Best MLB Bets Today | MLB Picks, May 8

Oakland Athletics @ New York Yankees

• Time: 7:05 PM ET
• Starting Pitchers: JP Sears (OAK) vs Nestor Cortes (NYY)
• Moneyline: Athletics (+180) | Yankees (-210)
• Run Line: Athletics +1.5 (-120) | Yankees -1.5 (+100)
• Total: Over 8 (-105) | Under 8 (-115)

Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook

My Pick: New York Yankees -1.5 (+100)

We will got to New York for our first bet of the day. The Yankees are off to a slow start this year, but they are having a much better year than the Athletics. These teams’ lineups are about on par with each other, but the Yankees’ pitching staff and bullpen have been miles better. New York will handily win this game and cover the spread. Bet on the Yankees -1.5.

It is unclear what the Athletics’ front office is trying to do. Oakland is tanking, but they may not be going through a rebuild. JP Sears will be taking the mound for the Athletics. Sears was traded to the Athletics from the Yankees at last year’s Trade Deadline. The 27-year-old has been underwhelming since arriving in Oakland last year. He has a 5.06 ERA this year and a 1.19 WHIP. The southpaw is coming off a scoreless start, but I would not expect that same dominance today. Sears simply has not been bringing his best stuff to start the year and will struggle to pitch around the heart of the Yankees’ lineup.

The Yankees are sending Nestor Cortes to the mound. Cortes has not been able to replicate last year’s success yet but also has only faced tough teams. Each team he has battled this season has a winning record, so this will be his easiest matchup so far. Cortes has a 4.91 ERA but has shown bits of dominance this year. He only gave up four earned runs in his two starts and held the Los Angeles Angels to three earned runs in a start a couple of weeks ago. I only say this to show that he can be as good as he was last year, but it is taking a little longer in 2023. The 28-year-old will be taking on an Athletics lineup that only two or three solid hitters, so he will leave this game with the win.

The Yankees’ lineup has underperformed this year but scored seven runs in their previous game against the Tampa Bay Rays and still has Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo. These two will help give the team a big lead and push them to cover the spread. Bet on New York -1.5.

Washington Nationals @ San Francisco Giants

• Time: 9:45 PM ET
• Starting Pitchers: Jake Irvin (WAS) vs Anthony DeSclafani (SF) 
• Moneyline: Nationals (+175) | Giants (-205)
• Run Line: Nationals +1.5 (-120) | Giants -1.5 (+100)
• Total: Over 8.5 (-105) | Under 8.5 (-115)

Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook

My Pick: San Francisco Giants -1.5 (+100)

We will go from New York to San Francisco for our second bet. These teams have nearly identical records, but the Giants have won four of their last five and have more momentum. They will win this game and cover the spread. Bet on San Francisco -1.5.

Jake Irvin will take the hill for Washington. Irvin made his MLB debut last week for the Nationals. He only pitched 4⅓ innings, but it was an impressive outing. Irvin gave up one earned run on two hits. Even though that was a strong outing, I do not expect Irvin to only give up one run again. He is not facing a hot Giants lineup, but San Francisco has ten players with ten RBIs or more. Other than Thairo Estrada, no one is standing out, but the Giants are developing a balanced scoring attack. This will cause problems for Irvin.

Anthony DeSclafani will get the nod for the Giants. DeSclafani is off to an incredible start. The New Jersey native had a 3-1 record, 2.13 ERA, and a 0.82 WHIP. He is also pitching deep into games. DeSclafani is averaging over six innings a start and threw eight scoreless innings in his last outing against the Houston Astros. He will face a weaker Nationals lineup averaging less than four runs a game, so he will breeze through this outing and push the Giants to an easy victory. Bet on San Francisco -1.5.

Tampa Bay Rays @ Baltimore Orioles

• Time: 6:10 PM ET

• Starting Pitchers: Shane McClanahan (TB) vs Kyle Gibson (BAL)

• Moneyline: Rays (-155) | Orioles (-135)

• Run Line: Rays -1.5 (+110) | Orioles +1.5 (-130)

• Total: Over 7.5 (-115) | Under 7.5 (-105)

Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook

My Pick: Tampa Bay Rays ML (-155)

Our final bet of the day will take us to Baltimore. This will be the most exciting game of the day, as two of the best teams in baseball will battle it out. However, the Rays have been a little better and will win. Bet on the Rays moneyline.

Shane McClanahan will get the start for the Rays. McClanahan leads the MLB in wins (6) and has been a dominant force on the mounds. The 26-year-old is averaging over five innings a start and has a 2.03 ERA. More importantly, McClanahan has gotten the win all but one time this season. He will have his toughest matchup this season in the Orioles today. Baltimore is averaging nearly 5.5 runs per game and has three players with 20 or more RBIs. With that being said, McClanahan can battle with the best of them and will put on a show.

Kyle Gibson will take the hill for the Orioles. Gibson is coming off his worst start to the season. The veteran threw 6⅔ innings but gave up six runs on ten hits in the process. Obviously, Gibson usually pitches better than that, but it is indicative of his flaws. The 35-year-old will not give up six runs today, but he may give up four. That would be enough for a Rays’ victory. Bet on the Tampa Bay moneyline.