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MLB Betting Odds, Picks & Predictions: Friday (6/9)

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Air quality forced another postponement in Major League Baseball yesterday as the Arizona Diamondbacks and Washington Nationals could not finish their series on time. However, hopefully the worst of it is behind us, and the full 15-game slate can be played out today.

Here are our MLB best bets for Friday.

Today’s Best MLB Bets

(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)

Miami Marlins (+120) vs. Chicago White Sox (-142)| O/U 8 (-114/-106)

Chicago White Sox ace Dylan Cease could potentially face a Miami Marlins lineup without its most feared power hitter, Jorge Soler, as he has sat out two games already this week with a sore thumb. If Soler were to be out again for this series opener, Miami would be missing 17 home runs, 36 RBIs, and 115 total bases, which all lead the team. As it is, Soler is 0-for-13 with six strikeouts against Cease, so the righty has an excellent chance to neutralize the Marlins’ biggest bat again, even if he is in the lineup.

Cease did not have the best month last month, pitching to a 5.57 ERA. However, six of his previous seven starts have come against divisional opponents, and we expect a much stronger outing against a National League opponent that is less familiar with his arsenal.

Cease was tagged for nine earned runs in eight innings in two combined starts against the league’s best offense, the Tampa Bay Rays. However, in four other starts against non-AL Central opponents, Cease has pitched to a 1.17 ERA despite all four of those starts coming against teams currently over .500.

Miami enters this game on a season-high six-game winning streak, but those wins have come against MLB’s two worst teams, the Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics. Chicago has been a much better home team than road team this year, as it is one game over .500 at home and nine games under .500 on the road. Chicago had won five straight of its own before dropping the second game of yesterday’s doubleheader in the Bronx, and we expect it to snap Miami’s 11-game winning streak against right-handed pitchers in interleague games.

Pick: White Sox ML (-142)

Oakland Athletics (+194) vs. Milwaukee Brewers (-235) | O/U 9.5 (-104/-118)

The Oakland Athletics’ -200 run differential is 112 runs worse than the next closest team’s, but lately, it has not been for lack of hitting. 

The A’s entered Thursday ranked fourth in wRC+ and BABIP over the previous seven days and have averaged more than seven runs per game over the last four games. Meanwhile, pitching has been an issue all season for Oakland, and it has allowed 5+ runs in four of the previous five games.

Tonight’s starter, Luis Media, has made quality starts in 40% of his starts this year. However, he has been dreadful on the road, losing all three starts while pitching to an 11.68 ERA and allowing a .339 OBA. That should wake up a Milwaukee Brewers offense that ranks 17th or worse in OPS, BABIP, and wRC+ in home games this year.  

The Under has cashed in Houser’s last four home starts and is 4-0-1 in his last five overall. However, Oakland’s 8.37 road ERA from starting pitchers this season overrides that trend as we look for the Over to cash for just the second time in the previous 12 meetings between these teams.

Pick: Over 9.5 (-104)

San Diego Padres (-180) vs. Colorado Rockies (-152) | O/U 11.5 (-110/-110)

There are many signs that Yu Darvish is regressing in his 11th Major League season. His strikeout percentages over the last two seasons have been the worst of his career, and his chase and whiff percentages this year are lower than his career average. In addition, he ranks in the 57th percentile in hard contact allowed and is on pace to be his worst in an entire season.

Like many pitchers, Darvish has struggled mightily at Coors Field, going 1-1 with a 5.26 ERA in five starts. It is not like Darvish struggles altogether against the Colorado Rockies, as he has a 10.9 K/9 rate overall against them, but that dips to 7.7 K/9 at Coors Field, tied for his lowest at any visiting ballpark.

Darvish has recorded six or fewer strikeouts in seven of 11 starts this year and 24 of his previous 45 (53.3%). He faces a red-hot Ryan McMahon, whose 1.292 OPS over the last 14 days is the best in the majors (per Inside Edge). And Elias Diaz entered Thursday with the second-highest batting average against right-handed pitching this season (.338), making it more difficult for Darvish to navigate the top of the lineup. 

No starting pitcher has completed six innings against the Rockies in seven consecutive games, the longest active streak, per Inside Edge. Thus, we expect the Over to cash for the seventh time in the last ten games between these teams, with Colorado’s offense playing a big part.

Pick: Rockies team total Over 4.5 (-128)

Make sure to check out our other best bets for Friday:


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Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.