Upcoming Match-ups

May 3rd MLB Odds and Picks – Brewers Could Get Yelich, Cain Back Against Phillies

John Perrotto

by John Perrotto in MLB Baseball

Updated May 3, 2021 · 6:35 AM PDT

Christian Yelich
Milwaukee Brewers' Christian Yelich smiles in the dugout during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers Sunday, May 2, 2021, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)
  • There are 10 games on the MLB schedule for Monday, May 3rd
  • Season record 39-49: -$1,732 (based on $100 wagered per unit)
  • Wagering advice for Monday’s games can be found below

It will be a light schedule in MLB on Monday with just 10 games on tap. However, the matchup between the Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Angels figures to be interesting.

Tyler Glasnow (3-1, 1.67 ERA) will pitch for the Rays against two-way star Shohei Ohtani (1-0, 3.29) at 9:38 p.m. ET at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. Glasnow has become of the game’s most dominant pitchers. Ohtani is always worth watching, whether it is the eight home runs he hit in April or the 23 strikeouts he has compiled in 13.2 innings this season.

Fresh off a three-game “home sweep” of the Atlanta Braves in Dunedin, Fla., the Toronto Blue Jays visit the Athletics at 9:38 p.m. at the Oakland Coliseum. Left-hander Steven Matz (4-1, 4.00) goes for the Blue Jays against Frankie Montas (2-2, 6.20).

Brewers outfielders Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain could come off the injured list as visiting Milwaukee takes on the Philadelphia Phillies at 7:05 p.m. at Citizens Bank Park. Adrian Houser (2-2, 3.65) will start for Brewers opposite Vince Velasquez (0-0, 6.57).

The largest favorites of the day are the Los Angeles Dodgers at -195 over the Chicago Cubs at 7:40 p.m. at Wrigley Field. The Dodgers call on Walker Buehler (1-0, 3.16) to face Kyle Hendricks (1-3, 7.54).

We’ve run down Monday’s schedule and include our three favorite picks below.

May 3 MLB Picks

Matchup Pick and Odds at DraftKings Units Risked
Brewers vs Phillies Brewers (-103) 1 unit
Giants vs Rockies Rockies (-115) 1 unit
Blue Jays vs Athletics Blue Jays (+112) 1 unit

Odds as of May 3rd

Pick 1: Brewers (-103)

If Yelich and Cain return to action, it should provide a lift to a Brewers offense that has averaged just 3.4 runs in the last 10 games. Yelich has been out since April 12 and Cain joined him on the IL two days later.

Yelich and Cain are two of a whopping 17 players on the IL for the Brewers. Nevertheless, Milwaukee leads the National League Central with a 17-11 record despite getting crushed 16-4 by the Los Angeles Dodgers at home Sunday and missing a chance to sweep a four-game series from the defending World Series champions.

Houser was originally scheduled to start Sunday and that might have been a better idea that pitching Alec Bettinger, who was rocked for 11 runs in four innings in his MLB debut.

The good news is Houser gets an extra day of rest. Houser hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any of his five starts this season but also hasn’t pitched more than 5.2 innings.

Houser even hit his first career home run in his last start.

The Phillies are coming off a stinging 8-7 home loss to the New York Mets on Sunday night. The Mets scored six runs in the eighth inning to go in front 8-4.

The Phillies thought they tied it at 8-all with two outs in the bottom of the ninth on a three-run home run by Rhys Hoskins. However, a replay review showed the ball struck the railing in front of the right-field stands instead of going into the seats and the homer was changed to a double.

As far as Velasquez, the Phillies have been saying since 2016 he has the potential to be a No. 1 starter. Five years and a 4.80 ERA later, they are still waiting.

It’s always wise to fade him.

Pick 2: Rockies (-115)

The Colorado Rockies and German Marquez (1-2, 4.13) host the San Francisco Giants and Aaron Sanchez (1-1, 2.22) at 8:40 p.m. at Coors Field in Denver.

Only the woeful Detroit Tigers stand between the Rockies and the worst record in MLB. As it is, the Rockies’ 10-18 mark is last in the NL. They also lost two of the three to the Giants last week in San Francisco.

Marquez figures to be an attractive trade chip for whomever replaces recently fired general manager Jeff Bridich and begins a much-needed organizational overhaul. Marquez has two guaranteed years left on his contract for an affordable $29.1 million after this season.

Interested teams would likely think getting out of Denver would benefit Marquez. He has a 4.96 ERA in 55 career games at Coors Field and a 3.59 mark in 60 games anywhere else.

Marquez can be immaculate at times.

Marquez had his worst outing of 2021 last week against the Giants, giving up a season-high four runs in four innings. However, he has had a quality start in three of his six appearances.

On the surface, it might seem unwise to bet Marquez at home against a resurgent Sanchez, who has performed well after missing last season while recovering from shoulder surgery.

However, I am not buying into Sanchez. Durability has always been a concern as he has pitched as many as 132 innings only once since becoming a full-time MLB starter in 2016. His strong April could very well turn out to be an illusion.

Pick 3: Blue Jays (+112)

Matz took his first loss of the season in his last start when he was hammered for six runs in 3.2 innings by the Washington Nationals. However, has certainly benefited from a change of scenery – and good health – after being acquired from the Mets in an offseason trade.

Matz allowed exactly one run in each of his first three starts while lasting at least six innings in all of them.

The bright side of his rough outing against the Nationals is that he threw just 80 pitches, so he be fresh for this one. He will also be starting in a pitcher’s park rather than the launching pad of TD Ballpark in Dunedin.

Montas has struggled his last two times out, losing once and getting a no-decision while surrendering nine runs and 15 hits in 10 innings.

At the sake of beating a dead horse, I find it interesting Montas had a 2.70 ERA through 15 starts in 2019 when he was suspended by MLB for violating its performance enhancing drug policy. Since then, he has a 5.49 ERA in 17 starts.

The Athletics are also 3-5 since their 13-game winning streak ended and have scored more than four runs just once in those eight games, though that come Sunday when they beat the Baltimore Orioles 7-5. Ramon Laureano provided the big blow with a tiebreaker two-run homer in the eighth inning.

Laureano’s heroics aside, the signs point to Matz being a worthwhile underdog in this spot.

Author Image