This article is part of our MLB Picks series.
Top MLB Bets Today: Phillies, Dodgers for May 8th Action
Previous article 0-3 (-3.00 units)
Season 37-46-1 (-10.93 units)
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Key Trends in Today's MLB Matchups
Road Favorites - Tigers -180 at Rockies, Dodgers -146 at Dbacks, Phillies -143 at Rays
Home Favorites (Largest) - Royals -235 vs White Sox, Braves -190 vs Reds
Totals - Tigers/Rockies 10.0, Reds/Braves 7.5
Weather Conditions Impacting MLB Betting Odds
+++ Phillies/Rays - Wind blowing out 12 mph, 80 degrees
--- White Sox/Royals - Wind blowing in 12 mph
+++ Dodgers/Dbacks - 90 degrees, roof OPEN
MLB Line Movement
Phillies -15, Braves -26
Bullpen Rankings (updated 5/8/25)
Top 5 (Mets, Padres, Yankees, Dodgers, Astros). These are teams you can feel confident betting in full-game situations.
Bottom 5 (Angels, Marlins, Dbacks, White Sox, Nationals). These are teams you can feel confident betting against in full-game situations. If you want to bet on them, focus on F5s.
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MLB Thursday Best Bets and Predictions
Philadelphia Phillies 
at Tampa Bay Rays 
Picks
Thursday night's game features the pitching matchup of Jesus Luzardo versus Ryan Pepiot. Luzardo has been one of the best pitchers in baseball with a 3-0 record, 1.94 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and only 1 homerun allowed. Pepiot has been ok this year, but his home/road splits are significant. He has been terrible at home and we should exploit that.
The Phillies are playing great baseball with a 8-2 record in their last 10. They are better against right-handed pitching with an 18-9 record. The Rays have been floating around .500 most of the season.
The public is all over the Phillies which can be scary and why the line has moved significantly, but Luzardo has been so good this year it is hard to fade him.
MLB Best Bets: Phillies -1.5 runs for 1 unit (FanDuel +114)
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Chicago White Sox 
at Kansas City Royals 
Picks
All three games in this series have gone under the total with scores of 2-1, 4-3, and 3-0. I would lean on this trend to continue with both teams that are offensively challenged to say the least.
Royals starting pitcher Kris Bubic is looking like a solid breakout candidate, going scoreless in four of seven outings. His success is also tied to allowing just two home runs in his seven starts. Davis Martin has been solid with the exception of one start at Detroit.
The wind is blowing in 12 mph for game time in Kansas City which should limit any long balls and I will look at going under again with an inflated total of 8.5.
MLB Best Bet: White Sox/Royals UNDER xx runs for 1 unit (BetMGM -110)
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Los Angeles Dodgers 
at Arizona Diamondbacks 
Picks
This is an early-season series between two of the best teams in the NL West with the Dodgers and Dbacks in Arizona. Yoshinobu Yamamoto has been nearly untouchable with a 0.90 ERA and 0.93 WHIP. He is the current co-favorite for National League Cy Young along with Paul Skenes.
Brandon Pfaadt was a sleeper NL Cy Young candidate coming into 2025, but his home/road splits have really derailed him. His home numbers are strong with a 2.25 ERA vs. 6.06 ERA on the road. The home run ball has been a big factor away from Chase Field with six homers allowed.
The Dodgers are playing strong baseball right now, going 8-2 in their last 10. Their offense has put up 7.9 runs per game in that stretch. The Dbacks are just 2-6 in their last 8 home games. Arizona is not going to be an easy matchup, and with the Dodgers' travel schedule, I want to lean on the F5 here.
MLB Best Bet: Dodgers F5 -0.5 runs for 1 unit (DraftKings -110)
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MLB Picks Recap
- Phillies -1.5 runs for 1 unit (FanDuel +114)
- White Sox/Royals UNDER 8.5 runs for 1 unit (BetMGM -110)
- Dodgers F5 -0.5 runs for 1 unit (DraftKings -110)
