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MLB Power Rankings: Freddie Freeman leads Dodgers, the Cardinals and Twins are rolling

Featured in this week’s MLB Power Rankings, Tarik Skubal is close to perfect, Jasson Dominguez makes history, the Cardinals and Twins are streaking, the Jung brothers square off on Mother’s Day Weekend, and the Pirates and Rockies change managers.

Let’s get started!

(Please note these power rankings are a combination of current performance and long-term projected outlook)

MLB: Chicago Cubs at New York Mets
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Cade Horton is here, Evan Carter is back
Eric Samulski breaks down some of the top waiver wire adds for the upcoming week of fantasy baseball.

**Rankings are from the morning of Monday, May 12**

1) Los Angeles Dodgers

Last week: 1

Freddie Freeman is the hottest hitter on the planet right now. Despite an ankle injury that isn’t 100 percent, the 35-year-old is hitting .475 with five homers and 22 RBI over his last 16 games. He has 10 multi-hit games during that span and has raised his season batting average from .250 to .376 along the way.

2) San Diego Padres

Last week: 2

On Saturday night, Stephen Kolek threw a shutout at Coors Field as the Padres crushed the Rockies 21-0. It was the largest margin of victory for the Padres in franchise history and one of the most lopsided shutout wins of all-time.

3) Detroit Tigers ⬆️

Last week: 4

After running away with the Cy Young Award last season, Tarik Skubal has been even better so far this season. The southpaw owns a 2.08 ERA through eight starts and carried a perfect game into the sixth inning in his most recent start against the Rangers on Friday.

4) New York Mets ⬇️

Last week: 3

New York sports talk radio was having a cow over the first few weeks of the season, but it turns out that Juan Soto is going to be just fine. What a concept! Soto is slashing .282/.383/.718 with five homers through 10 games this month.

5) New York Yankees ⬆️

Last week: 8

Joe DiMaggio was the youngest player in Yankees history to hit three home runs in a game…until Jasson Dominguez pulled off the feat against the Athletics on Saturday.

6) Chicago Cubs ⬇️

Last week: 5

The Cubs have cooled a bit over the past week having lost back-to-back series. Their high-powered offense has been held to two runs or fewer in three of out their lost four games, but the back-end of the bullpen is the real concern here.

7) Philadelphia Phillies ⬆️

Last week: 9

I already deemed Freddie Freeman as the hottest hitter on the planet, but Kyle Schwarber is in the middle of something special right now. After his two-homer game on Sunday against the Guardians on Sunday, he’s now reached base in 46 consecutive games. That’s the longest such streak by a Phillies player since Bobby Abreu from 2000-2001.

8) San Francisco Giants ⬇️

Last week: 6

The Giants were swept by the suddenly red-hot Twins over the weekend despite Heliot Ramos’ best efforts. The 24-year-old has homered in back-to-back games and is slashing .419/.500/.767 over his last 13 contests.

9) Cleveland Guardians ⬆️

Last week: 10

Awesome moment from the Mother’s Day edition of the Sunday Night Baseball broadcast, as Stephen Vogt’s wife, Alyssa, asked him a very important question.

I so felt that pause and momentary panic from Mr. Vogt. Also, how cool is it that the manager also gets the sunflower seed treatment from his players/coaches? It’s good to be humbled.

10) Kansas City Royals ⬆️

Last week: 12

The Royals remain one of the hottest teams in the majors despite dropping back-to-back games to the Red Sox to close out the weekend. Led by a pitching staff with the second-lowest ERA in the majors, Kansas City is 16-4 over their last 20 games.

11) Seattle Mariners ⬇️

Last week: 7

The Mariners were swept by the Blue Jays over the weekend, including another distressing start from Bryce Miller. The good news is that George Kirby is inching his way back to the Mariners’ rotation as he returns from shoulder inflammation. He made his second rehab start on Saturday and could be back with the Mariners next week.

12) Boston Red Sox ⬆️

Last week: 13

In the wake of his very public and awkward rejection of playing first base, Rafael Devers is 9-for-15 (.600) with two homers and eight RBI over his last four games. He slugged an absolute bomb of a go-ahead homer on Sunday as the Red Sox cooled down the Royals.

13) St. Louis Cardinals ⬆️

Last week: 23

Our biggest riser of the past week, the Cardinals have won eight straight to surge into second place in the NL Central, just one game behind the Cubs. Victor Scott II has been right in the middle of it, as he’s hit safely in 11 straight games. With his elite range in center field and his top-tier speed, the Cardinals have found themselves a keeper.

14) Arizona Diamondbacks ⬇️

Last week: 11

It was great to see Corbin Burnes bounce back after his recent shoulder scare, but the biggest news to start the week is that top prospect Jordan Lawlar is reportedly on the way to join the big club. The 22-year-old has been quiet with the bat this month in Triple-A, but still owns a healthy .336/.413/.579 batting line with six homers and 13 steals across 37 games on the year. He’ll presumably bounce around the infield to start, giving breathers to Ketel Marte, Geraldo Perdomo, and Eugenio Suárez.

15) Atlanta Braves

Last week: 15

The Braves have had a couple of chances over the past week to reach the .500 mark, but have fallen short. Still, they are 19-14 since that 0-7 start to the season.

16) Minnesota Twins ⬆️

Last week: 24

The other big riser of the week, the Twins have also won eight straight to climb over .500. Am I a jinx for saying that Byron Buxton is on pace for a 30-30 season? Unfortunately for the Twins, everyone else in the AL Central (outside of the White Sox, anyway) have also been playing well.

17) Houston Astros

Last week: 17

The Astros have yet to be more than three games over .500 or two games under .500, so they continue to sit in the middle of the pack. Getting a healthy Yordan Alvarez back could help push them back into contention. Alvarez, who is working his way back from a muscle strain in his hand, could potentially return from the injured list this week.

18) Texas Rangers ⬇️

Last week: 14

In a fun scheduling quirk, the Jung brothers (Rangers third baseman Josh Jung and Tigers infielder Jace Jung) squared off on Mother’s Day weekend. The brothers were both playing third base on Saturday, so naturally they played a game of Tic-Tac-Toe. Josh homered on Mother’s Day, so he gets the edge this time.

19) Oakland Athletics ⬇️

Last week: 16

After giving up seven runs or more in all three games against the Yankees this weekend, the Athletics now have a 5.81 ERA (28th in MLB) at home this season as opposed to a 3.74 ERA (sixth-best) on the road.

20) Milwaukee Brewers ⬇️

Last week: 19

In a 4-for-39 slump going into Sunday’s action, Christian Yelich decided to switch it up by using a pink bat to honor his mom. And sure enough, he went yard. Sources say that if he doesn’t keep using it, he’s grounded.

21) Toronto Blue Jays

Last week: 21

The Blue Jays might have something in Addison Barger. While it isn’t apparent from his results so far, the 25-year-old hits the ball extremely hard. Among players with at least 25 batted ball events, he ranks third among hitters in average exit velocity, behind Shohei Ohtani and Oneil Cruz, and ahed of Aaron Judge, Rafael Devers, and Pete Alonso. Not too shabby.

22) Cincinnati Reds ⬇️

Last week: 18

The Reds have lost seven out of nine, as well as their ace Hunter Greene due to a groin strain. Fortunately, the injury shouldn’t keep him on the shelf for long.

23) Tampa Bay Rays ⬇️

Last week: 20

Give the Rays some credit for their creativity. They gave out commemorative ponchos for their first-ever rain delay on Saturday.

The Rays took two out of three from the Brewers this weekend, giving them their first series win at home since April 11-13.

24) Washington Nationals

Last week: 24

While the final line didn’t show it, Michael Soroka pitched well in his return from the injured list last Wednesday against the Guardians, striking out eight before running out of steam late. This week, he’ll face the Braves (his former team) for the first time in his career.

25) Baltimore Orioles

Last week: 25

Things aren’t looking a heck of a lot better here even after taking two out of three form the Angels over the weekend, but one bright spot has been the recent progress from 21-year-old Jackson Holliday. With a recent change in his batting stance, he’s hitting .324 with two homers and a double over his last 11 games. He’s starting to earn a more prominent place in the order for a team who needs a boost in the worst way.

26) Los Angeles Angels

Last week: 26

No team has struck out more often than the Angels this season (27 percent). And making matters worse, they also have the lowest walk rate (six percent) in the majors.

27) Miami Marlins ⬆️

Last week: 28

Sandy Alcantara has been speculated as an obvious trade candidate this summer, but the results haven’t been there so far. He actually looked great on Sunday against the White Sox until serving up a go-ahead three-run home to rookie slugger Tim Elko. Still, a step in the right direction for the former Cy Young Award winner.

28) Pittsburgh Pirates ⬇️

Last week: 27

Derek Shelton took the fall last week for the Pirates’ miserable start to the season. The failure goes well beyond anything Shelton did, but ownership can’t fire themselves. The club took two out of three from the Braves over the weekend under interim manager (and former bench coach) Don Kelly, so the Pittsburgh-area native is off to a good start.

29) Chicago White Sox

Last week: 29

The White Sox have Pope Leo XIV on their side, which should provide some hope to fans, no?

30) Colorado Rockies

Last week: 30

The Rockies made a managerial change of their own this weekend, as they parted ways with longtime skipper Bud Black. The change comes on the heels of an embarrassing 21-0 loss to the Padres on Saturday night, though at least Black got to go out as a winner on Sunday.

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Rockies at Rangers prediction: Odds, expert picks, starting pitchers, betting trends, and stats for May 12

Its Monday, May 12 and the Rockies (7-33) are in Arlington to take on the Rangers (20-21). Chase Dollander is slated to take the mound for Colorado against Tyler Mahle for Texas.

The Colorado Rockies won yesterday, ending their game losing streak. The nine runs the Rockies scored yesterday are the most since the middle of April.

The Rangers won their series against the Tigers 2-1 with a win yesterday. Nathan Eovaldi was phenomenal on the mound. He didn't give up a run in the 7.0 innings he pitched and only walked one batter, and struck out seven.

Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.

Game details & how to watch Rockies at Rangers

  • Date: Monday, May 12, 2025
  • Time: 8:05PM EST
  • Site: Globe Life Field
  • City: Arlington, TX
  • Network/Streaming: Rangers Sports Network, Victory+

Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.

Odds for the Rockies at the Rangers

The latest odds as of Monday:

  • Moneyline: Rockies (+228), Rangers (-281)
  • Spread:  Rangers -1.5
  • Total: 8.0 runs

Probable starting pitchers for Rockies at Rangers

  • Pitching matchup for May 12, 2025: Chase Dollander vs. Tyler Mahle
    • Rockies: Chase Dollander, (2-3, 7.71 ERA)
      Last outing (Detroit Tigers, 5/7) : 3.0 Innings Pitched, 6 Earned Runs Allowed, 5 Hits Allowed, 3 Walks, and 0 Strikeouts
    • Rangers: Tyler Mahle, (3-1, 1.48 ERA)
      Last outing (Boston Red Sox, 5/7): 5.0 Innings Pitched, 2 Earned Runs Allowed, 4 Hits Allowed, 1 Walks, and 0 Strikeouts

Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Rockies at Rangers

  • The Rangers have won 3 straight home games against the Rockies
  • The Rangers have failed to cover in their last 3 games against the Rockies

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Rockies and the Rangers

Rotoworld Best Bet

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Monday's game between the Rockies and the Rangers:

  • Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Texas Rangers on the Moneyline.
  • Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Colorado Rockies at +1.5.
  • Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 8.0.

Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC

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Dave Roberts isn't happy. Rockies fired Bud Black, last limb on Mike Scioscia coaching tree

26 May, 2015: San Diego Padres manager (20) Bud Black on the field with Angels manager (14) Mike Scioscia during batting practice before a game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim played at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. (Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
San Diego Padres manager Bud Black, right, on the field with Angels manager Mike Scioscia in 2015. Black, the Angels' pitching coach when they won the World Series in 2002, was fired on Sunday as Colorado Rockies manager. (John Cordes / Getty Images)

When Bud Black was fired as manager of the Colorado Rockies on Sunday, the last limb of the acclaimed Mike Scioscia coaching tree was snapped off and stacked on the mulch pile.

Joe Maddon remains out of work after being fired by the Angels in 2022. Scott Servais was canned by the Seattle Mariners last year. Ron Roenicke hasn't managed since 2020.

Black, who managed the San Diego Padres for eight-plus seasons before lasting another eight-plus seasons with the mostly hapless Rockies, boasts his own coaching tree. And one particular branch has become strapping and sturdy: Dave Roberts.

Black mentored the Dodgers manager from 2011-2015 as a Padres coach, and they remain close friends.

But the winds of change in Colorado caused this particular branch in Blue to rattle and sway.

“I'm bummed. I'm disappointed. I don’t think Casey Stengel could change the outcome of that ballclub,’’ a perturbed Roberts told reporters Sunday. “That’s not the manager’s fault. Obviously, they felt they needed a change in voice or direction, but for me, there’s not many people that are better than Buddy Black. It’s very disappointing. It’s certainly not his doing.’’

Read more:Plaschke: Dave Roberts is Dodgers’ real MVP? New contract removes all doubt

The Rockies sent Black out a winner, defeating the Padres 9-3 on Sunday, but remain historically bad, posting a 7-33 record that includes three eight-game losing streaks and projects to a finish of 29-133 that would be the worst by any team since 1899. Only four other teams lost 33 of their first 40 games: the 1904 Washington Senators, 1928 Philadelphia Phillies, 1932 Boston Red Sox and 1988 Baltimore Orioles.

Roberts disparaging the Rockies was a bit surprising because it was akin to someone telling Mother Teresa to take a hike. A visit from Colorado cures ills. Struggling pitchers are revived. Slumps stop. But Roberts' mentor and friend had devolved over two decades from Angels' World Series champion pitching coach to Dodgers punching bag.

Case in point: The Dodgers hosted the Rockies for a three-game series in mid-April after they'd lost six of the previous nine games, including an embarrassing 16-0 defeat to the Chicago Cubs two days before Black and Co. arrived. Et voila! The Dodgers won all three, jump-starting a 16-8 stretch that continues with a homestand beginning Tuesday.

They don't play Colorado again until June 24, when presumably Warren Schaeffer — the Rockies' third-base coach until today — will remain interim manager. It is doubtful that his purple-clad charges will be much better than they were under Black.

Black, 67, led the Rockies to playoff berths in 2017 and 2018, but they haven’t had a winning season since and are well on their way to a third consecutive 100-loss season. They are already 19.5 games behind the first-place Dodgers in the NL West, and their minus-128 run differential is nearly double that of the next closest team. They are batting a dismal .219, and the ERA of the starting rotation is an MLB-worst 5.77.

“Our play so far this season, especially coming off the last two seasons, has been unacceptable. Our fans deserve better, and we are capable of better,” Rockies owner Dick Monfort said Sunday in a statement.

Read more:Tony Gonsolin, Freddie Freeman help Dodgers complete successful trip

Some of the underachieving Rockies players don't blame Black, whose even-keel temperament, attention to detail and empathetic communication skills made him a respected leader. And everyone knows the first to go in troubled times is the manager.

“It’s tough, I don’t think it was Buddy’s fault, much,” Rockies infielder Ryan McMahon told the Denver Post. “We didn’t play to our capabilities, but this is the direction the organization decided to go, so we’ll roll with it. …

“Hey, it might be a kick in the ass. Like, heads up! We’re in a spot where we need to make some moves and start doing some stuff, or things like this are going to happen.”

Black had a strong track record when he took the Rockies reins in 2017. He was the Angels' pitching coach when they won their only World Series in 2002 and made the postseason three times in his six years. He was the National League Manager of the Year in 2010 with the Padres. A left-handed pitcher for five teams in 15 years, posting a 3.84 earned-run average over more than 2,000 innings, he won a World Series with the Kansas City Royals in 1985.

Colorado made the postseason in Black's first two years as manager, but did not come close to .500 since then. He approximated his mentor, Scioscia, in managerial longevity but not in accomplishments. Scioscia, the Angels manager for 19 seasons, stepped down in 2018 and hasn't returned to a major league dugout, although he was head coach of the bronze-winning USA team in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

Read more:Remembering Dodgers legend Tommy Lasorda

Nobody can adequately explain why so few pitchers become managers, let alone successful ones, but Black lasted longer than just about any other. Dodgers legend Tommy Lasorda is easily the most decorated. California native Bob Lemon won a World Series with the Yankees.

Hall of Fame pitchers Walter Johnson,Christy Mathewson and Ted Lyons were much less successful as managers than with a baseball in their hands. Roger Craig finished exactly one game over .500 in 10 managerial seasons and Clyde King five games over .500 in short stints with three teams. Marcel Lachemann, Ray Miller, Larry Rothschild,George Bamberger and a few others failed to win half their games.

Black's tally stands at 649-713, a .477 winning percentage. He didn't address the media on Sunday, but his players ducked into his office one by one to say goodbye. Left-handed starter Kyle Freeland was probably closest to Black; his rookie year in 2017 coincided with the manager's arrival.

“I have a lot of different emotions right now,” Freeland said, referencing fired bench coach Mark Redmond along with Black. “I have been with Buddy and Red my entire career. Both are great guys, and they have been in my corner my entire career. I love both those guys."

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Mets prospects Jonah Tong, Ryan Clifford earn Eastern League weekly honors

A pair of Mets top prospects are taking home some hardware, as Rumble Ponies right-hander Jonah Tong and first baseman Ryan Clifford have been named Eastern League Pitcher and Player of the Week, respectively.

Tong, 21, earned his second Pitcher of the Week award after delivering 6.2 spotless innings in what turned into a combined perfect game on Saturday against Reading. Tong, SNY contributor Joe DeMayo’s No. 7 overall prospect in the Mets’ system, struck out 13 batters and leads all Eastern League pitchers with 51 punchouts on the season.

Tong now has a 2.57 ERA over his six starts this season, in what has been his first taste of Double-A ball.

As for Clifford, the mashing first baseman went 9-for-19 in the series against Reading, launching three home runs with nine RBI, five runs scored, and a 1.500 OPS over the five games.

Clifford, SNY’s No. 4 Mets prospect, now has six home runs on the season, tied for fourth most in the Eastern League.

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Rafael Devers named AL Player of the Week amid first base drama

Rafael Devers named AL Player of the Week amid first base drama originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Boston Red Sox designated hitter Rafael Devers’ wild week ended with a reminder that he remains one of MLB’s premier sluggers.

On Monday, Devers was named the American League Player of the Week. The three-time All-Star has gone 10-for-21 at the plate with two home runs, eight RBI, and a 1.386 OPS over the last seven days.

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman earned the honor in the National League.

Devers capped off his red-hot week by going 6-for-7 with a homer and five RBI over the last two games of Boston’s series in Kansas City.

That Royals series started with Devers making headlines for his words rather than his bat. After the team’s series finale against Texas at Fenway Park, the 28-year-old called out the Red Sox front office for asking him to move to first base in the wake of Triston Casas’ season-ending injury. His comments prompted team owner John Henry and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow to travel to Kansas City to meet with their disgruntled star.

While the plan is to keep Devers at DH for the foreseeable future, Breslow and manager Alex Cora have left the door open for Devers to make the switch. The club has yet to find a permanent solution for the void at first base.

After taking two out of three against the Royals, the Red Sox will begin a three-game set in Detroit on Monday night.

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Angels at Padres prediction: Odds, expert picks, starting pitchers, betting trends, and stats for May 12

Its Monday, May 12 and the Angels (16-23) are in San Diego to take on the Padres (25-14). Yusei Kikuchi is slated to take the mound for Los Angeles against Michael King for San Diego.

The Padres are coming off a 9-3 loss to the Rockies yesterday, but won the series 2-1. Nick Pivetta struggled last night. He gave up six earned runs on seven hits and two walks in 4.0 innings pitched.

The Angels lost yesterday 7-3 to the Orioles and fell in the series 2-1. Tyler Anderson wasn't bad on the mound. He only gave up one earned run in 5.0 innings pitched. Despite his efforts, the Angels still lost.

Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.

Game details & how to watch Angels at Padres

  • Date: Monday, May 12, 2025
  • Time: 9:40PM EST
  • Site: Petco Park
  • City: San Diego, CA
  • Network/Streaming: Padres.TV, Fanduesl Sports Network West

Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.

Odds for the Angels at the Padres

The latest odds as of Monday:

  • Moneyline: Angels (+181), Padres (-219)
  • Spread:  Padres -1.5
  • Total: 7.0 runs

Probable starting pitchers for Angels at Padres

  • Pitching matchup for May 12, 2025: Yusei Kikuchi vs. Michael King
    • Angels: Yusei Kikuchi, (0-4, 3.83 ERA)
      Last outing (Toronto Blue Jays, 5/7): 6.0 Innings Pitched, 1 Earned Runs Allowed, 5 Hits Allowed, 1 Walks, and 6 Strikeouts
    • Padres: Michael King, (4-1, 2.22 ERA)
      Last outing: (New York, Yankees, 5/6): 6.0 Innings Pitched, 2 Earned Runs Allowed, 3 Hits Allowed, 2 Walks, and 2 Strikeouts

Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Angels at Padres

  • The Padres have won 4 straight home games against the Angels
  • Each of the last 3 matchups between the Angels and the Padres have stayed under the Total
  • The Angels have covered in their last 3 games against the Padres

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Angels and the Padres

Rotoworld Best Bet

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Monday's game between the Angels and the Padres:

  • Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the San Diego Padres on the Moneyline.
  • Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Los Angeles Angels at +1.5.
  • Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 7.0.

Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

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  • Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
  • Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)

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How Freddie Freeman unleashed a hot streak at the plate with a single off Paul Skenes

Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman celebrates after hitting a double while scoring Mookie Betts against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, May 11, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)
"I just think he's relentless," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Freddie Freeman, above, after Sunday's game. (Darryl Webb / Associated Press)

It was the night the Dodgers were coldest offensively this year that Freddie Freeman’s swing first started to get hot.

On April 25, when Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates mowed through the Dodgers in a 3-0 shutout at Dodger Stadium, the veteran first baseman remembers something clicking in a sixth-inning at-bat, when he dumped a down-and-away splitter into center field for a base hit.

At the time, Freeman’s swing didn’t look like much, a seemingly nondescript single on a night the Dodgers generated little else against the reigning National League Rookie of the Year. As Freeman pulled into first, there was no sign he’d just experienced some sort of long-awaited breakthrough, with the 35-year-old slugger still grinding through a slow and injury-hampered start to his season.

Sixteen games later, however, that’s what Freeman now cites as the origin point for one of the most productive stretches of his entire career — the moment when, after more than a year of sensing his mechanics at the plate were slightly off, his simple swing finally felt once again on-line and in-sync.

Read more:Tony Gonsolin, Freddie Freeman help Dodgers complete successful trip

“It was a changeup away, and I was able to stay through it and hit a line drive up the middle,” Freeman recalled. “That’s when I kind of figured things were working … That’s when my confidence in my swing kind of skyrocketed, was after that hit.”

In hindsight, the demarcation line couldn’t have been more clear.

Entering that game against the Pirates, Freeman was batting just .250 this year, with a .911 OPS inflated mostly by a flurry of early home runs.

Since then, he has gone on a tear that, even by his former MVP and eight-time All-Star standards, stands out statistically: Over his last 61 at-bats, he is batting .475 (29 hits) with six doubles, one triple, five home runs, 22 RBIs and a 1.374 OPS.

In all of Major League Baseball, no one this side of Aaron Judge has been so good.

"I just think he's relentless,” manager Dave Roberts said of Freeman on Sunday, after his four-for-four performance in Arizona raised his season batting average to .376 and OPS to 1.170 — marks that both rank second in the majors (among hitters with 100 at-bats) behind only the New York Yankees star.

With a look of amazement, Roberts added: “I can't remember him being this good, for this long."

To many others around the Dodgers, Freeman’s early surge has come as a pleasant surprise. They know the sprained right ankle he played through in last year’s playoffs is still giving him problems, even after he had a debridement surgery on it this winter. They know the week he spent on the injured list in early April, when he re-aggravated his ankle after slipping in the shower, got him nowhere near back to 100% health.

Every day, Freeman said he gets “about an hour and a half” of pregame treatment on his ankle. In games, he tapes it up for stability and wears heel lifts in his cleats to prevent it from getting jammed as he runs.

Freeman has assured the team he still feels “good enough” to maintain an everyday playing schedule. This past road trip, he started in each of the Dodgers’ 10 consecutive games despite some brief conversation about finding him a day off.

“He's been ailing,” Roberts said. “But he’s moving really well. And he’s doing a really nice job of sort of playing with a governor, managing it, knowing when to pick his spots, manage his work, all that."

Perhaps by the All-Star break, Freeman has been told by the team’s training staff, his ankle will be back to relative normal — or, at least, to the point where “I might not have to do as much treatment,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to that,” he added with a laugh.

In the meantime, however, more of Freeman’s focus has been on building off his mechanical rediscovery; trying to maintain feel for a swing that had eluded him for so long.

Read more:Dodgers hot streak against Cy Young winners ends during loss to Diamondbacks

Since late in the 2023 season, Freeman had what he derisively refers to as a “cut swing” in the batter’s box. His hips would open early. His bat would cut across the strike zone. He struggled to stay in rhythm and squared up to the ball.

It’s a flaw Freeman has battled off-and-on for years. So much so, he developed a meticulous routine of batting-cage drills to call upon every time the issue arose.

But last year, nothing Freeman tried seemed to remedy the problem. His .282 batting average and .854 OPS, while still good enough to make him an All-Star, were his lowest since the 2015 and 2014 seasons, respectively. And despite his October heroics, he came into 2025 still seeking a solution.

“There’d be spurts last year where it was good, and then it’d go away,” Freeman said. “Even at the beginning of this year, it was still a little cutty.”

That’s why, when Freeman golfed Skenes’ down-and-away splitter to center field last month, he started to feel hopeful.

“The previous two weeks, I would probably have rolled that over,” Freeman said. “But that pitch in that location, and how I hit it off Paul in that at-bat, I felt like I was in a good spot. It kind of helped my confidence.”

What exactly triggered the improvement remains a mystery, even to a generational hitter with a career .301 average.

“I don’t know what changed,” Freeman said last week. “I’ve been doing the same routine, the same thing. That’s why you can never figure this game out. You just gotta ride it out.”

But suddenly, what began as a slow opening month has transformed into one of Freeman’s hottest-ever starts.

Never before has Freeman maintained a batting average even close to his current .376 mark through the first 30 games of a season (his previous high was .336 in 2017). And only in that 2017 campaign, when he belted 11 home runs in his first 30 contests, had his OPS been better this far into the schedule.

“I looked up the other day and saw he was hitting .360, I had no idea,” Roberts joked. “Like I said, he's just been relentless."

Freeman’s current 16-game heater also has few personal parallels, representing just the second time in his career he has batted .475 or better over a stretch that long (he hit .477 from July 16 to Aug. 3 in 2023).

“Just seeing strikes and hitting them,” he said when asked why he’s been so hot. “I wish there was more I could give you. I do the same routine every day, try to hit strikes. And they’re just falling right now.”

After gradually eliminating his cut-swing problems over the last few weeks, Sunday’s four-hit performance felt like Freeman’s coup de grâce.

He started the day with two doubles against Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen: the first on an outer-edge fastball he blasted the other way, the second on an inner-half cutter he pulled down the right-field line. In the seventh, he recorded his ninth home run and 33rd RBI of the season, barreling a curveball from left-handed reliever Joe Mantiply into the Chase Field pool in right-center field. In the ninth, he added a superfluous single against another left-handed reliever, Jose Castillo, knocking his down-and-away slider through the right side of the infield.

It was four hits, on four different pitch types, to four different areas of the field.

And the only time he didn’t reach base, Freeman still lifted a fifth-inning sacrifice fly 356 feet to straightaway center.

“I do feel that he's seeing the baseball well, swinging at strikes like he does,” Roberts said. “And I think he really understands how his body's moving right now, with regards to his swing."

These are all things Freeman struggled to do repeatedly before his single against Skenes almost three weeks ago.

Read more:Shohei Ohtani home run caps wild ninth-inning comeback in Dodgers' win over Arizona

But ever since, such results have been coming seemingly on demand, even despite the continued limitations of his ankle.

“He's already got a simple swing, simple approach,” Roberts said, trying to identify the roots of Freeman’s recent dominance. “But this might be something where, because of the right ankle, he is being more mindful and not trying to overswing or do too much — maybe."

The one thing the manager knows for sure about his superstar first baseman right now:

“It's been a while [since] I've seen him this consistent."

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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The White Sox lost 121 games last season. This year’s Rockies have been worse so far

It took 62 years for a team to surpass the modern record of 120 losses.

The new mark of 121 might fall a little quicker.

When Colorado routed San Diego 9-3 — a “that’s baseball” moment if there ever was one — the Rockies improved their record to 7-33. That’s still just one game better than the worst 40-game start in modern history, set by the 1988 Baltimore Orioles.

Those Orioles famously started the season 0-21, and this year’s Rockies just experienced those two numbers in reverse — in the 21-0 loss they took against the Padres. Even after rebounding with a win, the Rockies fired manager Bud Black.

When the Chicago White Sox went 41-121 last year, they were outscored by 306 runs over the whole season. Colorado has played less than a fourth of it and is already at minus-128.

Last year’s White Sox were 12-28 after 40 games, but they had losing streaks of 14, 21 and 12 still to come. Even then, they only broke the record for losses (set by the 1962 Mets) and not the one for the lowest winning percentage.

So it takes a lot to approach that many losses, but right now baseball is in an era when terrible teams are common. Since the 162-game schedule was introduced in 1961, there have been 14 teams that finished with at least 110 defeats. Half of them played in the past dozen years: the 2013 Astros (51-111), the 2018 and 2021 Orioles (47-115 and 52-110), the 2019 Tigers (47-114), the 2021 Diamondbacks (52-110), the 2023 Athletics (50-112) and the 2024 White Sox.

So in that sense, this year’s Rockies fit right in.

Trivia time

Of the other seven teams since 1961 that lost at least 110 games, five were expansion teams that hadn’t yet been around long: the 1962, 1963 and 1965 Mets (40-120, 51-111 and 50-112), the 1969 Expos (52-110) and the 1969 Padres (52-110).

Who were the only two teams to lose at least 110 games between 1970 and 2012?

Another ouster

Three days before Black was fired, Pittsburgh replaced manager Derek Shelton with Don Kelly. The Pirates are 14-27. They even have a losing record (3-5) in the eight games Paul Skenes has pitched.

Now that Black and Shelton are out, it’s hard to think of another manager on an immediate hot seat unless Baltimore decides to move on from Brandon Hyde. The Orioles have been a colossal disappointment at 15-24, although they’ve at least made the postseason the last two years under Hyde, whereas the Pirates and Rockies were faced with failure over multiple seasons.

Otherwise, most of the teams under .500 were either expected to be there (Angels, White Sox, Nationals, Marlins), have new managers (White Sox, Reds, Marlins) or have skippers who have long since proven themselves as some of the game’s most respected managers (Rangers, Rays, Reds).

The Brewers (20-21) have slipped after winning the division last year, but manager Pat Murphy is in only his second season. Atlanta stumbled at the start this year but has now won 14 of its last 22.

Line of the week

Jasson Dominguez of the New York Yankees hit three home runs and drove in seven runs against the Athletics. The 22-year-old Dominguez became the youngest player in franchise history with a three-homer game, beating Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio’s record by 109 days.

Comeback of the week

Down 5-1 with two outs in the eighth, Philadelphia began its rally with a three-run homer by Bryson Stott. Then in the ninth, the Phillies tied it against Tampa Bay reliever Pete Fairbanks.

Philadelphia went on to win 7-6 in 10 innings. The Phillies’ win probability was down to 1.9% in the eighth inning according to Baseball Savant.

Trivia answer

The 2003 Tigers (43-119) and 2004 Diamondbacks (51-111).

Posted on

Mets vs. Pirates: How to watch on SNY on May 12, 2025

The Mets open a three-game series with the Pirates at Citi Field on Monday at 7:10 p.m. on SNY.

Here's what to know about the game and how to watch...

Mets Notes

  • Francisco Lindor is hitting .360/.429/.800 with three homers and two doubles over his last six games. His triple slash for the season is up to .301/.368/.509
  • Brett Batyhas smacked three home runs in 12 at-bats since being recalled from Triple-A Syracuse
  • Edwin Diazhas allowed just one earned run since his appearance on April 11 -- a span of 10.1 innings over 10 appearances
  • David Petersonallowed four runs (two earned) in 6.0 innings against the Diamondbacks during his last start -- throwing a season-high 104 pitches
PIRATES
METS

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Francisco Lindor, SS

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Juan Soto, RF

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Pete Alonso, 1B

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Brandon Nimmo, LF

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Mark Vientos, DH

-

Jeff McNeil, CF

-

Francisco Alvarez, C

-

Brett Baty, 3B

-

Luisangel Acuña, 2B

What channel is SNY?

Check your TV or streaming provider's website or channel finder to find your local listings.

How can I stream the game?

The new way to stream SNY games is via the MLB App or MLB.tv. Streaming on the SNY App has been discontinued.

In order to stream games in SNY’s regional territory, you will need to have SNY as part of your TV package (cable or streaming), or you can now purchase an in-market SNY subscription package. Both ways will allow fans to watch the Mets on their computer, tablet or mobile phone. 

How can I watch the game on my computer via MLB? 

To get started on your computer, click here and then follow these steps: 

  • Log in using your provider credentials. If you are unsure of your provider credentials, please contact your provider. 
  • Link your provider credentials with a new or existing MLB.com account. 
  • Log in using your MLB.com credentials to watch Mets games on SNY. 

How can I watch the game on the MLB App? 

MLB App access is included for FREE with SNY. To access SNY on your favorite supported Apple or Android mobile device, please follow the steps below.  

  • Open “MLB” and tap on “Subscriber Login” for Apple Devices or “Sign in with MLB.com” for Android Devices. 
  • Type in your MLB.com credentials and tap “Log In.”  
  • To access live or on-demand content, tap on the "Watch" tab from the bottom navigation bar. Select the "Games" sub-tab to see a listing of available games. You can scroll to previous dates using the left and right arrows. Tap on a game to select from the game feeds available.  

For more information on how to stream Mets games on SNY, please click here. 

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Mets vs. Pirates: 5 things to watch and series predictions | May 12-14

Here are five things to watch and predictions as the Mets and Pirates play a three-game series at Citi Field beginning on Monday at 7:10 p.m. on SNY.

Preview

Has Brett Baty found his confidence?

Baty has always been too good of an offensive player in Triple-A to believe he simply didn't have what it took to at least be a solid contributor in the big leagues.

And as Baty has alluded to, part of his struggles in 2023, 2024, and earlier this season had to do with his confidence at the highest level. Perhaps he's found it.

Following his return to the majors after Jesse Winker landed on the IL with a long-term oblique injury, Baty has been locked in at the plate.

Baty has four hits in 12 at-bats, which doesn't jump off the page, but this does: three of those hits have been home runs, including Baty showcasing massive opposite field power.

With this hot streak, Baty's OPS for the season is up to .746. And he's turning heads in a serious way in what could be his last, best chance to prove he should be a serious part of the Mets' future.

Paul Skenes

When you think Pirates, you think Skenes, who has arguably been the best pitcher in baseball since debuting last season.

After finishing third in Cy Young voting following a rookie campaign in 2024 where he had a 1.96 ERA over 133.0 innings, Skenes has again been brilliant.

In 48.2 innings over eight starts, Skenes has a 2.77 ERA and 0.94 WHIP. His strikeout rate is down from last season (8.7 per nine after it was 11.5 per nine), but his stuff is still filthy.

Skenes is near the top of the league in pitching run value, xERA, xBA, and fastball velocity.

He's relying mainly on his four-seam fastball, split finger fastball, and sweeper, while also mixing in a changeup, slider, curve, and sinker.

Francisco Lindor is on a heater

Lindor has been on another level lately, raising his triple slash for the season to .301/.368/.509.

His .877 OPS is a career-high, as is his 150 OPS+.

New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) celebrates with first baseman Pete Alonso (20) after hitting a solo home run during the eighth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Citi Field
New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) celebrates with first baseman Pete Alonso (20) after hitting a solo home run during the eighth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Citi Field / Vincent Carchietta - Imagn Images

Over his last six games, Lindor is hitting .360/.429/.800 with three homers and two doubles -- including a go-ahead solo blast in the eighth inning of Sunday's win over the Cubs.

Lindor is on pace to finish the season with 36 home runs, 103 RBI, and 107 runs scored.

The dominant Kodai Senga

Senga has been a force this season, with a 1.16 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 38.2 innings over seven starts.

In his last outing, against the Diamondbacks in Arizona, Senga fired 6.0 shutout innings while allowing just two hits and striking out four. He had a bit of a wild streak in that one -- issuing five walks -- but he adeptly worked around it.

Among all pitchers with 38 innings pitched or more this season, only Max Fried (1.05 ERA) has a lower mark than Senga.

Senga made the All-Star team in his rookie season in 2023. And after a lost season injury-wise in 2024, he's looking to get right back to the Midsummer Classic.

Pittsburgh is in turmoil, and the worst offensive team in baseball

The Pirates fired manager Derek Shelton last week, seemingly making him the fall guy after the front office and ownership did next to nothing to improve the club during the offseason.

So Shelton is out, and Don Kelly is in, but Pittsburgh is still a very bad baseball team.

They enter Monday's series with a 2-8 record over their last 10 games and a 14-27 overall record -- the second-worst mark in the National League and the third-worst mark in baseball, ahead of just the White Sox (12-29) and historically-bad Rockies (7-33).

Pittsburgh is also the lowest-scoring team in baseball, having mustered just 127 runs in 41 games. That is six fewer runs than Colorado.

Predictions

Who will the MVP of the series be?

Brett Baty

Why the hell not?

Which Mets pitcher will have the best start?

Kodai Senga

Senga gets the ball on Tuesday against Mitch Keller.

Which Pirates player will be a thorn in the Mets' side?

Oneil Cruz

The most dangerous player in Pittsburgh's lineup, Cruz has eight homers and an .831 OPS.

Posted on

Yankees at Mariners prediction: Odds, expert picks, starting pitchers, betting trends, and stats for May 12

Its Monday, May 12 and the AL East-leading Yankees (23-17) are in Seattle to take on the AL West-leading Mariners (22-17).

Clarke Schmidt is slated to take the mound for New York against Emerson Hancock for Seattle.

The Yankees scored 29 runs in winning two of three over the weekend against the Athletics. Aaron Judge went 4-5 Sunday to push his average to .409 for the season and Ben Rice cracked a grand slam to lead New York to a 12-2 win yesterday.

The Mariners were swept at home this weekend by the Toronto Blue Jays. Yesterday they managed just four hits and a single run in losing 9-1.

Lets dive into today's matchup and find a sweat or two.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.

Game details & how to watch Yankees at Mariners

  • Date: Monday, May 12, 2025
  • Time: 9:40PM EST
  • Site: T-Mobile Park
  • City: Seattle, WA
  • Network/Streaming: YES, RSNW

Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.

Odds for the Yankees at the Mariners

The latest odds as of Monday:

  • Moneyline: Yankees (-134), Mariners (+113)
  • Spread:  Yankees -1.5
  • Total: 8.0 runs

Probable starting pitchers for Yankees at Mariners

  • Pitching matchup for May 12, 2025: Clarke Schmidt vs. Emerson Hancock
    • Yankees: Clarke Schmidt (0-1, 4.79 ERA)
      Last outing: 5/6 vs. San Diego - 6IP, 2ER, 7H, 1BB, 4Ks
    • Mariners: Emerson Hancock (1-1, 5.70 ERA)
      Last outing: 5/6 at Athletics - 6IP, 2ER, 4H, 2BB, 2Ks

Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Yankees at Mariners

  • The Yankees have won 4 of their last 5 games against teams with winning records
  • 5 of the Yankees' last 7 games (71%) have gone over the Total
  • The Mariners have failed to cover the Run Line in 3 straight home games
  • Julio Rodriguez was held without a hit yesterday in 4 ABs but is hitting .297 in May (11-37)
  • Paul Goldschmidt is hitting .324 (11-34) in May and that stretch of ABs has actually lowered his batting average for the season to .349.

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Yankees and the Mariners

Rotoworld Best Bet

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Monday's game between the Yankees and the Mariners:

  • Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the New York Yankees on the Moneyline.
  • Spread: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play ATS on the New York Yankees -1.5.
  • Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 8.0.

Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

  • Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
  • Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
  • Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
  • Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
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Marlins at Cubs prediction: Odds, expert picks, starting pitchers, betting trends, and stats for May 12

Its Monday, May 12 and the Marlins (15-24) are in Chicago to take on the Cubs (23-18).

Cal Quantrill is slated to take the mound for Miami against Colin Rea for Chicago.

The NL Central-leading Cubs have lost four of their last six games including two of three to the Mets over the weekend. Chicago's bullpen wilted yesterday allowing four runs in the eighth inning in a 6-2 loss to New York. The Cubs' offense was nearly non-existent allowing just three hits. One of the three, though, was Pete Crow-Armstrong's tenth home run of the season.

Miami has also lost four of their last six. This weekend they lost two of three to the White Sox in Chicago. Sunday, Xavier Edwards picked up a couple hits and drove in a run but it was not enough as the Sox took out the Marlins 4-2.

Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.

Game details & how to watch Marlins at Cubs

  • Date: Monday, May 12, 2025
  • Time: 7:40PM EST
  • Site: Wrigley Field
  • City: Chicago, IL
  • Network/Streaming: FDSNFL, MARQ

Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.

Odds for the Marlins at the Cubs

The latest odds as of Monday:

  • Moneyline: Marlins (+201), Cubs (-246)
  • Spread:  Cubs -1.5
  • Total: 8.0 runs

Probable starting pitchers for Marlins at Cubs

  • Pitching matchup for May 12, 2025: Cal Quantrill vs. Colin Rea
    • Marlins: Cal Quantrill (2-3, 7.11 ERA)
      Last outing: 5/6 vs. Dodgers - 5IP, 1ER, 4H, 1BB, 6Ks
    • Cubs: Colin Rea (2-0, 2.43 ERA)
      Last outing: 5/6 vs. San Francisco - 5IP, 4ER, 8H, 2BB, 4Ks

Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Marlins at Cubs

  • The Cubs have a 10-4 record in series openers this season
  • The Over is 4-1 in the Marlins' last 5 games against National League teams
  • The Cubs have failed to cover the Run Line in 5 of their last 7 home games
  • Kyle Tucker is struggling in May hitting .237 with 9 hits in 38 ABs
  • Pete Crow-Armstrong has hit in 4 straight games (4-15) and 8 of his last 9 games (9-35)

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Marlins and the Cubs

Rotoworld Best Bet

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Monday's game between the Marlins and the Cubs:

  • Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Chicago Cubs on the Moneyline.
  • Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Chicago Cubs -1.5.
  • Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 8.0.

Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

  • Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
  • Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
  • Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
  • Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
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Cardinals at Phillies prediction: Odds, expert picks, starting pitchers, betting trends, and stats for May 12

Its Monday, May 12 and the Cardinals (22-19) bring their eight-game winning streak to Philadelphia as they open a series against the Phillies (24-16).

Matthew Liberatore is slated to take the mound for St. Louis against Cristopher Sánchez for Philadelphia.

The Cardinals swept a weekend three-game series in Washington, DC against the Nationals. Miles Mikolas won his second game of the season yesterday allowing just one run over. 5.1 innings in the Cards' 6-1 win. Nolan Arenado smacked his seventh home run of the season to spark the offense.

The Phillies have won two in a row and five of their last six. Sunday, Zack Wheeler and a couple relievers combined to blank the Guardians, 3-0. Kyle Schwarber went yard twice to provide the offense for Philadelphia.

Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.

Game details & how to watch Cardinals at Phillies

  • Date: Monday, May 12, 2025
  • Time: 6:45PM EST
  • Site: Citizens Bank Park
  • City: Philadelphia, PA
  • Network/Streaming: FDSNMW, NBCSP, MLBN

Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.

Odds for the Cardinals at the Phillies

The latest odds as of Monday:

  • Moneyline: Cardinals (+156), Phillies (-187)
  • Spread:  Phillies -1.5
  • Total: 8.0 runs

Probable starting pitchers for Cardinals at Phillies

  • Pitching matchup for May 12, 2025: Matthew Liberatore vs. Cristopher Sánchez
    • Cardinals: Matthew Liberatore (3-3, 3.07 ERA)
      Last outing: 5/6 vs. Pittsburgh - 7IP, 1ER, 3H, 3BB, 8Ks
    • Phillies: Cristopher Sánchez (4-1, 2.89 ERA)
      Last outing: 5/7 at Tampa Bay - 6IP, 0ER, 1H, 3BB, 5Ks

Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Cardinals at Phillies

  • The Phillies have won their last 4 games against teams with worse records
  • The Phillies' last 4 games against the Cardinals have stayed under the Total
  • The Cardinals have covered in 4 of their last 5 on the road, profiting 3.08 units
  • Bryce Harper is 3-16 (.188) over his last 4 games
  • Alec Bohm is riding a 7-game hitting streak (.400)
  • Nolan Arenado has hits in 6 of his last 7 games (.423)

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Cardinals and the Phillies

Rotoworld Best Bet

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Monday's game between the Cardinals and the Phillies:

  • Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Philadelphia Phillies on the Moneyline.
  • Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Philadelphia Phillies -1.5.
  • Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 8.0.

Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

  • Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
  • Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
  • Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
  • Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
Posted on

Red Sox at Tigers prediction: Odds, expert picks, starting pitchers, betting trends, and stats for May 12

Its Monday, May 12 and the Red Sox (22-20) are in Detroit to take on the Tigers (26-15).

Tanner Houck is slated to take the mound for Boston against Jackson Jobe for Detroit.

The Tigers lost two of three to the Texas Rangers over the weekend including a 6-1 loss yesterday. Detroit managed just four hits in the loss Sunday against Nathan Eovaldi and three Rangers' relievers.

Boston enters the series having won four of their last five games including two of three over the weekend in Kansas City. Rafael Devers' seventh home run of the season was the difference yesterday in a 3-1 win.

Lets dive into today's matchup and find a sweat or two.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.

Game details & how to watch Red Sox at Tigers

  • Date: Monday, May 12, 2025
  • Time: 6:40PM EST
  • Site: Comerica Park
  • City: Detroit, MI
  • Network/Streaming: NESN, FDSNDT, MLBN

Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.

Odds for the Red Sox at the Tigers

The latest odds as of Monday:

  • Moneyline: Red Sox (-104), Tigers (-116)
  • Spread:  Tigers 1.5
  • Total: 8.0 runs

Probable starting pitchers for Red Sox at Tigers

  • Pitching matchup for May 12, 2025: Tanner Houck vs. Jackson Jobe
    • Red Sox: Tanner Houck (0-2, 6.10 ERA)
      Last outing: 5/7 vs. Texas - 4.2IP, 2ER, 6H, 2BB, 2Ks
    • Tigers: Jackson Jobe (2-0, 4.88 ERA)
      Last outing: 5/7 at Colorado - 3.2IP, 6ER, 8H, 1BB, 2Ks

Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Red Sox at Tigers

  • Despite losing their last 2 games, the Tigers have still won 7 of their last 10 games
  • The Under is 11-5-3 in the Tigers' home games this season
  • The Red Sox have covered in 4 of their last 5 games showing a profit of 2.84 units
  • Alex Bregman is 3-17 (.176) over his last 4 games
  • Riley Greene is 2-17 (.118) over his last 5 games

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Red Sox and the Tigers

Rotoworld Best Bet

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Monday's game between the Red Sox and the Tigers:

  • Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Detroit Tigers on the Moneyline.
  • Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Boston Red Sox at +1.5.
  • Total: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the over on the Game Total of 8.0.

Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

  • Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
  • Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
  • Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
  • Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
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Pirates at Mets Prediction: Odds, expert picks, starting pitchers, betting trends and stats for May 12

Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates (14-27) are in Queens to take on the Mets (26-15) as the two sides open a three-game series. Last year's Rookie of the Year in the National League will be opposed by David Peterson.

In a matchup of division leaders over the weekend, the Mets took two of three from the Chicago Cubs. Yesterday, New York got home runs from Francisco Lindor, Mark Vientos, and Brandon Nimmo in a 6-2 win.

Pittsburgh's ace takes the hill tonight looking to snap the Bucs' five-game road losing streak. Skenes and the Pirates do come to the Big Apple with some momentum, though, having taken two of three over the weekend over Atlanta. Sunday, Joey Bart drove in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth as Pittsburgh won 4-3.

Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.

Game details & how to watch Pirates at Mets

  • Date: Monday, May 12, 2025
  • Time: 7:10PM EST
  • Site: Citi Field
  • City: Queens, NY
  • Network/Streaming: SNP, SNY

Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.

Odds for the Pirates at the Mets

The latest odds as of Monday:

  • Moneyline: Pirates (+114), Mets (-136)
  • Spread:  Mets -1.5
  • Total: 7.0 runs

Probable starting pitchers for Pirates at Mets

  • Pitching matchup for May 12, 2025: Paul Skenes vs. David Peterson
    • Pirates: Paul Skenes (3-4, 2.77 ERA)
      Last outing: 5/6 at St. Louis - 6IP, 2ER, 3H, 4BB, 6Ks
    • Mets: David Peterson (2-2, 3.05 ERA)
      Last outing: 5/6 at Arizona - 6IP, 2ER, 4H, 4BB, 6Ks

Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Pirates at Mets

  • The Mets have won 10 of their last 13 home games
  • The Under is 17-10-2 in Pirates' games against National League teams this season
  • The Pirates have covered the Run Line in 3 straight games
  • Veteran Andrew McCutcheon is off to a slow start in May hitting just .188 (6-32)
  • Juan Soto is 11-39 (.282) in May with 5 HRs and 7 RBIs
  • Paul Skenes has struck out 7 or more opposing hitters in 3 of his 8 starts this season

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Pirates and the Mets

Rotoworld Best Bet

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Monday's game between the Pirates and the Mets:

  • Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the New York Mets on the Moneyline.
  • Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Pittsburgh Pirates at +1.5.
  • Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 7.0.

Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

  • Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
  • Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
  • Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
  • Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)