The MLB Wild Card races remain close as we get deeper into the season, and several of the 10 games on the Monday MLB schedule could make them even tighter. The AL Wild Card race tightened over the weekend when the Mariners swept three games from the Astros. Now, the Mariners are within a half-game of the Astros and visit the struggling White Sox starting Monday. Houston, five games behind Wild Card leader Tampa Bay, hosts the Red Sox, who trail the Astros by 3.5 games. In the NL, the Phillies try to close the 2.5-game gap on the Giants as the teams face off Monday at Citizens Bank Park at 6:40 p.m. ET.
First pitch in Red Sox vs. Astros is set for 8:10 p.m. ET. The latest MLB odds list Houston as the -129 favorite, with Boston priced at +108 and the over/under for total runs at 9. The Phillies are -143 favorites in the MLB odds, while San Francisco is at +121 and the over/under is 8.5. All 10 games on the Monday MLB schedule are at night, so you have plenty of time to research your MLB picks. If you combine your favorites into an MLB parlay, you can earn a big payday. Before you lock in your MLB picks or parlays, be sure to check out the MLB predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every MLB game 10,000 times. It went 331-285 on top-rated MLB money-line picks (+357) over the past two seasons. It entered Week 22 of the 2023 MLB season 65-53 on all top-rated MLB picks this season and has excelled on top-rated run-line picks, going 14-4 (+640). Anybody following has seen big returns.
For Monday, the model has locked in three confident MLB best bets for games that begin at 8:10 p.m. ET or later. If you successfully parlay the picks, you'd be looking at a payout of almost 6-1. You can see the model's MLB picks only at SportsLine.
Top MLB picks today
One pick the model loves as part of the parlay is the Astros (-129) to beat the Red Sox at Minute Maid Park. The Astros are expected to start Cristian Javier (8-2, 4.49 ERA), while Boston's scheduled starter is James Paxton (7-3, 3.34). Javier is 4-1 with a 3.19 ERA at home this season, and while he has allowed 19 home runs this season, only four have come at Minute Maid. The Astros are 51-40 as a favorite and have gone 44-38 in their non-division games.
Houston is averaging 4.86 runs per game, the eighth-best mark in MLB, and its 3.85 team ERA is sixth-best. Its bullpen ERA of 3.59 also is sixth in the league. The Astros should be fired up for this one coming off the frustrating sweep against Seattle. Hunter Brown allowed six runs in the first three innings in Sunday's 7-6 loss, and Houston scored five in the third but came up short. SportsLine's model has the Astros winning this one in over 70% of its simulations. See the model's top MLB picks here.
How to make Monday MLB parlays
The model also locked in two other best bets for Monday, including a confident run-total play. You can see the model's MLB Monday best bets and parlay only at SportsLine.
What MLB picks should you target for a payout of almost 6-1, and which run-total wager is a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see the MLB best bets for Monday from the model that's on a 14-4 run on top-rated MLB run-line picks, and find out.
