Happy Friday, sports betting friends! I hope your Thursday treated you with lots of winners. Welcome to what should be another exciting weekend of Major League Baseball. We'll be treated to some intense matchups like the Cubs vs. Reds and the Dodgers vs. Mets.
I love jumping on the opening odds for the next day's games as soon as they are posted, which is at about 2 PM Eastern Time the day prior. Other intriguing series that are going down this weekend include the Padres at Braves and the D'Backs at Cardinals. I'm personally hoping that Atlanta exacts some revenge on this slumping San Diego team after getting swept by them to start the season.
Check out our 2 MLB openers for Friday, May 23, below. Let's cash these, mi amigos. As always, make sure to select listed pitchers at whichever sportsbook you're playing these at. Best of luck, my fellow baseball fans!
SEA at HOU - 8:10 PM EDT (Hancock vs. Gusto)
Gusto burned me a few weeks back, but I still think he has the stuff to be a solid starter for this Houston ballclub. The 26-year-old righty stays around 94 mph with his fastball, and he also throws a decent cutter and sweeper. I believe Gusto will hold down this slumping Mariners lineup.
Just how badly has Seattle's offense been struggling? After a hot start to 2025, the M's rank just 26th in WRC+ over the last couple of weeks. Even their superstar hitters don't seem to be seeing the ball all that well. Five Seattle hitters strike out at least 25% of the time.
By contrast, the Astros' offense is finally showing signs of life after a dreadful start to the season. Houston ranks a respectable 8th in WRC over the last 14 days, and surely to goodness, Jose Altuve will heat up at some point. The Astros should also have a nice bullpen edge in this series, so let's play them on Friday night to get the win at home.
AZ at STL - 8:15 PM EDT (Gallen vs. Mikolas)
Zac Gallen just hasn't looked like himself this year, but I still trust him a whole heck of a lot more than I do Cards starter Miles Mikolas. Gallen still has a very good K-rate of 24.3%, which tells us that the stuff that made him an All-Star is still there. The veteran righty just needs to find his command, as evidenced by his subpar BB rate of 10.3%.
This series will be a battle of two good offenses, but I have to give the offensive edge to the D'Backs. They've been rolling all year long against righties, and Mikolas has been known to serve up some meatballs in the past. I'm banking on a big game from Corbin Carroll and Eugenio Suarez in this one.
Arizona also has a much more trustworthy bullpen than St. Louis. The Diamondbacks rank 13th in K-minus-BB rate, while the Cardinals rank just 23rd. Give me 'Zona and their very powerful offense at this very reasonable price. Let's go Snakes!