MLB Betting Tips: 3/1 treble and Ohtani pitching debut highlight Monday action

There will be huge news in Major League Baseball tonight one way or another as Shohei Ohtani makes his pitching debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers 18 months on from his astonishing $700 million free-agency deal.

There’s six other games on, but it’s the Japanese phenom who will get all the attention. And that game forms part of my MLB Betting Tips for Monday.

Today’s MLB Odds

Phillies, Yankees & Astros Win Treble @ 3.03/1

The Philadelphia Phillies head to loanDepot Park (18:40 local, 23:40 BST) to face the Miami Marlins knowing that rookie pitcher Mick Abel will be under a bit of a spotlight following his first off-night last time out.

In four innings against the Chicago Cubs last Tuesday he gave up three earned runs, but the 2020 first-round draft pick still boasts an ERA of just 2.35 after three starts at the big-league level.

He opposes Sandy Alcantara, who was better against the Pittsburgh Pirates in his last start but his 7.14 ERA says much about his struggles this season so far.

The New York Yankees will be looking to get back in the winners’ circle when they host the Los Angeles Angels at Yankee Stadium (19:05 local, 00:05 BST). Clarke Schmidt toes the rubber in the pinstripes, and he’s been a steady presence on the mound in 2025.

His 10 starts have yielded a 3-3 record with a 3.60 ERA, and in two of his last three appearances he has chalked up six scoreless innings.

The Halos will be backing Jose Soriano to go well again following a great outing against the Athletics last week (7 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 12 SO).

But the native of the Dominican Republic has failed to put together two really stellar starts in succession so far this year. And the short porch in right could be damaging to a guy who has given up two of his three homers allowed this season to lefties. His tendency to pitch around southpaws could lead to big innings in the Bronx.

Over in Sacramento, the Athletics will make a late call on their starter to go up against Lance McCullers Jr. when the Houston Astros rock into town (19:05 local, 03:05 BST).

McCullers has had a rollercoaster start to the year following his return from right elbow surgery, but there have been signs of his old self at times in recent starts.

He threw six scoreless against the Pirates two starts ago, and while he gave up four over five frames versus the White Sox last Tuesday I can see him leading the Astros to a win against the A’s.

They may have just swept the Royals in Kansas City, but the Athletics will need more than that to convince me they are fully over the preceding run of 6-28 in a 34-game stretch.

Backing the Phillies (8/11), Yankees (4/9) and Astros (8/13) for wins combines for a 3.03/1 bet with Betfred at an implied 24/8% probability.

Any Other Dodgers Win @ 6/5

This will be Ohtani’s first pitching appearance in 663 days since leaving the mound 26 pitches into a start for the Angels against the Reds in Anaheim back in August 2023.

He’ll come up against a San Diego Padres team whose bats are beginning to hot up again, but the atmosphere will be even more fiery at Dodger Stadium given Shohei’s presence on the bump (19:10 local, 03:10 BST).

It may well be with the bat that the two-way superstar makes his biggest impact given the long layoff from pitching, and a Dodgers team which has scored at least five runs in 34 of their 43 wins this season could well add another to that tally against an inconsistent Dylan Cease.

With all wins including scores up to four being quoted, you’ll get every combination of victory involving five or more Dodger runs for the 6/5 price with Betfred, at an implied 45.5% probability.

Given that this has come in in 47.2% of Dodger games and 79.1% of their victories in 2025, this seems a generous proposition.

You can read all our latest MLB Betting Tips at our dedicated Betfred Insights content hub.