MLB Best Bets for Today: Phillies & Mariners | Monday, May 23rd

MLB Best Bets for Tonight: Phillies bats take advantage of a good matchup

Now that it's May, the MLB season is officially a quarter of the way done. This is the point where teams have separated themselves and true contenders emerge. The teams that have had success to this point are feeling great, but they must understand that there are a lot of games left to be played. The key to succeeding in any sport is consistency, and Major League Baseball clubs need to find a way to stay consistent in order to make a run into the postseason.

Below, you will find two of the best value bets for tonight's slate of MLB games.

Bet #1: Philadelphia Phillies Team Total over 4.5 (+100) vs. the Atlanta Braves

"HE'S FAST, HE'S VERY FAST"- @ Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies have limped out to a 19-22 record. This mediocre record has been the result of two things: poor pitching and a tough schedule. The Phillies have had to play an extremely difficult schedule. Half of their games so far have been against the Brewers, Dodgers, and Mets, who each lead their divisions.

Tonight, the Phillies face Atlanta Braves left-hander Tucker Davidson, who has a 5.87 ERA and 1.70 WHIP (walks/hits per inning pitched) in two starts. The stats from Davidson, specifically the WHIP, indicate that the Phillies will have plenty of runners on base to drive in. Led by Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos, Philadelphia's offense ranks fifth in the league in team batting average and has performed slightly better against left-handed pitching. This is a good recipe for the Phillies to get over their team total tonight. Let's go Phillies!

Bet #2: Seattle Mariners F5 -0.5 (+100) vs. the Oakland Athletics

"Have a day, Adam Frazier!" - @ Seattle Mariners

The Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics will begin their three-game series in Seattle tonight. The Mariners were swept in four games by the Boston Red Sox, so they intend to bounce back in a big way tonight.

Marco Gonzalez will get the start for Seattle, and his last two starts have led to Seattle victories. In both starts, Gonzalez pitched at least six innings and gave up only one run. The series against the Red Sox saw the Seattle pitching staff perform poorly. Before that series, the pitching staff was ranked in the top 10 in the MLB in terms of team ERA. This is a great bounceback spot tonight for this team.

Zach Logue will start on the mound for Oakland. Logue has bounced between the MLB and minor leagues so far this year, but he has oddly performed better in the major leagues. His ERA in Triple-A ball is a 5.63 compared to his 2.04 MLB ERA. Seattle is due for a solid team win after being swept by Boston. Let's go with the Mariners to lead after five innings!