MLB American League betting preview for Saturday, May 21

There are 15 MLB games scheduled for Saturday, May 21: seven American League games, seven National League games, and an interleague game between Cincinnati and Toronto. Here are the best bets on the American League and interleague games scheduled for Saturday starting at 1:05 p.m. Eastern. All lines provided by Bovada.

Minnesota Twins (-145) @ Kansas City Royals (+125)

Brad Keller will get the start for the Royals, and although his season statistics aren’t bad (2.89 ERA, 1.01 WHIP), a few members of the Twins seem to enjoy hitting his pitches. Luis Arraez is five-for-eight with a 1.292 OPS and Max Kepler is five-for-14 with a double and two homers- (1.357 OPS) against Keller.

Twins starter Joe Ryan has had even more success than Keller this season (2.39 ERA, 0.96 WHIP), and has been effective against the Royals as well (.417 opponent OPS). Take the Twins to win on the moneyline at -145 and to win by two or more runs at +115.

You might also consider placing a prop bet on Luis Arraez to have more than one hit and another on Max Kepler to collect at least three total bases via hits.

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Texas Rangers (+190) @ Houston Astros (-235)

The Houston Astros are Saturday’s biggest favorite with the top betting sites, with Justin Verlander starting for Houston against Jon Gray of Texas. In 117 at-bats, Texas hitters have amassed just a .494 OPS against Verlander. The Astros haven’t been quite so nice to Jon Gray, who hasn’t allowed a home run to Houston’s hitters in 48 at-bats, but has walked eight and given up four doubles for a .671 OPS against.

Take Houston on the moneyline at -235 and to win by two or more runs at -110. A moneyline parlay featuring Minnesota and Houston pays +140, and a parlay against the spread pays +310.

You might also consider placing a prop bet on Houston’s Michael Brantley to collect multiple hits or two or more total bases in the game. He’s three-for-four with a double and two walks against Jon Gray. Odds on Astros’ Chas McCormick getting multiple hits or more than two total bases are good, too. He’s two-for-two with a double against Gray.

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Cincinnati Reds (+180) @ Toronto Blue Jays (-220)

Saturday’s interleague game offers the third-best bet of the day, as the Blue Jays host the struggling Reds, who have already managed to lose a game this season in which they threw a no-hitter. Hunter Greene started that game, and he’ll start this one in Toronto.

Greene is coming off his best start of the season. The rest of his starts haven’t gone quite so well. He’s lost six of his seven starts and posted a 6.21 ERA and 1.56 WHIP. Walks have been a problem for Greene, as he’s allowed 20 free passes in 33.1 innings pitched.

Toronto isn’t exactly a patient team at the plate (ranked 26th with 104 walks this season), but the Blue Jays can put the ball into flight (tied for 11th with 39 home runs this season), which could be problematic for Greene, who’s already allowed 11 home runs this season.

Take Toronto on the moneyline and include them in a moneyline parlay featuring Minnesota and Houston for +250 odds. Taking Toronto, Minnesota, and Houston all to win by two or more runs pays +701.

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There are your best bets for the MLB American League games scheduled for Saturday, May 21 starting at 1:05 p.m. Eastern. Get your bets in before first pitch and please gamble responsibly.

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