MLB American League best bets & parlay odds – Tuesday, May 31

There are 16 MLB games on Tuesday, May 31, with every team in action, including Minnesota and Detroit playing a day-night doubleheader. There are eight American League games, seven National League games, and one interleague game on the schedule. Here are the best bets on the games featuring American League teams this Tuesday, starting at 1:10pm ET.

Kansas City Royals (+135) @ Cleveland Guardians (-155)

The Guardians are the biggest American League favorites on Tuesday because seven of eight Guardians batters have a hit against projected starter Daniel Lynch despite limited plate appearances. Cleveland is 10-for-29 against Lynch, with a 1.056 OPS.

While Cleveland’s starter, Cal Quantrill, hasn’t exactly blown away Royals hitters, he’s been better against Kansas City than Lynch has against Cleveland despite a larger sample size. The Royals are 18-for-84 against Quantrill, with nine extra-base hits and a .717 OPS.

Expect a few Royals to be on base against Quantrill. Andrew Benintendi is five-for-12 with a double and a homer, and Salvador Perez is four-of-11 with the same two extra-base hits. A player prop bet on Benintendi to have multiple hits and another on Perez to have multiple total bases should result in at least one of them cashing.

As for the game itself, take Cleveland on the moneyline.

Houston Astros (-140) @ Oakland Athletics (+120)

Christian Javier’s numbers have been fantastic this season: 2.43 ERA, 48 strike outs, and a 0.97 WHIP. Oakland has hit him hard, however, collecting eight extra-base hits in 47 at-bats. Seven A’s batters are hitting a combined .303 against Javier, with Tony Kemp leading the way with two doubles and two singles in seven at-bats. You might want to place a player prop bet on him to collect multiple hits or multiple total bases in this game.

Houston is favored in this game because of how familiar the Astros are with Montas. Of the 10 Astros who have seen Montas, nine have hits, six have extra-base hits, and five have an OPS over .800. Jose Altuve is nine-for-30 with two homers and two doubles. Michael Brantley is eight-of-28 with three doubles and one homer. Yuli Gurriel is 10-for-27 with two doubles. Kyle Tucker is four-of-18 with two doubles, a triple, and a homer. A player prop bet on any of these four Astros to collect multiple total bases against Montas is a smart bet.

The smart money is also on Houston to win on the moneyline. Parlay the Astros with the Guardians on the moneyline for +182 odds with Bovada.

Tampa Bay Rays (+114) @ Texas Rangers (-140.85)

Two Tampa Bay Rays have absolutely smashed Martin Perez of the Texas Rangers. Yandy Diaz is seven-for-19 with two doubles and a homer against Perez, and Mike Zunino is eight-for-26 with four home runs versus Perez.

Randy Arozarena is also three-of-nine with a dinger against Perez. A player prop bet on Arozarena and/or Diaz to collect multiple hits should result in at least one cashing. Another on Zunino to collect multiple total bases (maybe even three) or to hit a home run should also pay nicely.

Ryan Yarbrough is expected to start for Tampa, and he’s got a 3.98 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP this season. But he’s been effective against the Rangers, allowing just a .721 OPS in 44 at-bats. Take Tampa to win on the moneyline, and make your parlay featuring Cleveland and Houston a trifecta for better parlay odds.

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