We've got a few fun pitching matchups for tonight's MLB expert picks. I'm honing in on a Justin Verlander vs George Kirby contest in the AL West and a Seth Lugo vs Bailey Ober game in the AL Central.
Check out my MLB picks for May 29th:
MLB Expert Picks: May 29th, 2024
You can jump directly to today's picks here:
[wednesdinger_:BET99-2374158]
Pick 1: Astros Vs Mariners Under 7 (-104)
Matchup Preview - Game Time: 9:41 pm ET
I'm not sure there's gonna be much offense in this one. For starters, both Houston and Seattle rank outside the league's top-10 in OPS and runs scored over the last two weeks.
And, this looks like a particularly gruelling pitching matchup. Justin Verlander seems to have really found his form after coming off the IL, allowing just five earned runs across his last three starts (including two quality starts in that time).
Guys like Mitch Garver and Cal Raleigh, in particular, struggle against Verlander. Both Seattle batters own career averages under .100 and OPS under .200 against the Astros starter (for context, that's almost unfathomably bad).
George Kirby hasn't really been shredding through lineups lately, but he does always pitch well against Houston. Current Astros batters own a .391 career OPS against Kirby, and earlier this year the righty pitched six innings of one-run ball against the Astros.
These teams also both have top-10 bullpen ERAs right now, meaning we can trust the relievers to keep the scoring down after Verlander and Kirby come out of the game.
Pick 2: Royals (+110) vs Twins
Matchup Preview - Game Time: 7:41 pm ET
I love everything about this Royals pick. For starters, Seth Lugo has quietly been one of the best pitchers in baseball this year, giving Kansas City a 1.74 ERA and 8-1 record so far this year. Lugo hasn't let up over two earned runs in a start since April 21st.
[wednesdinger_:BET99-2374158]
On the flip side, Minnesota's Bailey Ober hasn't been anything special. He's rocking a 4.33 ERA and the Twins are 5-5 in his outings. But, crucially, Ober struggles against these Royals, allowing a .353 average and 1.059 OPS to current Kansas City hitters. When Ober faced the Royals earlier this year, KC put up eight runs in 1.1 innings against the starter.
I'm really not sure why the Royals are +110 in this contest, but I'll take it.
Sure, KC has lost three games in a row entering this contest. But, they also rattled off eight-straight wins before that!