Best MLB Bets Today: Can Cole Stop the Yankees' Cold Streak

We have a pair of bets from the AL East today. The first comes from a matchup between the Cleveland Guardians and the Tampa Bay Rays. The other is a division showdown between the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles. 

We will share our favorite bet for these games below, sharing odds taken from FanDuel Sportsbook. If you are new and looking to try FanDuel, be sure to use our custom link to earn $200 in Bonus Bets!

Best MLB Bets Today: Guardians vs. Rays (6:50 PM EST)

Rays ML (-138) at FanDuel Sportsbook

The Guardians are clearly the better team, but the Rays are set up for a victory tonight. One reason is Cleveland starter Carlos Carrasco (3-6, 5.22 ERA), who will be on the mound tonight. The 37-year-old has been awful for the second consecutive season as his career continues to decline, and there are no signs that he is turning things around.

Tampa’s offensive woes have been well-documented this season, but Carrasco has struggled against some of the league’s worst lineups in 2024. The veteran has also been a disaster on the road, where he is 1-3 with a 5.68 ERA over nine starts. As poorly as Tampa’s lineup has been hitting, they have the talent to take advantage of bad pitching, which they will do tonight.

Another reason we like the Rays to win is Taj Gibson (3-4, 3.23 ERA), who is starting opposite Carrasco. The 23-year-old has made significant improvements in his second season and has a 1.29 ERA over his last six starts. His best work has come at home, where he owns a 1.76 ERA across seven starts. 

Gibson’s impressive numbers at home include great showings against the Rangers, Orioles, and Yankees. The Guardians have been fantastic at the plate this season, but they struggled against Gibson last season when the young pitcher was struggling. We predict a similar result with a vastly improved Gibson on the mound tonight.

Bet on Rays ML (-138) at FanDuel

Best MLB Bets Today: Yankees vs. Orioles (7:05 PM EST)

Yankees ML (-126) at FanDuel Sportsbook

Injuries and poor play have sent the Yankees into a freefall, but Gerrit Cole (1-1, 6.75 ERA) will change that tonight. The former Cy Young winner is still returning to form after missing the first two months with an injury. While things haven’t been pretty, we have seen signs of things turning around.

We see Cole delivering his best performance of the season tonight. As good as the Orioles are, the Yankees ace dominated them in Baltimore last season. He throws seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits without walking a batter. The Cole bounceback game is coming, and we think it will happen tonight.

Even if Cole can’t shut the Orioles out, a battered Yankees lineup will have a chance to do some significant damage with Cade Povich (1-3, 6.51 ERA) on the mound. The 24-year-old has had a rocky rookie campaign and is coming off his worst start of the season, allowing eight runs in one inning against the A’s.

Povich did deliver a solid four innings against the Yankees last month, but he hasn’t been as sharp since then. New York has struggled to score runs of late, but any lineup with Aaron Judge and Juan Soto is capable of doing a lot of damage, especially with a rookie pitcher on the mound. 

Look for the Yankees lineup to generate enough runs to support a great outing from Cole, resulting in a badly needed win.

Bet on Yankees ML (-126) at FanDuel

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