As we head into the final weekend of May, the MLB season is certainly in full swing. Here’s some of the more intriguing match ups for May 25-27. Note all information is for games played through Tuesday, May 22.
Los Angeles Angels versus New York Yankees
The Angles enter this series in the middle of the pack in the AL West, while the Yankees are battling the Red Sox for honors in the AL East. The Angels are +10 on the Power Ranking Indicator compared to +29 for the Yankees. Similarly, the Yankees are “burning hot” on the Team Strength Oscillator versus “dead” for the Angels. New York is also first in Team Volatility and as the home favorites this weekend, looks like a very good bet. Los Angeles is undecided for their pitchers for the series, while the Yankees are going with Luis Severino, Sonny Gray and Masahiro Tanaka. Of the three, only Tanaka has been a good bet at +1905 on the Pitcher Profit Oscillator. Even though Severino and Gray are in the red, the Yankees should be able to take two of three and perhaps a sweep this weekend.
St. Louis Cardinals versus Pittsburgh Pirates
This NL Central match up features two teams battling in a very tight division. St. Louis holds a narrow +20 to +18 edge on the Power Ranking Indicator and “average” versus “average down” on the Team Strength Oscillator. Neither team are on the top ten or bottom ten in Team Volatility so betting based on favorite or underdog status is probably not wise. The Cardinals are undecided on the mound for Friday’s game versus Joe Musgrove for the Pirates. Musgrove has been a poor bet at -551, however Saturday’s game favors the Pirates. Trevor Williams is in the green at +229 on the Pitcher Profit Oscillator, while Jack Flaherty is slightly in the red at -79. Jameson Taillon is a solid bet on Sunday at +750 versus Miles Mikolas at -131. I see the Pirates winning two of three to further tighten the race in the division.
Atlanta Braves versus Boston Red Sox
In this duel, both teams are at the top in their respective divisions. They are nearly deadlocked on the Power Ranking Indicator with the Braves holding a slim +26 to +25 edge. Atlanta is “burning hot” on the Team Strength Oscillator, while the Red Sox are “average”. One thing to take note of is that the Braves are third most unstable team according to the Team Volatility Oscillator. Boston has the edge on the mound in the opener as Rick Porcello is +943 on the Pitcher Profit Oscillator versus -7 for Sean Newcomb. Saturday’s match up features two pitchers in Julio Teheran and Eduardo Rodriguez who have both been profitable. Despite being one of the top pitchers in the league, Chris Sale enters Sunday as a mediocre at best bet at -154, while Mike Foltynewicz has been poor at -344. Boston should certainly win this series at home.
New York Mets versus Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers hold the top spot in the NL Central and the Mets look to stay within arms length of the leaders in the NL East. Milwaukee is +24 on the Power Ranking Indicator and “average” status, while the Mets are +23 and “burning hot” on the Team Strength Oscillator. The Mets are 10th most unstable team in the league, so looking at their favorite/underdog status is not wise for this weekend. In terms of Pitcher Profit Oscillator, the Mets have the edge in two of three games. Jason Vargas has a huge +1495 to -444 advantage over Chase Anderson on Saturday. While the margin is slight, Zack Wheeler gets the nod over Jhoulys Chacin on Sunday. Even though both starters in Friday’s opener are in the green in terms of profit, Junior Guerra of the Brewers is +450 over Noah Syndergaard. Although this series is somewhat of a toss up, I see the Brewers edging the Mets, two games to one.
Arizona Diamondbacks versus Oakland A’s
After a hot start, the Diamondbacks are 1-9 over their last ten are are “dead” on the Team Strength Oscillator. Oakland has moved above .500 and are now “burning hot”. Similarly, Arizona has dropped to +10 on the Power Ranking Indicator, while the A’s have climbed to +19. Arizona is now the fourth most unstable team in the league, likely in large part to their recent collapse. Interestingly enough, the Diamondbacks have the advantage on the mound in terms of profit Friday and Saturday. Patrick Corbin is at +476 versus Daniel Mengden at -196. In perhaps the widest profit margin that I have seen, Zack Greinke is at +2528 versus Trevor Cahill alt -1185 on Saturday. The A’s are undecided for Sunday versus Matt Koch for Arizona. I see the Diamondbacks somewhat breaking out of their slide, taking two of three on the road.
San Diego Padres versus Los Angeles Dodgers
After a terrible start, the Dodgers are trying to claw their way back into the NL West race, while the Padres look to get out of the basement in the division. San Diego holds a +15 to +13 edge on the Power Ranking Indicator and both teams are “burning hot” on the Team Strength Oscillator. The Dodgers are the most unstable team in the league, which is not a surprise given their start after winning the NL championship last season. On the other hand, the Padres are the 10th most stable team in the league. The Dodgers are undecided on the mound for Friday’s game and the Padres are undecided for the finale on Sunday. None of the scheduled starters have been good bets, all in the red on the Pitcher Profit Oscillator. Picking this series then becomes mostly a gut instinct. The Dodgers at home should have some edge, so look for them to squeak out a two to one series win.
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