This article is part of our MLB Picks series.
MLB Bets Today: Expert MLB Picks for
Saturday, May 18
MLB fans: Get in on the action at BetMGM with the BetMGM bonus code for a first-bet bonus welcome offer worth up to $1,500 when using code ROTOBONUS. BetMGM is one of several leading sportsbooks that accept credit card and PayPal.
Detroit Tigers vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
The Detroit Tigers face the Arizona Diamondbacks in the second of a three-game interleague series today after the Tigers won Game 1 handily. This is an interesting interleague series with the Tigers now at 22-22 on the season and the Diamondbacks now at 21-24 on the season. The Tigers have had quite the season so far with so many ups and downs already. They are much better on the road, though, going 12-9 while they are just 10-13 at home. The Diamondbacks are slightly better at home at 11-12 while they are 10-12 on the road, but they really haven't found their rhythm yet. They are also a miserable 5-14 against teams over .500 this season. Yesterday, the Tigers had a massive pitching advantage. They had Tarik Skubal starting, and he is a Cy Young frontrunner in the American League so far this season. He was straight up dominant, allowing one hit in six innings. Ryne Nelson was going for the Diamondbacks yesterday and he has really struggled all season, and he struggled yesterday straight from the start.
Baseball fans present in the Tar Heel State can claim thousands of dollars in bonuses with North Carolina betting promos this baseball season now that North Carolina sports betting is officially live. The Caesars Sportsbook North Carolina promo code gets new customers $250 in bonus bets after making an initial wager of at least $10.
However, today we have a complete reversal in terms of pitching. Jack Flaherty is starting for the Tigers, and he has actually been very solid this season. He has three straight quality starts and quality starts in five of his eight starts this season. He actually faced the Diamondbacks three times last season, twice with the Cardinals and once after he was traded to the Orioles. He allowed four runs in six innings in the first game, three runs in five innings in the second game, and then four runs in 4.2 innings in the third game. So he never really dominated the Diamondbacks and they have mostly the same lineup. There are multiple Diamondbacks hitters with good numbers against him, too, headed by Joc Pederson, who is 5-for-14 against him with two home runs. But on the other side, Zac Gallen is starting for the Diamondbacks today and he is their ace. Interestingly, he faced the Tigers once last season and allowed five runs in 5.2 innings on the road. However, he has two straight quality starts this season and four quality starts in eight outings. He has allowed more than three runs just one time this season and it was against a division rival in the Giants. Weirdly, he has only pitched three games at home all season, which is where he dominated last season, and he allowed one run in 17 innings pitched in those starts.
The Tigers definitely have an advantage when it comes to the bullpens. They are ranked third in the league in bullpen ERA while the Diamondbacks are ranked 24th in the league in bullpen ERA. Neither team used any top relievers in the blowout yesterday, either. However, the Diamondbacks bullpen is a lot better than 24th when they are winning because they have some very good relievers, they just don't have much depth at all. And on the other side the Tigers have a ton of bullpen depth, that's why they are so consistent.
The Diamondbacks were dominated yesterday and the game got out of hand fast, but I think they will bounce back today behind their ace. Both teams have been playing .500 baseball for a long time now, and usually that is because these types of teams struggle to string together wins. I like the Diamondbacks at home to force a rubber game in the series.
BEST BET
Diamondbacks ML -145 vs. Tigers (BetMGM)
