The 2026 MLB season rolls with another full slate of games. Let’s dive into the MLB Best Bets Today for Tuesday, May 12th. We have a loaded day of baseball on tap and plenty of ways to go for our MLB picks. Enjoy these MLB predictions as you lock in your own bets ahead of today’s games. Note that all odds and betting lines are accurate as of this writing, but are always subject to change. 

MLB Picks, Predictions & Best Bets Today, 5/12

Our MLB best bets today begin with an American League matchup between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers. Plus, our MLB picks feature the Atlanta Braves hosting the Chicago Cubs in a battle of two of the league’s top clubs. Check out even more MLB predictions below, including some player props and other game picks. Good luck! 

 

 

 

Diamondbacks vs. Rangers Prediction: Tuesday, May 12th

We have an intriguing starting pitching matchup on tap as the Texas Rangers host the Arizona Diamondbacks tonight. Both Zac Gallen and MacKenzie Gore have had their fair share of struggles this season. However, it’s worth backing them to keep Tuesday’s game on the lower-scoring side. 

Gallen has a shaky 4.70 ERA and 1.49 WHIP this year. He’s also given up 10 total runs over his past 2 starts combined. Still, the Arizona right-hander is due to bounce back and post a solid outing. Before these past two shaky starts, he had a 2.19 ERA and 3.04 FIP across his 5 previous outings in April. 

Gallen now has a potential get-right opportunity here. The Rangers have arguably the worst home offense in baseball this season. They have a .277 wOBA (30th in MLB), 75 wRC+ (29th), and .211 batting average (30th) at home thus far. Over the past two weeks, Texas has been batting just .204 at home while averaging only 2.3 runs over the past 10 home games. 

Meanwhile, Gore has a poor 5.18 ERA and 1.40 WHIP this season. The Texas southpaw just gave up 5 runs to the Yankees last time out, and he hasn’t looked sharp in other recent starts. Even so, he should be due for positive regression moving forward. 

Gore’s 3.99 FIP and 3.98 xFIP are both notably lower than that high ERA. He’s also sporting a career-best 27.3% strikeout rate (81st MLB percentile). Plus, the left-hander’s 2.55 FIP at home is a good sign of better outings to come, especially at home today. 

Then there’s the favorable matchup against Arizona. This offense has really struggled against left-handed pitching lately. Over the past two weeks vs. lefties, the Diamondbacks have a .250 wOBA (25th in MLB) and 56 wRC+ (27th). Gore can be more effective in this spot at home than we’ve seen recently. 

Cubs vs. Braves Prediction: Tuesday, May 12th

The Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves enter their series this week with the two best records in the National League. We should get some entertaining matchups, beginning on Tuesday in a coin-flip game. The Cubs are slight underdogs, but there’s value in backing the visitors to get the win. 

Chicago starter Colin Rea has been very solid this season. His 4.03 ERA doesn’t look great on paper, but the game-to-game performances are much better. The right-hander has allowed 2 runs or fewer in 4 of his 5 starts. Plus, besides allowing 6 runs in a bad outing against the Dodgers, Rea owns an impressive 2.86 ERA over his 7 other appearances this year. 

This road matchup at Atlanta is definitely a tough one, but Rea can still limit the damage with how well he’s pitching. Plus, the Braves haven’t hit right-handed pitching as well lately. In the split over the past week, they have a .306 wOBA (18th in MLB) and 93 wRC+ (17th) with a lofty 27.3% strikeout rate (28th). 

On the other side, let’s count on some run support from the Chicago offense. The Braves will start Grant Holmes, who has a 4.34 ERA and 5.02 FIP across 7 starts this year. The right-hander also has a shaky 5.95 ERA and 5.61 FIP over his past 4 outings. 

Meanwhile, the Cubs bring in a top-10 offense against righties this season. That’s been true over the past two weeks as well, with a .333 wOBA and 114 wRC+ (both 7th in MLB) in the split. Holmes, by the way, has a 5.40 ERA and 5.65 FIP at home so far. 

Let’s grab Chicago to win on the moneyline and lead after five innings. The other angle is that the Cubs have lost back-to-back games heading into tonight. They previously won 10 straight and are bound to get back into the win column soon. Plus, the offense should wake back up after being shut out in the past two losses. 

 

 

 

Best MLB Player Prop Bets & Other Picks Today, 5/12