Tuesday possesses a full, jam-packed slate of games for MLB bettors to indulge in. The Tigers and A’s are set to play a traditional doubleheader starting at 1:10 p.m. EST, but the remainder of the league will get underway this evening.

We’re still batting .500 after going 1-1 last time out. I’m hopeful today’s the day we can break through and find two winners. I have both a side and a total that I like quite a bit, and I’m excited to explain why. With that being said, here are my two best bets for May 10.

Boston Red Sox @ Atlanta Braves

The reigning World Series Champion Atlanta Braves welcome the AL East’s cellar-dweller to town for a two-game set Tuesday. The Braves and Red Sox failed to live up to their expectations following deep postseason runs a year ago. Boston, in particular, has struggled to find their groove. Their .345 win percentage bests just three other clubs.

The Sox have struggled to generate offense in 2022. Boston is averaging 3.28 runs per game — 28th in MLB. I don’t think Tuesday’s the day they breakout. Opposing Boston will be 26-year-old Kyle Wright, one of baseball’s best pitchers so far this season. The right-hander boasts a 1.74 ERA and 2.08 FIP, top-five ranks amongst National League starters. 

Through five starts, Wright is yet to allow more than 3 earned runs in any appearance. His devastating stuff has allowed him to rack up 37 strikeouts in 31 innings and own MLB’s 10th-ranked K% 30.6. When batters do make contact against Wright, they’re yet to see much success. Opposing hitters are slugging a minuscule .264 against the former first-round pick. I believe what Wright’s doing is legit and believe he has the pitch quality to pitch at an all-star level for the remainder of the season.

Whitlock > Wright?

For as good as Wright has been, Boston’s starter, Garrett Whitlock, has arguably been better in 2022. The former Rule 5 Draft pick has been sensational since arriving from the Yankees in 2020. In 95 career innings at the Major league level, Whitlock owns an incredible 1.80 ERA. After appearing as strictly a reliever last season, Red Sox manager Alex Cora has opted to use Whitlock as a starter in 2022. 

In his last start, Whitlock allowed just two hits in five innings while punching out nine against the AL West-leading Los Angeles Angels. I expect a similar performance from the 25-year-old tonight. Whitlock’s stuff is downright nasty. His Whiff% and K% rank among Major League pitchers’ 91st and 93rd percentiles, respectively.

The little contact that Whitlock has allowed this season hasn’t amounted to much for opposing hitters. His xBA against is just .182, ranking in the top 7% of pitchers. Unlike many pitchers with great stuff, Whitlock doesn’t walk batters. He’s allowed just four free passes in his 21 innings this year. His ability to miss bats and make batters earn their way on base makes it clear why he owns the lowest WHIP of any pitcher with 20 or more IP. Despite the recent return of MVP candidate Ronald Acuña Jr., I expect Whitlock to keep Atlanta’s underperforming bats relatively quiet on Tuesday.

I’m a huge believer in both Wright and Whitlock and am looking forward to watching what should be an incredible pitcher’s duel (at least for the first half of the game) at Truist Park.

The pick: Under 4 F5 (-120 at BetMGM)

Tampa Bay Rays @ Los Angeles Angels

Two of the American League’s best will play game two of three at Angel Stadium Tuesday night. The Angels have arguably been the most surprising team in baseball and are coming off a dominant victory in the series opener. However, I think the Rays have a significant pitching advantage in this one and expect them to even up the series.

For a few years now, Reid Detmers has been considered one of baseball’s best pitching prospects. The left-hander entered the 2021 season as the No. 23 prospect in Major League Baseball, according to MLB.com. However, he’s been pretty terrible at the big league level. In 42.2 Major League innings, Detmers owns a 6.33 ERA and 1.45 WHIP. Admittedly, Detmers has improved upon his horrible 2021 campaign, but I still can’t say I’m a believer. 

In 62 career innings across the minor leagues, Detmers posted an incredible 15.68 K/9. However, he’s not generating anywhere near the number of swings and misses at the big league level, as he’s now punching out just 7.89 batters per nine innings. Detmers has been unable to fool opponents since being called up for the first time in August 2021, as batters are swinging through just 18.9% of his pitches this season, putting him in the 12th percentile in Whiff%. Detmers’ inability to generate swings and misses could spell doom against a Rays team that is striking out against left-handers at the third-lowest rate.

As a whole, Tampa Bay has fared very well against southpaws this season. The Rays rank third with a .262 AVG against lefties and fourth with a 130 wRC+. The likes of Wander Franco and Manuel Margot have led the charge for Tampa Bay against LHPs, hitting .423 and .381 against them, respectively. The Rays should jump on Detmers early and often, giving veteran starter Corey Kluber the run support he covets.

Trust Kluber to do enough

It’ll be the two-time Cy Young Award winner Kluber on the hill in game two of the series for the Rays. While he’s not the pitcher he was during his dominant run in Cleveland, Kluber has still been a quality starter in 2022. The 36-year-old has pitched to a 2.35 ERA, and his 1.05 WHIP is lower this season than the year in which he won his first Cy Young.

Although Kluber is no longer amongst the league leaders in strikeouts, he still boasts above-average numbers K%, Whiff%, and Chase Rate. Kluber has always done an excellent job of generating ground balls and inducing weak contact; that remains the case this year, ranking 28th in ground ball rate and the 74th percentile in average exit velocity. Kluber has always had excellent command, and that too has stuck with him as he’s aged, walking just 2.0 batters per nine innings.

The Angels’ 121 wRC+ against right-handers is impressive, but they’re hitting just .236 while striking out at the eighth highest rate. Kluber should be able to get through the order twice before handing the ball off to the elite arms at the back of Tampa Bay’s bullpen.

The pick: Tampa Bay ML ( -115 at Fanduel)

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