This article is part of our MLB Picks series.
Previous day: 1-1, -0.16 RWBucks (one void)
Season: 42-63, -26.09 RWBucks
Shohei Ohtani lived the nightmare of every tourist, getting waylaid taking public transportation in a relatively unfamiliar place. It cost him a day, as he didn't get to Oakland Coliseum in time to prep for his start. Patrick Sandoval threw five shutout innings in his stead, but it didn't matter for me or the Angels. The starter change voided what turned into a 5-0 A's win.
The policy here is that unless otherwise stated, picks are for listed starters, or in the case of a clear-and-obvious opener, the bulk pitcher. Note that many books have changed their default to "action," which means your bet plays even if the team you bet on elects to start a fan pulled from the stands. You laugh, but the Rockies might try this at some point. Know the rules at your book, and then know the rules at all the books.
Memorial Day weekend is traditionally a key time in baseball, a moment for taking stock of the standings. There used to be a belief about the value of being in first on Memorial Day, but with larger leagues and a greater emphasis on just making the playoffs, as opposed to winning a league or division for its own sake, that's been diminished. Baseball teams no longer play doubleheaders on Memorial Day, though most will play day games. There have even been recent seasons in which not every team was playing on Memorial Day; this year, four teams have off.
Weirdly, tonight isn't a full slate either, as baseball has also been open to leaving some Fridays blank as a way of making a complex schedule fit. The slate may be trimmed further by weather along the eastern seaboard. In a week that has seen a number of proffered bets voided for one reason or another, let's try to assemble a Friday slate that will hold together.
6:35 p.m. Rockies (Jon Gray) -112 over Pirates (Mitch Keller)
Gray is trying to combine "healthy all year" and "good all year" for the first time in his seven-year career. He's also pitching for the greater reward of being traded away from the Rockies into a pennant race. He gets to bolster the chance of both by taking on a lineup nearly as bad as his teammates. This is entirely a starting-pitcher play, as I've stopped trying to make Mitch happen. It's not going to happen. 1 RWBuck.
7 p.m. Yankees (Gerrit Cole)/Tigers (Casey Mize) under 7.0 (-107)
In case you hadn't noticed, this isn't the Bronx Bombers of yore. With Luke Voit going to the IL, the Yankees are pretty much down to LeMahieu and Judge and a grease smudge. Mize's recent run has been fueled by some bad offenses -- the Yankees are in that group now. Throw in Cole against a Tigers lineup that mostly just wishes for runs, and this should be a quick night in the D. 1.5 RWBucks.
8 p.m. Astros (Framber Valdez) -121 over Padres (Dinelson Lamet)
Framber Valdez makes his season debut after early reports had his finger injury costing him most or even all of the year. That's not the main reason for this bet, though. No, it's Dinelson Lamet who has yet to throw more than three innings this season. Whether the Padres use an opener tonight or not, more of this game will be pitched by not-Lamet than by Lamet. With Ryan Weathers unavailable after a 78-pitch start yesterday, I'll take my chances with a good Astros team against Door #2. 1.5 RWBucks.
8 p.m. Orioles (Matt Harvey)/White Sox (Dallas Keuchel) over 8.5 (-108)
This is a little bit of stubbornness leaking through. These two teams went 3-for-22 with runners in scoring position last night, and scored no runs from three first-and-second, no-out situations, taking out an over bet. My sequencing problems have not quieted, but I still look at this matchup of two of the game's best from 2014, and see contact, and runs. Lots and lots of runs. This line should be 9.5. Eventually, someone has to hit a three-run homer. 2 RWBucks.
(Maybe not. As I finish this column, I'm already looking at an 0-for-4 with RISP to start the day. Maybe this never ends.)
9:40 p.m. Athletics (Sean Manaea) -150 over Angels (Shohei Ohtani)
Ohtani is too inefficient to work deep into games. He walks an unheard of 17% of the batters he faces and averages just five innings a start. That means the Angels bullpen, and that means runs. Only the Rockies and Tigers have worse pen FIPs than the Angels do, just four teams have a worse bullpen ERA. 1.5 RWBucks.
