MLB Picks and Predictions for Wednesday
Our team of writers and handicappers hand out their MLB picks and predictions for Wednesday, May 20.
Oakland A’s at Tampa Bay Rays, 7:08PM ET
Scott Kazmir, off to an unexpectedly poor start, seems to be pushing as he searches for answers on the mound. His home starts against the Oakland Athletics seem to have been much less frustrating.
Coming off his worst start of the year, Kazmir takes the mound for the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday night against an Athletics club he has dominated at home.
Tampa Bay (20-21) had a four-game winning streak snapped in the second game of this four-game series, losing 4-1 in 11 innings to Oakland (14-22) despite getting 8 1-3 shutout innings from starting pitcher James Shields.
The Rays have gotten plenty of strong efforts from Kazmir (4-3, 6.97 ERA) in recent years, but the two-time All-Star has not been able to settle down this season. The left-hander was terrible in his last outing, giving up seven runs and 10 hits in 3 1-3 innings before Tampa Bay rallied to beat Cleveland 8-7 on Friday night.
MLB Free Pick: Oakland | Best Line: +175 SPORTSBETTING
Milwaukee Brewers at Houston Astros, 8:05PM ET
Based on the way they've performed at Houston's Minute Maid Park lately, the Milwaukee Brewers have to feel good about their chances to continue their season-high winning streak.
The recent success of Houston Astros pitcher Wandy Rodriguez on his home turf, however, could be a tough obstacle to overcome.
The Brewers go for their eighth straight win and fourth in five games in Houston this season Wednesday night when they take on Rodriguez, owner of baseball's lowest home ERA.
Milwaukee (25-14) has rebounded from a slow start by winning 21 of 26, including three of its first four in Houston. The Brewers have a .293 batting average and 2.68 staff ERA this year at Minute Maid Park, where they've won five of six dating to last season.
MLB Free Pick: Milwaukee | Best Line: +100 SPORTSBETTING
Baltimore Orioles at New York Yankees, 7:05PM ET
Alex Rodriguez's return was clearly going to have a positive impact on the New York Yankees. Homers in four straight games while helping them win a season-best seven straight, though, seemed an unlikely scenario.
Rodriguez looks to help the Yankees extend their run Wednesday night when they continue a three-game set against the visiting Baltimore Orioles.
While his average is a far-from-impressive .194, Rodriguez's presence has contributed to Mark Teixeira finding his stroke while Johnny Damon has continued to swing a hot bat. That combination has helped New York (22-17) average 5.9 runs during its streak.
MLB Free Pick: New York | Best Line: -160 SPORTSBETTING