I've got a pair of MLB first five-inning bets to end the week.
I'll hit up two more F5 picks for tonight's slate, and I absolutely love my Red Sox vs Twins pick. Check out my two F5 picks for May 3rd:
Pick 1: Red Sox > Twins - First 5 Innings (-120)
Matchup Preview - Game Time: 8:10 pm ET
The Red Sox have been an absolute wagon on the first five-inning bets, posting a 20-7-5 moneyline record on the F5 so far this year (best in MLB). Minnesota, on the other hand, has struggled F5. The Twins rank sixth-worst in the league with a 10-16-4 ML record on the first five.
Tonight's Boston starter, Tanner Houck has been a big reason why the Sox have been so successful F5. Houck has allowed more than one run in his first five innings of work just ONE TIME all season. He owns a 1.60 ERA on the year, but he's been even better than that in the first five frames.
When the Red Sox are putting up 2.78 runs per first five innings (eighth-most in MLB), Houck's great starts help them win these F5 bets.
Pick 2: Giants/Phillies Under 4.5 - First 5 Innings (-154)
Matchup Preview - Game Time: 6:40 pm ET
We've got a battle between studs today, with Jordan Hicks facing off against Aaron Nola.
Hicks has yet to allow more than two earned runs in an outing, posting a 1.59 ERA through his first six starts. Nola hasn't been quite as untouchable, but owns a 3.20 ERA on the season and has allowed over two earned runs just once since a messy first start of the season against the Braves. With these two aces on the mound, don't expect many early runs.
Beyond the pitching matchups, the trends are in our favor here, too. The Giants are 18-14 on the under in the first five innings of games while the Phillies are pretty neutral, 16-16.
Both the Phillies and Giants have had major bullpen struggles this year, both ranking in the bottom five in RP ERA. But, that's the beauty of an F5 bet, we don't really care about the 'pens!
