MLB American League best bets & parlay picks – Friday, May 27

There are 14 MLB games scheduled for Friday, May 27: seven American League games and seven National League games. Here are the best bets for the AL games, which are set to start from 6:40pm ET.

Houston Astros (-200) @ Seattle Mariners (+170)

Justin Verlander remains an ace at 39 years of age. He’s 6-1 with a 1.22 ERA and 0.72 WHIP, and if you thought he’d strike out fewer batters, he’s tied for 30th in the league with 49 Ks in 51.2 innings pitched. Mariners hitters haven’t hit Verlander much either. Seattle has gone 12-of-64 with just four extra-base hits for a .662 OPS against Verlander.

Chris Flexen is expected to start for Seattle, and he’s got a 4.98 ERA and 1.43 WHIP this season. The Astros have also flexed on Flexen, going 25-for-91 for a .733 OPS. Yordan Alvarez is three-of-seven with two home runs, so betting on him to collect multiple total bases is a pretty good bet. Martin Maldonado might be worth a look, too; he’s three-for-nine with a double and a dinger.

Expect the Astros to do as they’ve done against Flexen. Take them to win by two or more runs at -115.

Cleveland Guardians (-165) @ Detroit Tigers (+145)

Shane Bieber has really stifled the Tigers, to the tune of a .512 OPS allowed. In 118 at-bats, Detroit batters have just 24 hits, eight of which have gone for extra bases.

On the other side you have Alex Faedo, who actually got the win over Cleveland on Sunday. Faedo went 5.1 innings and allowed two runs despite striking out just two. Bieber might only need two runs, which is good because Detroit is one of the best pitching teams in MLB after the sixth inning.

Expect the Guardians to have a lead after five innings. That bet pays -110 at Bovada. Take Cleveland on the moneyline at -165, and parlay the Guardians with the Astros on the moneyline at +140.

Kansas City Royals (+155) @ Minnesota Twins (-180)

Bailey Ober is expected to start for Minnesota, and he’s 1-1 with a 2.55 ERA and 1.14 WHIP this season. He’s struck out 22 batters in 24.2 innings pitched over five starts. On Sunday he pitched five innings and allowed just one run to the Royals, walking one and striking out four in a Twins win.

Royals starter Brad Keller has gone 1-4 with a 3.20 ERA despite a 1.03 WHIP this season. The Twins are getting familiar with Keller, going 24-for-88 with six extra-base hits and a .648 OPS. Max Kepler has been especially capable against Keller, going six-for-16 with a double and two homers. Perhaps a player prop bet on Kepler to collect multiple hits or multiple total bases would be smart.

Another smart bet is Luis Arraez to get multiple hits. He’s one of the best hitters in baseball (.347 batting average is fourth overall) and is hotter than fish grease right now. He’s also had incredible success against Keller, going six-for-10.

Take the Twins to win on the moneyline, and parlay that bet into a trifecta with Houston and Cleveland at +268.

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