Major League Baseball Betting Lines – May 31: Latest Trends, Picks

BetPhoenix has your Major League Baseball betting lines for May 31 appearing below with betting available here.  Live in-play wagering is also available.

Pittsburgh starting pitcher Jeff Locke's strikeout rate is up more than a strikeout per nine innings from last year and he should have confidence heading into this weekend's matchup in San Diego.  In one outing against San Diego, he managed to accumulate an abysmal 7.20 ERA.  We’ll have to see if he was just having a bad day.  Both teams are playing right around the .500 mark with neither tending to have an advantage over one another in recent games.

In the Diamondbacks-Brewers series, Arizona (flirting with the .500 mark) is 11-5 in the last 16 meetings between these two teams while Milwaukee continues to struggle at home.  The Brewers are 8-21 in their last 29 home games.  Diamondbacks RH Chase Anderson (1-1, 2.59 ERA) has been pitching quite well this season despite a less-than-intimidating win-loss record.  He is 1-0 with a 1.72 ERA in five outings away from home.

For bettors today, one of the biggest standouts is the White Sox starter John Danks horrible record when facing Houston.  He is 0-3 against them with a 9.14 ERA and a WHIP of 2.032.  OUCH!!!!  Houston is only a -141 home favorite though.  

Danks has posted an ugly 5.69 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in nine starts this season.  Daily Fantasy players will want to be on Chris Carter, who has now hit in each of his last seven games and has been solid against Danks. Jose Altuve has also had success against Danks, going 3-for-9 with a homerun. 

Luis Valbuena, though struggling of late, is 4-for-6 vs. Danks. 

Hernandez was torched for seven runs and nine hits in five innings by Detroit in his last turn and was fortunate to receive a no-decision.  He had allowed two runs in two of his previous three turns so we anticipate him getting back on track here.  He’s 9-6 with a 5.60 ERA in 19 career appearances (17 starts) against the White Sox.

Houston is 8-2 at home so we really do like the Astros at this price of -141.

If one or both of these starters had pitched an outstanding game in their last start we would probably be all over the OVER as well but Danks is up against the wall and risks losing his starting spot while Hernandez' last performance is not exactly indicative of how he has pitched this season overall.

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- Dan Shapiro, Gambling911.com