MLB Plays for Tuesday, May 19: Feelin’ the Phillies
Written by: Danny Burke
Published: Tue May 19, 2026, 12:52 pm ET
Read Time: 4 minutes
mlb
What's going on, everyone? We've got a fun slate of sports to look forward to tonight, and it starts on the diamond.
Below, I've got a pair of bets that I'll be rocking with, so let's go ahead and dive into my MLB plays for Tuesday, May 19.
MLB Plays for Tuesday, May 19
Cincinnati Reds vs Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies are finally finding their rhythm, and it's to the tune of a five-game win streak.
They'll look to make it six straight on Tuesday night when they send left-hander Jesus Luzardo to the bump against the Reds in Game 2 of this three-game set.
Cincinnati fell victim on Monday night in a 5-4 loss and could struggle once again against Luzardo, who, despite his concerning 5.07 ERA, still possesses some of the highest projected upside in Major League Baseball right now.
That's evidenced by his 3.17 xERA, 2.55 xFIP and 2.86 SIERA. He's also carrying a 49% ground-ball rate, 22.5% K-BB rate, along with sub-6% barrel and sub-29% hard-hit rates.
The Reds had been producing fairly well against southpaws earlier this season, but they've shown regression since the start of May. During that span, Cincinnati owns a 93 wRC+ and .693 OPS against lefties.
Meanwhile, the Phillies' bats are finally starting to come alive, posting a 101 wRC+, .729 OPS and .181 ISO against right-handers over the past couple of weeks.
They'll face Chase Burns, who, despite being only 23 years old, has been putting up veteran-like numbers. Burns is 5-1 through nine starts with a sparkling 1.87 ERA. His xERA sits at 2.97, while his xFIP is nearing 3.50.
There isn't much to pick apart in Burns' profile right now, other than the fact that this could be a difficult spot against a Phillies lineup that's beginning to heat up offensively.
That'll lead me to backing the hot hand with Philadelphia on Tuesday night.
Play: Phillies Moneyline (-140)
Baltimore Orioles vs Tampa Bay Rays
The red-hot Rays laid the hammer down on Monday night against the Orioles, cruising to a 16-6 win in the opener of this three-game series.
Right-hander Kyle Bradish will be tasked with getting Baltimore back on track for Tuesday night's matchup.
Bradish is 2-5 through nine starts with a 4.21 ERA, though there are reasons for optimism given his 3.93 xERA and 3.81 xFIP. He's also done an excellent job generating ground balls, carrying a 51% ground-ball rate into this outing.
What's even more encouraging is how he's looked over his past two starts. Across 13 innings, Bradish has allowed just three runs on six hits while recording 17 strikeouts and only four walks. His respective xFIPs in those outings were 1.91 against the Athletics and 2.98 versus the Yankees.
The Rays have been crushing right-handed pitching lately, but perhaps Bradish can keep dealing and slow them down a bit here.
On the other side, Baltimore's offense has started to show signs of life against right-handers over the past month, posting a .162 ISO (T-11) and 105 wRC+ (T-12).
The Orioles should be in a solid spot to build on those numbers against reliever-turned-starter Griffin Jax.
Jax's past four appearances have all come as starts, but he's totaled only 14 innings during that span, with his five-inning outing last time out marking his longest start yet. He's surrendered just 10 hits and three earned runs in those appearances, but his average xFIP sits at 4.71, while his season-long SIERA is at 5.02, suggesting potential regression could be looming.
Baltimore should be able to do enough offensively to put itself in a strong position to win this game, and I'm a fan of getting even money behind that idea.
Play: Orioles Moneyline (+100)
Still Didn't Get Your MLB Fix?
Follow me on X @dannyburke5 for all my picks, analysis and plenty more. Also be sure to follow Betting News on 'X' and Twitch to catch us on stream! Betting News is also on TikTok! Follow us for more picks and news every day and check out our Free Expert Picks for every major sports league.
More MLB News
MLB Betting News
(6/16) MLB | The Daily Dinger Report — Dinger Tuesday
MLB Betting News
MLB Picks and Predictions for June 15, 2026: Huge NL Central Fan
Get FREE Picks and Props Weekly
Sign up for
THE WEEKENDER NEWSLETTER
Check Out All of Our Betting Resources at Betting News
Danny Burke is a betting analyst with a decade of sports media experience. He got his start at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, sharing picks on the local ESPN affiliate. After college, he hosted shows for VSiN in Las Vegas before returning to Chicago to launch 'Rush Hour', the first daily sports betting show from an Illinois casino. He also co-hosted 'Props and Locks' on Fox32’s Bears pregame show and ran 'Bet On, Chicago' on WLS-AM 890.
This site contains commercial content. We may be compensated for the links provided on this page. The content on this page is for informational purposes only. Betting News makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the information given or the outcome of any game or event.