May 3 MLB Series Prices: Cardinals and Cubs Fight for First in NL Central

• The Cardinals and Cubs sit one and two in the NL Central and their series looks like an early season playoff battle
• The Twins and Yankees square off in New York with the Twins looking to change their fortunes at Yankee Stadium having gone 1-12 there since 2015
• Bryce Harper and the Phillies face off against Harper’s former team the Washington Nationals with Harper struggling at the plate in his last 10 games.

There will no shortage of intrigue this weekend as some of baseball’s best teams tangle. Over in the National League the Cardinals and Cubs will vie for NL Central supremacy, while Bryce Harper faces some familiar faces as the Phillies take on the Nationals. In the American League, the surprising Twins go head-to-head withe the remarkably resilient Yankees.

We have odds for each of these new series as well as every other series kicking off on Friday evening.

St. Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs Series Price

*All odds taken 05/03/19

Cardinals Taking Flight in the NL Central

The Cardinals and Cubs start a three-game set today running through Sunday, May 5th. The St Louis Cardinals have put together a 20-11 record to start the season and sit first in the NL Central. Paul Goldschmidt, the club’s big acquisition from the Diamondbacks, is hitting .264 with nine home runs and 19 RBIs.

Goldschmidt is notorious for beating up the Cubs’ pitching staff. In 22 games at Wrigley, Goldschmidt is batting .337 with five home runs, 17 RBIs and a 1.011 OPS.

The Cubs are second in the NL Central at 16-12 and are coming off a couple of games of interleague play against the Seattle Mariners where they outscored the M’s 17-5. They have played 17 of 28 games on the road to start the season. They are riding a 13-4 stretch and are unbeaten in their last seven series with a 6-0-1 record.

.@ARizzo44 has homered in three of our last four games! #TeamRizzo#EverybodyIn pic.twitter.com/Bzfb3Mal2Y

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) May 1, 2019

Rizzo is Rounding into Form

The Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo started slowly again but has picked up his pace recently and his slugging prowess has returned. At .317 on Apr. 17, Rizzo has hit three homers and tallied six additional extra-base hits (five doubles and one triple) since then. His slugging percentage has risen to .485 over a two week period.

Cardinals vs Cubs Probable Starting Pitchers

One wouldn’t think a three-game series could mean a lot in May, but this rivalry between St. Louis and Chicago is a good one. Look for the Cardinals to come out on top.

Pick: St Louis Cardinals (+110)

Minnesota Twins vs New York Yankees Series Price

Twins Look to Improve Their Record at Yankee Stadium

The Twins and Yankees start a three-game set today running through Sunday, May 5th. The Minnesota Twins (19-10) beat the Houston Astros and took the season series from them 4-3. Beating the Astros gives the Twins a measure of respectability after taking down one of the league’s top contenders.

8-2 #TwinsWin!

4-game-series victory over the Astros!

6-1 homestand! #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/KWyV9G2QJE

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) May 2, 2019

The Twins have struggled big time against the Yankees though, going 42-90 against since 2000, a .318 winning percentage. They have lost seven straight regular-season games at Yankee Stadium, having been outscored 51-17 in that stretch.

Aaron Judge can’t help the Yankees on the field. But he’s been an unofficial hitting advisor while on the IL. He’s already one of the team’s leaders and his coaches have urged him to still help even while hurt. https://t.co/uGxgPOaGI8

— James Wagner (@ByJamesWagner) April 30, 2019

The Yankees (17-13) have bit hit by the injury bug in a big way. They have 13 regulars on the IL including Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Troy Tulowitzki. Ouch!

Troy Tulowitzki suffers a setback https://t.co/JVtFSLQuOe

— HardballTalk (@HardballTalk) May 2, 2019

Twins vs Yankees Probable Starting Pitchers

Given the Yankees’ injury problems and two straight losses, the Twins are a good bet to take this series and even up that 1-12 record at Yankee Stadium since 2015.

Pick: Minnesota Twins (+180)

Washington Nationals vs Philadelphia Phillies Series Price

Bryce Harper Cold at the Plate

The Nationals/Phillies series sees the Phillies (16-13) 3.5 games ahead of Washington (13-17) in the National League East standings. The Nationals and Phillies start a three-game set today running through Sunday, May 5th.

Bryce Harper is squaring off against his old team adding some drama to this series. Harper is struggling at the plate though, and was booed by Phillies fans on Tuesday.

Are the Philly fans right to already be booing Bryce Harper?@TheBigHurt_35 gives his take: pic.twitter.com/cwLsNew5mr

— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) May 2, 2019

The former National started hot with his new team but is 4 for 33 (. 121) with 13 strikeouts over his past 10 games. Harper is hitting .240 with a .388 on-base percentage, a .490 slugging percentage, six home runs and 20 RBI. Will he be able to live up to the big price tag the Phillies paid for him?

Nationals Have Been Bitten by the Injury Bug

Washington has had a number of injuries in April with Anthony Rendon, Trea Turner, and Ryan Zimmerman out as they face the Phillies.
It will be up to the likes of Adam Eaton, Victor Robles, Matt Adams and others to carry the load on offense.

Nationals vs Phillies Probable Starting Pitchers

Jeremy Hellickson is scheduled to start Friday night for the Nationals. He was shelled in his last outing when he allowed six runs (five earned) in just three innings of work against the Padres. The Nationals clearly aren’t satisfied with how their pitchers are doing either, having let go pitching coach Derek Lilliquist yesterday mainly because of a bullpen with the league’s second-worst ERA at 6.02.

Pick: Philadelphia Phillies (-175)

Additional MLB Series Odds