This article is part of our MLB Picks series.
MLB Picks Tonight: Best MLB Bets for Tuesday, May 9
A ton of midweek action on the board that features some stellar studs on the mound. We had a bad two-play loser over the weekend, so I'm hoping to make amends with that tonight.
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Houston Astros (+118) @ Los Angeles Angels (-138) | Over/Under 7.5
There aren't too many people in this millennium that thought the Angels would be trending upward, while Houston trends down. Nevertheless, here we are. The Astros are currently fourth in the division, where LAA is a close second to the Rangers. Of course, the season is still extremely young, and a lot can and will happen. In only the first series matchup of the year, can Houston even the score after Monday's loss?
We have a sparkling pitchers' duel tonight between Framber Valdez and Shohei Ohtani. Valdez was immaculate last season, and gained a lot of headlines for his 25 consecutive quality starts. Not much has changed this season as he is currently riding a quality start streak of six. Speaking of, Framber was aces against LAA a year ago, where he notched three quality starts out of four tries. With Houston in a 3-7 rut over their last 10 games, this is exactly the time where they call on their ace to be the stopper. Although there are many avenues to explore for betting on this matchup, I'm looking at one that I haven't touched at all this season.
The NRFI (no-run first inning) blew up last season, quickly becoming one of the most popular bets in the entire sport. What's not to love? It's exciting and extremely quick, so you don't have to sit around for three hours to see if your bet hits. Doing a little digging, Valdez is off to a solid start this year in the first inning. Out of his seven outings, he's only surrendered a run twice. In the other dugout, Shohei Ohtani has given up a first-inning run in three of his seven starts. Regardless of what people say, this is an extremely hard bet to quantify. It's more of a feel than anything. Data isn't necessarily reliable, but what we have tells us there is a good chance two stud pitchers can throw up a couple of goose eggs.
MLB Best Bet for Astros vs Angels
- No Run First Inning -130
