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MLB Prop Picks & Best Bets: Will Oviedo Add to Athletics’ Misery?

Mike Spector

Last Updated: June 5, 2023 9:21 AM EDT • 3 min 64 sec read.

More than half of Major League Baseball’s teams are in action on a small eight-game slate to begin the week. Read on for our top MLB prop picks and best bets for Monday based on the best MLB odds from our best sports betting apps.

There is one game in the afternoon window as the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox finish their series from the weekend after one of the games was rained out. That is one of two games between division rivals, as the Milwaukee Brewers travel to the Cincinnati Reds looking to keep their hold on first place in the NL Central.

Here are our top MLB prop picks and best bets for Monday (odds via DraftKings, PointsBet, and FanDuel; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Monday’s MLB schedule and odds

(odds via DraftKings)

  • Tampa Bay Rays (-165) vs. Boston Red Sox (+140) 
  • Detroit Tigers (+200) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (-240)
  • Kansas City Royals (+150) vs. Miami Marlins (-175)
  • Oakland Athletics (+160) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (-190)
  • Houston Astros (+110) vs. Toronto Blue Jays (-130)
  • Milwaukee Brewers (-105) vs. Cincinnati Reds (-115)
  • St. Louis Cardinals (+115) vs. Texas Rangers (-135)
  • Chicago Cubs (+145) vs. San Diego Padres (-170)

Monday’s MLB best bets

  • Player prop: Shane McClanahan Under 17.5 outs recorded (+105 via DraftKings) vs. Red Sox ⭐⭐⭐
  • Player prop: Bo Bichette Over 0.5 runs (-130 via DraftKings) vs. Astros ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Player prop: Johan Oviedo to record a win (+155 via PointsBet) vs. Athletics ⭐⭐⭐
  • First 5 innings total: Cubs-Padres Under 4.5 (-102 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Monday’s MLB prop picks

Player prop: Shane McClanahan Under 17.5 outs recorded vs. Red Sox (+105 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐

Shane McClanahan remains one of two pitchers in baseball with eight wins to this point, despite the fact he's coming off his first loss of the season.

It's difficult to identify areas where the Tampa Bay Rays ace has struggled, given that he enters this start with an AL-leading 2.07 ERA. However, he's pitched to a 3.03 ERA in six road starts and averaged fewer than six innings in those outings. In addition, his 9.6% walk rate is on pace to be a career-high, as is a 28.9% fly-ball rate, which could get him in trouble in hitter-friendly Fenway Park.

McClanahan has recorded 18-plus outs in just one of his previous four road starts and has issued multiple walks in five of seven overall. Thus, this is a three-star play, as the Red Sox entered Sunday with the fourth-highest walk rate and a top-9 ranking in wRC+ and BABIP against left-handed pitching. Thus, Boston should drive McClanahan’s pitch count up early.

Caesars offers similar +104 odds for this wager, nearly equaling the value presented at DraftKings.

Player prop: Bo Bichette Over 0.5 runs vs. Astros (-130 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Bo Bichette leads the American League in batting average (.329), hits (85), and total bases (134). In addition, his .306 batting average against right-handed pitchers since last season entering Sunday is the best in baseball.

He now faces Houston Astros righty Brandon Bielak, who ranks in the bottom 10% in xSLG and barrels, a big reason his xERA is more than two runs higher than his actual ERA. 

Bichette has scored just once in the last seven games, but with three multi-hit games in that span, he should see positive regression from a run-scoring standpoint. This is a four-star play, as the Over has cashed in each of Toronto’s previous six games against teams with a winning percentage greater than .600 (Houston’s winning percentage was .603 before Sunday’s loss).

We're getting great value on this wager at DraftKings, as other sportsbooks like FanDuel are as high as -160 for Bichette to plate a run.

Player prop: Johan Oviedo to record a win vs. Athletics (+155 via PointsBet) ⭐⭐⭐

The Oakland Athletics have lost 14 of 16 games, and the opposing team’s starting pitcher has earned the victory in 12 of those games. That presents good value to back Johan Oviedo to earn the win in a game where the Pittsburgh Pirates are the biggest favorite they have been all season (previous high was -170 in a 2-0 win at the Colorado Rockies). 

Entering Sunday, the A’s are slugging .341 against righties since last season (second-worst in MLB), and their starting pitchers have pitched to a 9.02 ERA on the road this season, MLB’s worst mark by a wide margin, per Inside Edge. Though Pittsburgh has won just one of its last seven interleague home games, Oakland is not in the same stratosphere as Texas, Toronto, or Houston, the three teams the Pirates have struggled with in that span.

We are headed to PointsBet for this wager, as Caesars and DraftKings offer +133 and +150 odds, respectively.

Monday’s MLB game picks

First 5 innings total: Cubs-Padres Under 4.5 (-102 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Chicago Cubs veteran Kyle Hendricks has had outstanding success against the San Diego Padres, holding current hitters to a .216/287/.287 slash line in 111 combined at-bats. And while Juan Soto has recorded four hits in 10 at-bats against him, all other Padres are hitting just .198.

Hendricks has pitched just 9 1/3 innings in two starts this year, so we are focusing on the first five innings line, given that Chicago’s relievers have the worst ERA among all NL bullpens.

We also expect southpaw Blake Snell to limit the damage early after coming off his two best starts of the season, where he allowed just one earned run in 11 innings. This is a four-star play, as Snell is on pace for his best BABIP allowed (.287) since 2018, which has helped him overcome his career-worst walk rate (13.7%).

FanDuel’s -102 odds are the closest bettors will find to plus-money odds for this wager.

MLB best bets made 6/5/2023 at 6:28 a.m. ET.

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Written By:
Mike Spector
I have been in the sports writing industry for over three years, working for sites like BettingPros/FantasyPros, Oddschecker, and Sportsbook Review. In my first year writing for BettingPros, I finished with the #2 overall record in their annual NFL betting competition, which made picks against the spread, and from an over/under and moneyline perspective. I am an avid fan of the NFL, MLB, and all college sports. In my opinion, March Madness is the best sporting event there is, and I am especially euphoric starting with conference tournament time in college basketball. I am a big advocate of "fading the public" and making plays that are contrarian, constantly citing that "there are reasons why they have those big shiny buildings in Las Vegas." Follow me on Twitter for my best bets and commentary to go along with the wagers.