MLB Betting Tips: 5/2 & 12/5 bets for high-scoring Monday match-ups

Things are heating up in Major League Baseball as the All-Star break and trade deadline edge closer with, Wild Card standings giving over 20 teams a realistic shot at postseason play as things stand.

My MLB Betting Tips for Monday include four of those clubs very much in the frame to be playing ball into October.

Today’s MLB Odds

Cardinals vs Cubs: Cardinals & Over 8.5 Total Runs @ 5/2

The Chicago Cubs were part of an extraordinary series at Wrigley Field this weekend, with 50 runs scored in total in the three-game set with the Mariners.

Add in the 8-7 loss to the Brewers on Thursday, and those four contests accounted for a record-breaking run of Cubs games involving six or more homers.

And while they head on the road on Monday (18:45 local, 00:45 BST) to begin a four-game series with their fierce rivals down the I-55 (or Route 66 if you’re so inclined), there could be plenty more runs to be had against the St Louis Cardinals.

While they started the season superbly, the Cubs pitching staff hasn’t been quite as consistent of late. And Ben Brown is one of those who has to be in conversation to make way for the returning Shota Imanaga in the starting rotation later this week.

The former Phillies prospect heads to the Busch Stadium mound with an inflated ERA of 5.57 in 15 appearances this season, making the numbers of his opposite number, Matthew Liberatore, seem positively glowing (4-6, 4.08).

Liberatore has also struggled of late, posting an 8.40 ERA in his three starts in June, but he was a winner last time out against the White Sox having allowed two runs in six innings of work.

So I can see both teams scoring runs here, but Liberatore should do just enough to put the Cards bullpen in a winning position, especially since he will get to turn around the red-hot Ian Happ, who has struck 11 home runs this season but only two against lefties.

The 5/2 price is a bit of a gift in humid conditions, where it is set to be in the 90s (33 degrees Celsius) come first pitch.

Angels vs Red Sox: Red Sox & Over 9.5 Total Runs @ 12/5

It won’t be quite as scorching at Angel Stadium tonight, but we should still expect bats to be hot when the Boston Red Sox take on the hometown Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim (18:38 local, 02:38 BST).

Just eight months ago, Walker Buehler was the guy coming in on just a day’s rest to record the final three outs in the Dodgers’ World Series win. It was his first career save, and he was the hero of the hour.

But right now, the Red Sox free-agent signing is struggling. In his last four starts he has given up 31 hits and 21 earned runs for a 10.50 ERA.

Tonight he goes up against Jack Kochanowicz, who has posted a 5.38 ERA in 15 starts so far, going 3-8. Those are far from stellar numbers, and he’s facing a Red Sox batting line-up scoring 4.71 runs per game this season.

The Sox are also in a decent run of form despite having lost back-to-back games to the Giants and Rafael Devers, since they are 7-3 in their last 10.

With the Devers episode now behind them, they should come out with a chip on their shoulders and I think they’ll have more than enough to down the Angels in a high-scoring contest between two pitchers who have plenty to work on.

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