This article is part of our MLB Picks series.
Previous day: 1-3, -1.88 RWBucks
Season: 53-74, -28.26 RWBucks
Back in April, we sprayed the board to have some fun on a Friday. Let's run that back. There are 13 games tonight. Here's a pick for every one of them.
7 p.m. Giants (Anthony DeSclafani)/Nationals (Max Scherzer) under 7.5 (-112)
In nine of Max Scherzer's 12 starts, the teams have combined for seven or fewer runs. In one of the other three, the Nationals scored 17 by themselves. Both teams reset their bullpens thanks to Thursday's rainout. This game would have been on the card regardless. 1.5 RWBucks.
7 p.m. Mets (Jacob deGrom) -1 (-110) over Padres (Blake Snell)
So let's introduce a new bet here, taking the run line at -1. This shaves a lot of the vig off the favorite (the Mets are -167 straight up) while not exposing the money to a -1.5 line that can get hosed in all sorts of ways. I need to see it again from Blake Snell, who threw seven shutout innings last time out, to even begin to believe it. 1 RWBuck.
7 p.m. Orioles (Keegan Akin) +143 over Rays (Ryan Yarbrough)
The Orioles are sneaky good against lefties, with the highest wOBA in baseball at .352. The Rays are at the other end of that curve (.295) and face a rookie southpaw who has pitched well in two starts since being moved into the rotation. I was leaning to the over here, but the Orioles' bullpen has been increasingly effective, with the third-best xFIP in the AL over the last 30 days. 1 RWBuck.
7 p.m. Tigers (Tarik Skubal) +140 over White Sox (Lucas Giolito)
Skubal has found something, striking out 37 of 88 batters faced (42%) over his last four starts. The White Sox, meanwhile, have lost another starter in Nick Madrigal, and have not been nearly as fearsome against lefties of late as they were early in the season. This is another one that would have been on the card had I limited plays tonight. 1.5 RWBucks.
7 p.m. Rockies (Kyle Freeland) +1.5 (-114) over Reds (Tyler Mahle)
I can't believe I'm taking the Rockies on the road in any form, but the Reds put their only good reliever, Tejay Antone, on the injured list today. Even with Antone, the Reds had the highest bullpen ERA and FIP in the NL over the last 30 days. There are a lot of paths to a 7-6 Rockies loss here. .5 RWBucks.
7 p.m. Marlins (Sandy Alcantara) first five innings +105 over Braves (Charlie Morton)
The Marlins have outscored their opponents, but a 4-13 record in one-run games has them buried in the NL East. Let's take the edge in the starting pitcher matchup, and not sweat what happens late in the game. 1 RWBuck.
7 p.m. Mariners (Justin Dunn)/Indians (Aaron Civale) under 9 (-120)
These teams can't hit, 12th and 15th in the AL in wOBA, and while I think both have dinged me with great RISP performance in similar spots, I'll trust the overall numbers. 1.5 RWBucks.
7 p.m. Blue Jays (Ross Stripling)/Red Sox (Garrett Richards) over 9.5 (-115)
There's a sense of getting to the party late after that Astros/Red Sox series -- 20 runs last night, 11 on Wednesday -- but it may just be water finding its level in Fenway with that Sox pitching staff. These are two of the three best teams in the AL against right-handed pitching. 1.5 RWBucks.
8 p.m. Brewers (Brandon Woodruff) -2.5 (+125) over Pirates (Chase De Jong)
Woodruff has ten quality starts in 12, with one of the others being his last outing, in which he allowed two runs in five frames. Chase De Jong has 12 career starts, total, over five seasons with four teams. Let's try to not just win this one, but win it at plus money. The Pirates have been generally competitive, but more than half of their losses have been by at least three runs. .75 RWBucks.
8 p.m. Kyle Tucker to hit a home run (+330) over Twins (Matt Shoemaker)
Tucker takes a 42% flyball rate into a start against Matt Shoemaker and his 11 homers allowed in 50 2/3 innings. This is as much about me not knowing what to do with the game lines as it is anything else, but Tucker (or Yordan Alvarez at +320) works for this prop. .25 RWBucks.
9:40 p.m. Diamondbacks (Merrill Kelly) +125 over Angels (Shohei Ohtani)
The fading-Shohei Ohtani gambit, good for the entirety of May, ate a one-run loss last Friday against the Mariners. We'll get back up on the horse, even if it means backing a Diamondbacks squad with the worst record in baseball at short money. 1 RWBuck.
9:40 p.m. Athletics (Cole Irvin) -134 over Royals (Brady Singer)
Irvin has walked just 12 of the 292 batters he's faced this year, a strong approach against a Royals team that really can't hit very well. This is the better team at home, and probably the better starter, if not for much longer. 1.5 RWBucks.
10 p.m. Dodgers (Clayton Kershaw) -2 (-113) over Rangers
Kershaw's opponents have clustered their hits off him very well, leaving him a 3.66 ERA against a 2.89 FIP -- the latter his best since 2016. After hanging around .500 for a while, the Rangers have dropped 21 of 27, and 12 of their last 14. Their last five losses are all by at least two runs. .75 RWBucks.
