Gallery Sports’ Betting Picks for May 8, 2023

After finishing the weekend even at 3-3, Dalton Brown hopes to improve on a 58-55 MLB record with three picks on Monday’s slate.

5:35 p.m. CT: Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles

The Pick: Rays First 5 Innings -0.5 (-120) at BetMGM, Rays -1.5 (+102) at FanDuel

The Tampa Bay Rays took two of three from the Yankees over the weekend to remain the talk of Major League Baseball as they travel north for a series with the Baltimore Orioles. Baltimore is off to a hot start as well, but Monday’s pitching matchup gives Tampa Bay a massive advantage. Kyle Gibson takes the mound for the Orioles after getting shelled by Kansas City’s normally dormant-against-righties offense, upping his xERA for the season to 5.22. Gibson is a middle-of-the-rotation righty when he’s at his best, but right now he is struggling – over his last two starts, the 35-year-old has surrendered nine earned runs on 18 hits in just 11 innings while facing the Royals and Tigers. The Rays present a whole different challenge, ranking atop Major League Baseball in wRC+ against right-handed pitching and on a tear that has lasted more than a month. Baltimore’s offense has been very good against lefties in its own right, but Shane McClanahan might be the best left-handed pitcher in baseball, boasting a 5-0 career record with a 2.45 ERA against the Orioles. Tampa Bay’s advantage should hold when the starters exit as well – the Rays’ bullpen ranks third in baseball since April 22 in ERA and will oppose an Orioles unit that pitched into the 12th inning in Atlanta on Sunday.

8:40 p.m. CT: Miami Marlins at Arizona Diamondbacks

The Pick: No runs first inning (-121) at BetRivers

The Miami Marlins and Arizona Diamondbacks will begin a series Monday night in Phoenix, and I’m going in a bit of a different direction than usual with this bet. Zac Gallen and Braxton Garrett will start for the Snakes and Fish, respectively, and I think both pitchers will work through a clean first inning. Neither pitcher has walked a batter in the first inning all season, and they’ve combined to allow runs in three of 12 total first innings pitched. Braxton Garrett’s last start was disastrous, but that was his second time in a row facing an excellent Braves lineup. He pitched much better against Arizona on April 15, going 5.2 innings while allowing just one run. Gallen faced Miami the next day, tossing 6.2 scoreless frames while only allowing two baserunners. Both starting pitchers should get off on the right foot in this one – and if betting the NRFI makes you queasy, a pivot to first five innings under 4.5 runs makes plenty of sense as well, available at BetMGM for -120.