Our free MLB picks are out for Monday, May 16th, 2022! Make sure you check our MLB picks before the action kicks off.
Look below to find our free MLB picks for the five best games on today’s schedule!
Seattle Mariners @ Toronto Blue Jays – 7:07PM ET
This will be the first game of the series between the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays. Both of these teams are in very different positions coming into this one. As Tampa Bay is expected to be a contender for the American League pennant and Seattle is expected to get into the playoffs at best.
Tony Battalio
The Seattle Mariners got a huge win over the New York Mets in the series finale to win the series. Now they will be starting this weekday series against the Toronto Blue Jays. They come into this game with a record of 16-19 through their first 35 games of the 2022 Major League Baseball season. They are still a young team and have had plenty of ups and downs already this year and that will likely continue throughout the remainder of the year.
The Toronto Blue Jays are having an underwhelming start to the 2022 Major League Baseball season when you look at what they were projected to be. They come into this one with a record of 18-17 through their first 35 games of the season. They are struggling at the moment and should be much better with the talented roster that they have. However, I look for them to bounce back in this one against the Seattle Mariners and grab the win in this series opening game.
Tony’s MLB Pick: Toronto Blue Jays (-162)
Jeffery Thomas
The Seattle Mariners will continue their 10-game road trip on Monday when they start up a three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Mariners got a huge 8-7 win on Sunday to secure the series win over the New York Mets to start off the trip. It’s a rare bright spot in this rough stretch they’ve been in, winning just 5 of their last 18 games overall. The Blue Jays are in a similar boat as Seattle as another team that started off the year hit and then faded in a big way. Toronto lost 3-0 on Sunday to the Tampa Bay Rays, and now have lost four series in a row.
They are now just one game above .500 and have fallen to third place in the division, a whole 7.5 games behind the Yankees for first place. I think this is a spot where we can see the Blue Jays excel though, as they will be facing Chris Flexen. Flexen had lost each of his last three starts and 5 of his 6 in the entire season. Getting run support has been a true Achilles heel in his outings and he’s a guy that gives up a lot of hits (5 or more hits allowed in ⅚ starts). Give me the Jays at home to take care of business.
Jeffery’s MLB Pick: Toronto Blue Jays (-162)
Marko Nadin
The Toronto Blue Jays are third in the AL East with a 18-17 record. They have lost 6 of the last 7 games and are coming off a 2-1 series loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. The Blue Jays are 7th in the league hitting 1.08 home runs per game and 16th allowing 4.26 runs per game. Yusei Kikuchi will start for the Blue Jays tonight who is 1-1 for the season with a 4.15 ERA. Toronto has won 12 of the last 16 games against AL West teams and 37 of the last 51 home games against a team with a losing record.
The Seattle Mariners are third in the AL West with a 16-19 record. They have won 3 of the last 5 games and are coming off a 2-1 series win over the New York Mets. Seattle is 14th in the league, hitting 1.00 home runs per game and 19th allowing 4.31 runs per game. Chris Flexen will start for the Mariners tonight who is 1-5 for the season with a 4.24 ERA. The Mariners have won 20 of the last 28 games when their opponent scores 2 runs or less in their previous game and have lost 8 of the last 11 road games.
Marko’s MLB Pick: Toronto Blue Jays (-162)
Pittsburgh Pirates @ Chicago Cubs – 7:40PM ET
These two National League Central division rivals are set to meet in this three game series. This is the third time they have met this season. As the Pittsburgh Pirates lead the season series four games to two.
Tony Battalio
The Pittsburgh Pirates have been struggling as of late, as they managed to get no hit by the Cincinnati Reds but still won the game. They come into this game with a record of 15-19 through their first 34 games of the 2022 Major League Baseball season. They are currently on a two game winning streak at the moment as they are 5-5 in their last ten games of the season. They are in third place of the National League Central division as they are 6.5 games back of first place which is currently occupied by the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Chicago Cubs are having a rough start to the 2022 Major League Baseball season as well. As they come into this game with a record of 13-20 through their first 33 games of the season. They are in fourth place in the National League Central division, as they are on a two game winning streak. They are 4-6 in their last ten games of the season. As for the result of this game I am going with the Pittsburgh Pirates to pick up the win over the Chicago Cubs.
Tony’s MLB Pick: Pittsburgh Pirates
Jeffery Thomas
The Pittsburgh Pirates will make the trip to Wrigley Field to take on their division rival Chicago Cubs in a three-game set. The Pirates were able to win the final two games of their series with the Cincinnati Reds to avoid losing that series. The impressive part about that feat is that they managed a split despite only scoring six runs over 4 games. The offense is a true problem for them but if the pitching can keep them afloat they can steal some wins on any given day. That pitching will be needed against this Cubs ball club that comes in winners of three of their last four. Chicago has now won their last two series after being swept by the White Sox and Dodgers in the two series prior. Their most recent one was the road stint against the Arizona Diamondbacks where they took two of three with all three games being decided by two or fewer runs.
In the head-to-head of these two teams so far it is the Pirates who are on top winning four of the six contests. Besides the one extreme outlier of the Cubs winning 21-0, it’s been a consistent theme of the Pirates only giving up 2 or 3 runs to the Cubs and I see that continuing with Dillon Peters getting the start on Monday in what will be a reliever game. These have worked out for Pittsburgh, keeping their rotation fresh and I’m leaning with them over the inconsistent Cubs lineup in what will be a low-scoring affair.
Jeffery’s MLB Pick: Pittsburgh Pirates
Marko Nadin
The Chicago Cubs are 4th in the NL Central with a 13-20 record. The Cubs have won 4 of the last 6 games and are coming off a 2-1 series win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Cubs are ranked 18th in the league scoring 4.08 runs per game and 20 th in the league allowing 4.44 runs per game. The Cubs will start Wade Miley who has a 9.00 ERA for the season. The Cubs have lost the last 6 home games and 12 of the last 18 games against NL Central opponents.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are third in the NL Central with a 15-19 record. They have won 3 of the last 5 games and are coming off a 2-2 series tie against the Cincinnati Reds. The Pirates are 25th in the league scoring 3.59 runs per game and 27th in the league with 5.29 runs per game. Pittsburgh will start Dillon Peters who is 3-1 for the season with a 1.83 ERA. The Pirates have lost 7 of the last 12 games on the road.
Marko’s MLB Pick: Pittsburgh Pirates
Los Angeles Angels @ Texas Rangers – 8:05PM ET
These two American League West division rivals are set to meet in this three game series. This is the second time they have met this season. As the Los Angeles Angels lead the season series three games to one.
Tony Battalio
The Los Angeles Angels are having a fantastic start to the 2022 Major League Baseball season as their core of Ohtani and Trout are clicking and winning ballgames. They come into this game with one of the best records in baseball as they are currently 24-13 through their first 37 games of the season. Them and the Houston Astros are in a neck and neck race for the top spot in the American League West division. They haven’t lost a series since late April as they have won or split their last six on the year.
The Texas Rangers are having a rough start to the 2022 Major League Baseball season. They spent a ton of money over the offseason to improve their roster and so far it hasn’t been paying off for them. As they come into this game with a record of 14-19 through their first 33 games of the season. They salvaged some momentum in their series finale with the Boston Red Sox Sunday as they got the win to avoid being swept. However, as for the result of this game I am going with the Los Angeles Angels to put them right back into this losers column.
Tony’s MLB Pick: Los Angeles Angels (-142)
Jeffery Thomas
The Los Angeles Angels were able to keep their hot streak going with another series win over the weekend against the Oakland Athletics. They have now won or split their last six series and are in a good position tied atop the AL West with the Houston Astros. There is a good chance the good times continue on in this upcoming series against a Texas Rangers team that is just 4-5 in their last nine games. That’s been the story of their whole season so far, not being able to find any consistency which has led them to a record of 14-19.
Now the Rangers will turn to Jon Gray on Monday in the series opener and task him with slowing down this prolific Angels offense. I don’t see that going too well and on top of that LA is handing the ball to a red-hot Noah Syndergaard. Noah is looking to get back to his prime form with a 3-1 record and 2.45 ERA, and I like his chances to pad those stats in this juicy matchup. Give me the Angels all day and in blowout fashion as they already own a 3-1 record over Texas this season.
Jeffery’s MLB Pick: Los Angeles Angels -1.5 (+128)
Marko Nadin
The Texas Rangers are 4th in the AL West with a 14-19 record. They have lost 5 of the last 9 games and are coming off a 2-1 series loss to the Boston Red Sox. The Rangers are 20th in the league with 4.04 runs per game and 21st with 4.44 allowed runs per game. Texas will start Jon Gray who is 0-1 for the season with a 5.51 ERA. The Rangers have won 5 of the last 7 games as underdogs but have lost 13 of the last 19 home games and 4 of the last 5 games against teams with a winning record over 60%.
The Los Angeles Angels are on top of the AL West with a 24-13 record. They have won 6 of the last 8 games and are coming off a 201 series win over the Oakland Athletics. The Angels are 5th in the league scoring 4.97 runs per game and with 1.34 home runs per game and 5th in the league allowing 3.41 runs per game. The Angels will start Noah Syndergaard who is 3-1 for the season with a 2.45 ERA. The Angels have won 7 of the last 8 games as home favorites.
Marko’s MLB Pick: Los Angeles Angels (-142)
Chicago White Sox @ Kansas City Royals – 8:10PM ET
These two American League Central division rivals are set to meet in this five game series. This is the second time they have met this season. As the Kansas City Royals lead the season series two games to one.
Tony Battalio
Both of these teams have been underwhelming throughout the first month of the 2022 Major League Baseball season. The Chicago White Sox were expected to be the favorites in the American League Central division but they are looking the farthest from it. As they come into this game and series with a record of 16-17 through their first 33 games of the season. Thanks to the weaker state of the American League Central division that is good enough for a tie for second place with the Cleveland Guardians at the moment.
The Kansas City Royals are having an even tougher start to the 2022 Major League Baseball season. They come into this game with a record of 12-20 through their first 32 games of the season. They started off the year 2-0 and it’s seemingly been all downhill from there as they now find themselves in fourth place of the American League Central division at the moment. As for the result of this one I am going with the Chicago White Sox to grab the victory.
Tony’s MLB Pick: Chicago White Sox
Jeffery Thomas
The Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox will square off Monday in the opening game of an AL Central series. The White Sox will be looking for better results in this one after only being able to take one game of four from the New York Yankees over the weekend. You would think they’d be able to fare better against this Royals team that is just 5-10 in their last fifteen games. However, Kansas City is coming off an impressive showing in Denver over the weekend, taking two of three from the Rockies at Coors Field.
Chicago’s significant disadvantage they have at starting pitching in most games is the reason for their slow start to this season. It will be the case again when they throw Jimmy Lambert out on the mound, who hasn’t won a game all season and has a 5.40 ERA. Brad Keller will get the start for the Royals and he only has one bad outing this year, where he gave up 5 earned runs in his last start. Every other one has been 3 or less runs allowed and I’m going to trust him more in this spot and take the Royals to spring the upset.
Jeffery’s MLB Pick: Kansas City Royals
Marko Nadin
The Kansas City Royals are 4th in the AL Central with a 12-20 record. They have won 3 of the last 5 games and are coming off a 2-1 series win over the Colorado Rockies. Kansas City is 23rd in the league with 3.78 runs per game and 26th in the league allowing 5.16 runs per game. The Royals will start Brad Keller who is 1-3 for the season with a 2.70 ERA. Kansas City has lost 4 of the last 5 home games and 9 of the last 13 games against teams from the AL Central.
The Chicago White Sox are second in the AL Central with a 16-17 record. They have won 8 of the last 12 games but are coming off a 1-3 series loss to the New York Yankees. The White Sox are 27th in the league scoring 3.56 runs per game and 22nd with 4.47 allowed runs per game. The White Sox will start Lucas Giolito tonight who is 2-1 for the season with a 2.70 ERA. The White Sox have won the last 5 road games.
Marko’s MLB Pick: Chicago White Sox
San Francisco Giants @ Colorado Rockies – 8:40PM ET
These two National League West division rivals are set to meet in this three game series. This is the second time they have met this season. As the San Francisco Giants lead the season series three games to zero.
Tony Battalio
The San Francisco Giants are playing like one of the best teams in Major League Baseball at the moment. They come into this game against the Colorado Rockies with a record of 20-14 as they currently sit in third place of the best division in baseball, the National League West. As every team in that division is at least at or above the .500 mark. They are 5-5 in their last ten games of the season and one game back of first place in the division.
The Colorado Rockies are off to a shocking start after an entire month has passed in the 2022 Major League Baseball season. They come into this game sitting right at the .500 mark with a record of 17-17 through their first 34 games of the season. However, they are starting to slump as they are 3-7 in their last ten games. Despite being in last place of their division they are 4.5 games out of first. As for the result of this game I am going with the San Francisco Giants to get the win.
Tony’s MLB Pick: San Francisco Giants (-148)
Jeffery Thomas
The Colorado Rockies let Sunday’s game get away from them and now will try to shake that tough loss off and move on to this new test against the San Francisco Giants. The Rockies were down 6-0 coming into the bottom of the 7th before making a seven run rally to take the lead in that half of the inning. They then carried that 7-6 lead into the top of the 9th before giving up a two-run single to Salvador Perez to lose them the game and the series.
The San Francisco Giants are also coming off a loss on Sunday, falling on the road to the St. Louis Cardinals 15-6. They have to like their chances of getting back in the win column on Monday though with Alex Wood taking the mound coming off a 5.1 inning outing giving up no earned runs against this same Rockies team. San Fran just swept them a few days ago and things will not change in this one.
Jeffery’s MLB Pick: San Francisco Giants (-148)
Marko Nadin
The Colorado Rockies are on the bottom of the NL West with a 17-17 record. They have lost 6 of the last 7 games and are coming off a 2-1 series loss to the Kansas City Royals. The Rockies are 8th in the league with 4.85 runs per game and 29th in the league allowing 5.70 runs per game. Colorado will start Antonio Senzatela who is 2-2 for the season with a 4.88 ERA. The Rockies have won 4 of the last 5 games as home underdog and 6 of the last 8 home games overall.
The San Francisco Giants are third in the NL West with a 20-13 record. The Giants are coming off back-to-back losses to the St. Louis Cardinals after winning the previous six games. San Francisco is second in the league scoring 5.05 runs per game and are ranked 12th in the league allowing 4.08 runs per game. The Giants will start Alexx Wood who is 302 for the season with a 3.60 ERA. San Francisco has won 6 of the last 7 games against teams with a losing record.
Marko’s MLB Pick: San Francisco Giants (-148)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
