[Editor's note: Tonight's Giants-Rockies game was postponed after these picks were made.]
We're looking to carry over a hot weekend of MLB prop betting into the first full week of May. We open the week looking at someone even hotter as Byron Buxton and the Minnesota Twins host the Texas Rangers.
And can the strikeout master himself, Tyler Glasnow, take advantage of a low number on his Ks prop when the Tampa Bay Rays visit the Los Angeles Angels? We break down those picks and more with our best free MLB prop bets and predictions for Monday, May 3.
Today’s MLB props and picks
Byron Buxton Over 1.5 Total Bases (-130)
It's quickly becoming apparent that a healthy Byron Buxton is one of the best and most exciting players in baseball. The Minnesota Twins’ outfielder will look to continue his early-season tear when he takes on the Texas Rangers.
Buxton has hits in all but three games this season, resulting in a .408 batting average and a 1.287 OPS, and is coming off a week where he hit .476 with five extra-base hits, including two dingers.
Monday, he goes against Dane Dunning, who has been solid for the Rangers this season, pitching to a 3.97 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP, but has surrendered 14 hits over his last 7 2-3 innings. On top of that, the one time Dunning faced Buxton in 2020 as a member of the White Sox, Buxton went 2-3 with a dinger.
We’re betting Buxton stays hot in this one.
Giants Five-Inning RL -0.5 (+140)
Honestly, right off the bat, this game feels like a trap. Tied for the best record in baseball, the San Francisco Giants are one of the biggest surprises early on in this 2021 MLB season. So, it is a little jarring to see them as underdogs against the last-place Colorado Rockies on Monday.
Maybe it’s because oddsmakers aren’t buying into Giants’ starter Aaron Sanchez just yet. But they should. The 2016 American League ERA champ has reinvented his game and become an effective starter for the Giants. With a great mix of a sinker, fastball, curve, and change Sanchez has become hard to barrel up. As a result, he is pitching to a 2.22 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP, and limiting opponents to a .193 batting average.
The Rockies counter with German Marquez, who is one of their better starters but still has a 4.13 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP. He faces a Giants lineup that doesn’t have numbers that will blow you away, but are great at getting that clutch hit, ranking sixth in batting average and OPS with runners in scoring position.
The Rockies hit better at home, but trap or not, this value is too tempting to pass up.
Tyler Glasnow Over 7.5 Strikeouts (+120)
The pitching matchup of the night takes place in Anaheim tonight when the Tampa Bay Rays visit the Los Angeles Angels. Tyler Glasnow, the latest in the long line of potential Rays’ Cy Young Award winners, toes the rubber against Angels’ two-way star Shohei Ohtani.
Usually, we are all about jumping all over Ohtani props in his true two-way starts, but there is some question about his availability after getting hit in the elbow with a pitch last night.
So, we turn our attention to the strikeout artist Glasnow. The right-hander has been dominant to start the 2021 MLB season, pitching to a 1.67 ERA and an 0.80 WHIP while racking up a ridiculous 13.4 strikeouts per nine innings.
In this one, Glasnow goes up against an Angels’ lineup that doesn’t strike out much, but as a result, we are getting a nice low number on his strikeout total. But the case can be made the Halos have padded those strikeout numbers against the Mariners and Rangers recently, and haven’t faced stuff anywhere near as good as Glasnow’s.
Glasnow has gone Over this number four times in his last five starts, and three of those starts came against teams that strike out less than nine times per game.
Yesterday's MLB record: 3-0, +2.7 units
Season MLB betting record: 45-49-2, -4.21 units
MLB betting card for May 3
- Byron Buxton Over 1.5 Total Bases (-130)
- Giants Five-Inning RL -0.5 (+140)
- Tyler Glasnow Over 7.5 Strikeouts (+120)
Picks made on 5/3/2021 at 11:20 a.m. ET
MLB parlays
Did you know that if you parlayed today’s MLB prop picks, you could win $83.42 on a $10 bet?
Use our MLB parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
Where can I bet on MLB props?
You can bet on MLB props at every online and casino sportsbook, including MLB player props, derivatives, and a ton of other MLB prop odds. Head over to our best-suggested sportsbooks for the top spots to bet on MLB props in your area.
