MLB Odds, Picks & Predictions: Monday (6/16)
Shortly before the Giants and Dodgers squared off on Sunday Night Baseball, news broke that the San Francisco Giants and the Boston Red Sox were involved in a blockbuster trade that would send Rafael Devers to the Bay Area.
While the Giants do not play until Tuesday, we get our first look at the new-look Red Sox and involve them in a wager for Monday night.
Read on for our top two MLB picks and bets amid a small seven-game slate for Monday, June 16th.
Get instant alerts when a line reaches your target via the BettingPros App >>
Monday's Top MLB Picks & Bets
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Los Angeles Angels (+176) at New York Yankees (-210) | O/U 8.5 (-115/-105)
The Yankees were swept for the first time this season at the hands of their fiercest rival, only mustering four total runs in the three games at Fenway Park.
New York’s offensive struggles go back further than that. It has been held to four or fewer runs in 10 of its last 17 games. And in that span, the Yankees rank 24th in batting average on balls in play (BABIP), have the 12th-highest strikeout rate and rank outside the top 10 in slugging rate.
Angels righty Jose Soriano is a ground ball specialist, ranking in the 99th percentile in ground ball rate. That should bode well for keeping the Yankees in the park.
Meanwhile, I also expect Clarke Schmidt to match zeros and turn in his sixth quality start in his last eight appearances. One of those quality starts came when he pitched six scoreless innings and allowed just four hits on the road to the Angels. That has us confident in the under cashing for the ninth straight time when the Yankees play a team from the American League West.
Pick: Under 8.5 Runs (-105)
Boston Red Sox (+146) at Seattle Mariners (-174) | O/U 7.5 (+100/-122)
Perhaps Boston will be better off in the long run without Rafael Devers, as his unwillingness to play third base was creating a rift with management. However, in the short term, that should make the Red Sox offense suffer, especially since the best players they received in return are pitchers.
Seattle’s Logan Gilbert is making his first start since April 25th, as he has spent the time since on the injured list (IL) with an elbow injury. Gilbert has a career 3.41 ERA with a WHIP under 1.00 (0.988) at home. A normally sound ground ball pitcher is due some positive regression after allowing five home runs in 28.2 career innings against Boston.
The Over has cashed in Boston’s last six road games against American League opponents, but I am bucking that trend and expecting the Red Sox to be limited in the return of Seattle’s ace.
Pick: Red Sox Team Total Under 3.5 Runs (-150)
Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01