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MLB Best Bets, Picks & Predictions: Thursday (6/8)

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The weather is getting warmer, and we’re fully into the MLB season. Let’s look at interesting matchups for tonight.

View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet >>

Today’s MLB Best Bets

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Los Angeles Dodgers (-132) at Cincinnati Reds (+174) | O/U 10 (-115/-105)

It’s safe to say the Dodgers are looking to get out of Cincy as they are on the brink of a sweep. The offense has been great in these two games, but we saw the bullpen blow a lead in the first game and Noah Syndergaard continued to struggle in the second. They’ll have Clayton Kershaw on the mound, but after a fantastic April with a 1.89 ERA, his stats have since went down to a 4.88 ERA and 4.27 FIP in his last six starts.

The Reds are on a nice run at the moment with three straight wins. Their top young prospects, Elly De La Cruz and Will Benson, each had their first career home runs in Wednesday’s win. Graham Ashcraft is another young hopeful they would love to see get back on track. His last start could only be described as a catastrophic disaster, as he allowed ten earned in four innings against Milwaukee.

The theme of this series has been the offense, but this total is too high, especially with the quick turnaround from playing last night to this afternoon. Grab the under.

Pick: Under 10 (-105)

New York Mets (+144) at Atlanta Braves (-172) | O/U 8.5 (-115/-105)

The Mets and Braves rivalry was supposed to be competitive, as both were considered contenders for the NL East, but the Mets decided against that. New York is 1-4 in the season series, on a five-game losing streak, and 7.5 games out of first.

They gave Justin Verlander a lot of money to hold down the top of that rotation, but it has not worked out so far. In his last four starts, he had two games where he has allowed six earned.

Spencer Strider’s stardom continues to rise, going 6-2 with a 2.97 ERA and an eye-popping 40% strikeout rate. He allowed four earned in his last start against the Mets, but most of that came from one bad slider to Alonso which resulted in a three-run home run.

Strider still got the win in that game and will again tonight.

Pick: Braves -1.5 (+120)

Detroit Tigers (+215) at Philadelphia Phillies (-260) | O/U 7.5 (-115/-105)

The Tigers were swept by the White Sox in their last series and are on the verge of falling victim to the broom again. The offense has struggled all season and it continues; they’ve scored six runs in the previous five games. Tyler Holton will make his first career start and although he has yet to go more than three innings, he could be filling the opener role.

It’s been an inconsistent year for the reigning Nationals League champs, and after previously losing five straight, they’ve now won four in a row. Zack Wheeler is coming off his worse start of the season, allowing seven earned against Washington. But still has excellent metrics, including an xSLG in the 73rd percentile and a strikeout rate in the 72nd.

Pick: Phillies -1.5 (-115)

Check out our other best bets for Thursday:

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