MLB.TV Free Game of the Day Betting Picks for Brewers-Royals (5/8/24)

Annie Nader•@ANader33

11d

The lengthy MLB season can cause some games to get lost in the shuffle, but MLB.TV provides fans with a Free Game of the Day throughout the regular season that can also be seen on FanDuel TV+ here, or also available on Apple TV, Roku, Android TV, Fire TV, and FanDuel Sportsbook.

Why not add to the viewing excitement by getting in on the MLB odds over at FanDuel Sportsbook?

For this article, we've got you covered with a betting guide for each Free Game of the Day. With that, let's take a look at some of the best bets for today's free game.

Note: Lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published. All stats come from FanGraphs and Baseball Savant unless noted otherwise. Please check here to make sure you're seeing the most updated projections.

MLB Betting Picks

Brewers vs. Royals Betting Odds: Spread, Total, and Moneyline

Time: 2:10 p.m. ET
Spread: Royals -1.5 (+152)
Total: 9.0
Moneyline:
- Brewers: +110
- Royals: -130

Best Bet

Brewers Moneyline (+110)

Today's Free Game of the Day features a matchup between the Kansas City Royals (21-16) and Milwaukee Brewers (21-14), and I'm backing the Brew Crew to take the final game of this series.

Joe Ross will be on the bump for Milwaukee. A difficult comeback from a slew of injuries forced Ross out of baseball for the past few seasons, but he's been decent through six starts.

While a 4.65 ERA through 31.0 IP isn't particularly appealing, he has managed a 3.93 xERA. Ross hasn't given up too much power, with a 0.87 HR/9 ratio, and is forcing ground balls at a 45.0% rate.

In four starts against teams that do not rank in the top 10 of runs per game, Ross has put up a 1.69 ERA (4 ER through 21 1/3 IP). I'm interested in how he could fare against a Kansas City team (13th-most runs per game) that hasn't been great against righties this year.

The Royals have posted a .309 OBP (14th), .389 SLG (15th), and 98 wRC+ (16th) versus right-handed pitchers this season. They've paired this with a 44.3% ground-ball rate (ninth-highest), so I like Ross' chances to keep things on the ground and have a solid enough afternoon.

Brady Singer will take the mound for Kansas City. Though it has been, more or less, smooth sailing for Singer in this campaign (2.45 ERA and 0.97 WHIP through seven starts), his trying 2023 numbers could come back to haunt him against a legit lineup.

Since the start of 2023, Singer is sporting a 4.91 ERA, 4.23 SIERA, 1.35 WHIP, and a -0.49 win probability added.

Milwaukee, meanwhile, has been excellent against righties. The Brewers come in with a .265 BA (third-best), .339 OBP (third), .770 OPS (second), and 121 wRC+ (fourth) versus right-handed pitchers.

Milwaukee owns a league-best 14-7 road record, so I'll side with their plus-odds in a matchup that could be fruitful for the Brewers' batters.

Best Prop

William Contreras To Record An RBI (+140)

With an intriguing matchup, it might be worthwhile to side with an RBI from William Contreras in this game.

Contreras has been awesome this season, coming into today with a .331 BA (eighth-best in MLB) and 27 RBIs (ninth-most) to his name.

He's knocked in at least one run in 51.4% of games (18 out of 35 contests), so I'm happy to get +140 odds on this prop, which implies just a 41.67% probability.

This season, Contreras owns a .339 BA, .968 OPS, and 177 wRC+ against righties. He's hit for a lot of power off of this handedness, too, rocking with a .209 ISO, 40.2% hard-hit rate, and 17.2% HR/FB ratio in the split -- all while striking out at just a 17.6% rate.

Dating back to last season, Singer struggles with righties, allowin a 6.67 ERA, 1.27 HR/9 ratio, and .459 SLG in the split. While Singer has seen those numbers go down this season, Contreras will be a tough out.

All customers get a 30% Profit Boost to use for any LIVE wager placed on the Brewers vs Royals game happening May 8th! See here for full terms and conditions. Learn about today’s other offers at FanDuel Sportsbook Promos.

Looking for more MLB betting opportunities? Check out all of the MLB odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.