With 12 baseball games under the lights, it’s no surprise to discover some differences of opinion in Friday’s MLB betting market. But the majority of moneyline cash landing on the Reds (against Toronto)? And the Rangers (at Houston)? And the Pirates (vs. St. Louis)? And the Royals (vs. Minnesota)?
Looks like there’s some serious dog hunting going on tonight.
Here’s your MLB betting action report for the remaining games on the diamond on Friday, May 20.
All betting splits information via WynnBet as of 5 p.m. ET.
All odds updated as of 6:15 p.m. ET.
Show Me The Money(line)
Cardinals (-143) vs Pirates (+133): The ageless Adam Wainwright is on the bump for St. Louis in Pittsburgh tonight. The last nine times Wainwright has faced the Pirates? Cardinals 9 wins, Pirates 0. Cumulative score in those nine contests: Cardinals 68, Pirates 12. The last four meetings: Cardinals 29, Pirates 0. In fact, in Wainwright’s last eight starts against Pittsburgh, the Pirates have scored zero or one run. So of course, 85.5% of the wagers at WynnBet are backing St. Louis … but 69% of the money is on Pittsburgh? Wait, did someone turn back the clock to 1979?
Reds (+160) vs Blue Jays (-175): Cincinnati is all the way up to 11 wins now on the season (we won’t focus on the 26 losses). And seven of those wins have come in the team’s last 10 games. Toronto has the reverse record in its last 10 at 3-7. Hence the reason nearly 70% of the cash at WynnBet on this game is siding with the Reds. However, 87% of the tickets are on the Blue Jays. Clearly, that early-season Reds stink is difficult to eradicate for some bettors.
Rangers (+155) vs Astros (-170): Texas actually has more wins in its last five games (four) than Houston (three). Then again, Texas has more wins in its last five games (four) than it does in its last 26 visits to Minute Maid Park (three). Yet 64% of the money at WynnBet is on the visiting Rangers, while 86.5% of the tickets are on the Astros.
Twins (-124) vs Royals (+114): The Royals took two of three when Minnesota visited K.C. a month ago (in a yawner of a series that featured all of 10 runs). The Royals also haven’t been half bad in their ballpark (8-12). Perhaps that’s why Kansas City is fetching 68% of the money at WynnBet. However, a near-identical number of tickets (69%) is running the other way. Hey, when you get a sterling pitching matchup of Devin Smeltzer vs Daniel Lynch, you’re gonna have a split opinion — that’s just how this goes.
Over Here, Under There
Cardinals vs Pirates (O/U 9): We’ve already established that when Adam Wainwright faces the Pirates, the Cardinals score a lot and Pittsburgh does not. And, whaddya know, there have been five Overs and four Unders the last nine times the Pirates have seen Wainwright. So of course there’s two-way action on this total, with 57% of the wagers on the Under and 80% of the money on the Over.
Braves vs Marlins (O/U 7): Seems like a pretty low total considering Atlanta’s Charlie Morton (4.93 ERA) and Miami’s Trevor Rogers (4.45 ERA) have been roughed up this season. Yet while nearly 64% of tickets at WynnBet are on the over, 52% of the money is on the Under.
Reds vs Blue Jays (O/U 8.5): Very similar to Pirates-Cardinals, the Under (51%) takes a small majority of the action here, while the Over (82.5%) is taking most of the cash. What, no faith in Luis Castillo and Hyun Jin Ryu delivering a throwback Seaver vs Ryan gem?
Mariners vs Red Sox (O/U 9): If you have any faith that things will stay under double digits at Fenway Park, WynnBet would LOVE to take your money. What does that mean? Well, 98.5% of all dollars on this game support the Over. However, 55.4% of the tickets are on the Under. Can you say “major wager on the Over,” kids?
Rangers vs Astros (O/U 8.5): It’s Martín Perez vs. Cristan Javier! Throwing baseballs from the mound inside the Juice Box in Houston! So this one definitely has lopsided action to the Over, right? Nope: Tickets split 50-50, and just 56% of the dollars on the Over. Wait, Martín Perez has a 2.01 ERA? In seven starts? This is a joke, right?
Padres vs Giants (O/U 7.5): And last, but not least, the Padres and Giants close out the day’s proceedings in San Francisco. And with San Diego’s Sean Manaea opposing San Francisco’s Jakob Junis, the action on the total is split nearly down the middle: 58% of the wagers are on the Over, 55.5% of the dollars are on the Under. Believe in trends? The total has alternated in the last five Padres-Giants meetings. The last game, on April 13: 2-1 (for the Under). Pitcher for the Padres: Manaea.