All 30 teams are back in action on this busy Tuesday of Major League Baseball!
Look below to find our free MLB Picks for the five best games on today’s schedule!
Chicago Cubs @ Pittsburgh Pirates – 6.35PM ET
A pair of NL Central rivals will kick off their three game set in Pittsburgh on Tuesday when the Pirates host the Cubs at PNC Park.
As a result of their 2-1 win over St Louis on Sunday, Chicago took a 2-1 series victory from their road set against the Cardinals, which allowed the Cubs to make up some ground in the NL Central.
2 out of 3 and a 13-7 record for the @Cubs in May. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/pUMskVy0gW
— MLB (@MLB) May 24, 2021
Contrastingly, Pittsburgh’s 1-7 loss to the Braves on Sunday handed Atlanta a three game series sweep. The Pirates were outscored 3-33 over the weekend, including a demoralising 1-20 loss to the Braves on Friday.
With several of their starters on the IL, Miguel Yajure will be given the responsibility of returning Pittsburgh to the winners list on Tuesday when he makes his third start of the season. Yajure is 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA, 0.857 WHIP and eight strikeouts over 9.1 innings of work this year.
Chicago’s Jake Arrieta will take the mound for his ninth start of the season on Tuesday. Arrieta threw five innings and allowed four runs on seven hits in his last start, giving him a 4-4 record, 4.46 ERA, 1.299 WHIP and 31 strikeouts in 42.1 innings this year.
Seeing as Pittsburgh have scored a total of 17 runs in their last seven games and just three runs in their past three, we can’t see the Pirates offense putting up a winnable score against the Cubs on Tuesday. Chicago have won seven of their last 10 games and will have a more experience pitcher at the mound in Arrieta.
MLB Pick – Chicago Cubs (TBD)
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Toronto Blue Jays @ New York Yankees – 7.05PM ET
The Toronto Blue Jays will be looking to bridge the gap between themselves and the top three teams in the AL East when they head to New York to face the Yankees on Tuesday.
As a result of their 8-14 loss to the Rays on Monday, the Blues Jays have now lost their past six games. Toronto were outscored 20-32 in their four losses to Tampa Bay.
Contrastingly, New York just completed a series sweep at home against Chicago, outsourcing the White Sox 14-5 in the three game series and improving their active winning streak to six consecutive games.
Corey Kluber will look to continue the Yankees winning streak on Tuesday when he makes his 10th start of the season. Kluber is 4-2 this year with a 2.86 ERA and the right hander will be coming into Tuesday’s match fresh off throwing the Yankees first no-hitter since 1999 in his last start.
Steven Matz will also make his 10th start for the year when he takes the mound for Toronto. Matz had a solid first month of the 2021 MLB season, however the southpaw allowed five runs on 10 hits in six innings during his last start, leaving him with a 5-2 record and 4.69 ERA.
Led by Aaron Judge’s resurgence with the bat, the Yankees have been on fire so far in May. Judge leads the team with 48 hits, while he is also batting at .308 and has clubbed 12 home runs.
With an improving offense and Corey Kluber giving the Yanks a massive advantage at the mound, we can’t go past New York at home in this matchup.
MLB Pick – New York Yankees (-194)
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Atlanta Braves @ Boston Red Sox – 7.10PM ET
The Atlanta Braves are headed to Fenway Park for a two game set against the Boston Red Sox.
The Red Sox are returning home after a six game road stint that saw them pick up four wins from their games against the Blue Jays and Phillies. Even on the road Boston’s offense showed that they are one of the best in the league, scoring an average 7.25 runs per game in their four wins last week.
As for the Braves, they recently capped off a three game series sweep over the Pirates in Atlanta, outscoring Pittsburgh 33-3 in that time. Atlanta’s pitching staff allowed one run in each of their three games against the Pirates, while their lineup piled on a mammoth 20 runs during Friday’s series opener.
So many crooked numbers 😍#ForTheA pic.twitter.com/AW3VxvmIn8
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) May 22, 2021
Charlie Morton will look to continue the Braves winning ways on Tuesday when he takes the ball for his 10th start of the season. Morton allowed just one run in six innings during his last start, bringing his ERA down to a more respectable 4.60.
Garrett Richards will take the mound for Boston with a 4-2 record and 3.72 ERA from his nine starts this year. Having allowed only two runs against the Blue Jays in his last outing, Richards is 4-0 with a 2.27 ERA in his last five starts.
This matchup puts two of the most damaging offenses in the league against each other, as Atlanta’s Ronald Acuna Jr, Freddie Freeman and Marcell Ozuna take on Boston’s J.D. Martinez, Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers.
Seeing as Boston are the more consistent of the two lineups and the Red Sox will have Richards giving them an advantage at the mound, we like the Boston to win this one at home at underdog odds. It must be mentioned that Atlanta’s recent flurry of runs came against the lowly Pirates, while Boston are the No.1 scoring team in the league and have been for some time.
MLB Pick – Boston Red Sox (+104)
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Los Angeles Dodgers @ Houston Astros – 8.10PM ET
Two of the power house teams in Major League Baseball will face off in Houston on Tuesday when the Dodgers and Astros kick off a two game series.
As a result of their recent 11-5 victory over the Giants in San Francisco, Los Angeles have now completed back to back sweeps over the Diamondbacks and Giants, won 11 of their past 12 games (including an active eight games winning streak) and propelled themselves back into contention in the NL West.
Following a 2-1 series victory over the AL West leading A’s, Houston missed out on an opportunity to claim top spot in their division after being swept by the Rangers in Texas.
Astros ace Zack Greinke will be looking to return Houston to the winners list on Tuesday when he makes his 11th start of the season. After allowing one run on four hits in eight innings in his last start, Greinke improved to a 4-1 record this year to go along with a 3.77 ERA.
The reigning champs will also send their ace to the mound for this matchup when Clayton Kershaw makes his 11th start of the season. Kershaw has collected 17 strikeouts in his last two starts, however the southpaw has also given up seven earned runs on eight hits in those 12 innings, giving him a 3.18 ERA this year.
As both pitchers have been performing admirably this season, we’re going to take the Astros at home in this matchup. Houston are 15-9 at home this year and prior to their three losses against Texas, Jose Altuve and the Astros offense was flying. The Dodgers are rediscovering their championship form, however Los Angeles haven’t been as good on the road this season.
MLB Pick – Houston Astros (+100)
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San Francisco Giants @ Arizona Diamondbacks – 9.40PM ET
A pair of NL West rivals will close out our Tuesday schedule of MLB games when the Arizona Diamondbacks host the San Francisco Giants for the first match of a two game series.
As a result of their 3-4 loss to the Rockies on Sunday, the Diamondbacks have now lost eight games in a row and are just 3-17 in their last 20 appearances. Sunday’s loss to Colorado also saw Arizona become the first 30 loss team in Major League Baseball this year.
Similarly, the Giants will be looking to return to form after being swept by the Dodgers over the weekend. San Francisco were outscored 9-19 in their three rare losses at home.
The Giants will take confidence in having Kevin Gausman at the mound on Tuesday. Gausman’s 1.66 ERA is the third best in the league this season, while the right hander has also collected a 4-0 record and 67 strikeouts in 59.2 innings across his nine starts this year. San Francisco’s ace threw six innings and allowed zero runs on just one hit in his last start.
Congrats, @KevinGausman!#SFGiants | #ResilientSF pic.twitter.com/XYiAiXQSKn
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) May 20, 2021
Arizona’s Corbin Martin will make his second start for the year on Tuesday. Martin allowed three earned runs on four hits in his five innings in his last and only appearance this season.
Seeing as Arizona are currently the owners of the worst record in baseball, we like the Giants to return to the winners list on Tuesday, keeping the pressure on the Padres and Dodgers in the NL West. Kevin Gausman is having a Cy Young caliber season and we like him to get on top of the Diamondbacks in this matchup. Especially when considering that Arizona’s lineup has scored two runs or fewer in five of their eight consecutive losses.
MLB Pick – San Francisco Giants (-194)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
