MLB Picks Today:
Expert baseball handicapper Greg Peterson shares his top MLB picks today for Wednesday, May 13.
Check out Greg’s Daily MLB Lines and his Baseball Betting Show Podcast. Also, check out our MLB Betting Splits and tools from our friends at Ballpark Pal, including Strikeout Prop Projections and the MLB YRFI Report.
Our brand new Opta AI MLB Player Prop Projections are also available.
1:10 PM Eastern
Los Angeles Angels vs. Cleveland Guardians
Guardians starting pitcher Parker Messick is off to a great start to the season with a 2.30 ERA, giving up only 0.8 home runs and 2.1 walks per nine innings, while Angels starting pitcher Reid Detmers has pitched better than his 4.33 ERA would indicate, as his fielding independent is 3.09 with 0.6 home runs allowed per nine innings and 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings, but he is backed up by a bullpen that is 28th in ERA at 5.45.
Pick: Guardians Moneyline -140 and Over 7 Runs
Greg’s Handicap: Guardians -174 and Total 7.9
6:40 PM Eastern
Washington Nationals vs. Cincinnati Reds
The Nationals are second in the league in scoring with 5.3 runs per game, with much of their success coming against left-handed pitchers, ranking fourth in batting average against southpaws and fifth in on-base plus slugging percentage while being outside the top 20 in both categories against right-handed pitchers. Reds starting pitcher Nick Lodolo is a left-handed pitcher making his second start of the season after posting a 3.33 ERA last season, but he allowed four earned runs in 5 1/3 innings in his first start of 2026, while Nationals starting pitcher Jake Irvin has a 5.22 ERA with 3.6 walks per nine innings and is backed by a bullpen that is 27th in ERA at 4.84.
Pick: Reds Run Line -1.5 +134 and Over 9 Runs
Greg’s Handicap: Reds -1.5 +106 and Total 9.7
Colorado Rockies vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller is having the best start to a season of his career, posting a 2.87 ERA while allowing just 0.4 home runs and 2.7 walks per nine innings, while Rockies starting pitcher Jose Quintana has allowed three earned runs or fewer in five of his six starts this season, posting a 3.90 ERA despite pitching to lots of contact with only 4.2 strikeouts per nine innings. As a whole, the Rockies’ ERA drops from 5.42 at home to 4.33 on the road.
Pick: Pirates Run Line -1.5 +118 and Under 8.5 Runs
Greg’s Handicap: Pirates -1.5 -114 and Total 7.8
7:10 PM Eastern
Detroit Tigers vs. New York Mets
Tigers starting pitcher Framber Valdez has gotten off to a shaky start to 2026 with a 4.57 ERA despite allowing only one home run per nine innings and gets to face a Mets lineup that is 29th in scoring with fewer than 3.5 runs per game, while Mets starting pitcher Christian Scott has a solid 3.27 ERA but leaves himself prone to elevating his pitch count and leaving the game early by issuing 5.7 walks per nine innings.
Pick: Tigers Moneyline -110
Greg’s Handicap: Tigers -135
7:15 PM Eastern
Chicago Cubs vs. Atlanta Braves
Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga has seen his strikeout numbers jump in a big way, going from 7.3 strikeouts per nine innings last season to 10.1 this season, which has helped get his ERA down to 2.28 with a 2.80 fielding independent, but he is now tasked with facing a Braves offense that leads the league in scoring with 5.6 runs per game, while Braves starting pitcher JR Ritchie appears due for regression on his 3.63 ERA, as he owns a 6.87 fielding independent with 2.1 home runs and 6.2 walks per nine innings, but is supported by a bullpen that ranks third in ERA at 3.31.
Pick: Braves Moneyline +122
Greg’s Handicap: Braves -104
7:40 PM Eastern
Kansas City Royals vs. Chicago White Sox
Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo has kept the ball in the yard this season, allowing only one home run in eight starts for a 3.12 ERA, but is supported by a lineup that is last in road scoring with just over 2.9 runs per game entering this series, while White Sox starting pitcher Noah Schultz has a 2.63 ERA with 8.6 strikeouts and 1.3 walks per nine innings. The bullpen behind him is 23rd in ERA at 4.50, while the Royals rank 26th at 4.78.
Pick: White Sox Moneyline +102
Greg’s Handicap: White Sox -114
San Diego Padres vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Brewers starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski leads qualifying National League starting pitchers with 14.3 strikeouts per nine innings, allowing six total earned runs in his past five starts, and overall has a 2.45 ERA and 2.62 fielding independent this season, while Padres starting pitcher has a 2.76 ERA but a higher 3.66 fielding independent with 3.9 walks per nine innings and faces a Brewers team that is fifth in the league in scoring with over 5.1 runs per game despite being last in percentage of at-bats that result in a home run.
Pick: Brewers Moneyline -132
Greg’s Handicap: Brewers -147
