did,” Verlander explained. “A lot of credit to those guys. They had a good game plan and kind of kept me off balance all night and was never able to get into a good rhythm. I had one kind of quick inning [in the third], but other than that it was a bit of a struggle.”

The Astros are a bit banged up right now, but an MRI on outfielder Kyle Tucker’s left foot revealed no structural damage. The 25-year-old outfielder remains day-to-day moving forward and will likely be out until the swelling subsides. Second baseman and former AL MVP and batting Jose Altuve was removed from Monday’s game versus the Athletics following a collision with Christian Bethancourt at first base in the seventh inning. Altuve initially remained in the game but was eventually replaced because he “didn’t look too good in the eyes,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said. Altuve is going through concussion protocol.

Cole Irvin (2-2, 3.15 ERA) is scheduled to start on the mound for Oakland. Irvin allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits over 6.1 innings in last Friday’s loss to Texas. He struck out four and did not factor in the decision. Irvin coughed up a two-run single to Jonah Heim in the first inning before firing five straight shutout frames, including a stretch in which he retired 10 straight batters. He was then charged with another run in the seventh after he was removed from the game. The 28-year-old has allowed six runs (five earned) on 14 hits and two walks over his last two outings after a stint on the injured list.

MLB Betting Pick: Astros

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