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MLB Expert Picks for Wednesday, May 1
Our VI baseball betting experts have compiled their MLB picks for Wednesday, May 1 and they're focusing on the matchups below:
- Pittsburgh Pirates at Oakland Athletics (3:37 p.m. ET)
- Chicago Cubs at New York Mets (7:10 p.m. ET)
Pirates vs Athletics Free Picks
Oakland and Pittsburgh are both 14-17 this season despite the expectation from many that Oakland would be the worst team in baseball again this season.
Pittsburgh was once 9-2 with a great start to the season but the Pirates are now on a 5-15 run in the past 20 games.
The offense has been the biggest culprit with Pittsburgh failing to top five runs in 15 consecutive games including getting outscored 10-3 so far in two games in Oakland.
Quinn Priester was a 1st round pick in 2019 but he struggled mightily in 50 MLB innings last season with a 7.74 ERA and a BB/9 only slightly below his K/9. His ERA is 3.48 this season in two starts but with a 5.97 FIP and his career HR/9 remains ultra-high at 2.2.
Pittsburgh has a 4.08 bullpen ERA on the season and in the past five games the Pirates have pitched better in the late innings with a 3.60 ERA but with a concerning 1.40 WHIP.
In contrast Oakland relievers have not allowed a run in the past five games and the Athletics have received mostly solid starting efforts in the last week to keep the bullpen in good order.
Veteran Ross Stripling is 0-5 for the Athletics but he hasn't pitched poorly. His FIP is just 3.54 and he has low walk and home run rates. In four of his last five starts he has allowed three or fewer runs while pitching at least five innings.
This should be the most favorable matchup Stripling has enjoyed all season and he has stronger numbers in his three home starts on the season.
In the past 10 games Oakland has scored a full run more than Pittsburgh on average and the scoring edge for Oakland is nearly double in the past five games, a stretch where the Pirates have hit .189 with 1.8 runs per nine.
The reputation for the Athletics keeps this price near-even but this is not an even matchup on the mound and the recent form for Oakland is far superior to the recent results for the Pirates and a sweep is likely on Wednesday afternoon.
Cubs vs Mets Free Picks
The first two games of this series went "under" the number, but we're anticipating much more of a wide-open affair here finally in the finale.
The Cubs have now seen the total go "under" in three straight after yesterday's 4-2 loss but note that Chicago has in fact seen the total soar "over" the number in four of its last five after playing to three or more straight "unders" in a row.
We're super impressed so far with both starters, but we definitely feel that regression is imminent.
The Cubs go with Shota Imanaga (4-0, 0.98 ERA), while the home side counters with Jose Butto (0-1, 2.86.)
The overall situation, combined with the numbers/trends do indeed point to this total eclipsing the posted number sooner, rather than later; the play is the "over!"
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