Top 6 MLB Picks & Predictions: Wednesday (7/1)
The 2026 Major League Baseball (MLB) slate rolls on Wednesday. We have six afternoon games, with first pitch times between 12:35 p.m. and 3:07 p.m. ET. There are eight games with a first pitch of 6:40 p.m. ET or later. The Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers meet at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN in the only nationally televised game. Let’s build our bankroll with our best MLB picks & predictions for Wednesday, July 1st.
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Wednesday’s Best MLB Picks & Predictions
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All bets are for 1 unit
Tampa Bay Rays (-136) at Kansas City Royals (+116) | O/U 10.5 (-102/-120)
The Rays (49-33) and Royals (35-51) meet at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City at 6:40 p.m. ET. The Rays are looking for their fourth consecutive victory in the season series after losing the first two meetings to the Royals in St. Petersburg on June 22-23. The over has cashed in each of the past four meetings, too.
Tampa Bay streaks into this game with six consecutive wins since a 12-5 loss at home on June 23rd against Kansas City in a game lefty Shane McClanahan (6-5, 3.30 ERA, 1.22 WHIP) started. He is looking for revenge in this game in a matchup with righty Seth Lugo (3-5, 4.18 ERA, 1.37 WHIP).
The Royals are a dismal 6-17 this season against left-handed starting pitchers, easily the worst mark in the American League, and the second-worst winning percentage versus lefties in the Majors. Kansas City has dropped five of the past six games, while allowing 51 runs in the past five outings (10.2 per game). It’s no surprise that the over is 6-1 in the past seven games and 13-4 in the past 17 contests.
Let’s back the Rays on the road, as they look to stay hot, and we’ll keep banging the over, as the Royals keep hemorrhaging runs.
Picks: Rays Moneyline (-136) & Over 10.5 Runs (-102)
Cincinnati Reds (+142) at Milwaukee Brewers (-168) | O/U 8.5 (-118/-104)
The Reds (39-45) and Brewers (52-31) square off at American Family Field in Milwaukee. Cincinnati is looking for its first victory in the four-game set after dropping the first two outings. Milwaukee has outscored Cincinnati 12-5 in the first two outings, as the under has cashed in both. The Brewers are 5-0 in the first five meetings between these National League Central rivals, while winning six in a row dating back to September 28th, 2025. The under is 5-1 in Milwaukee’s six-game win streak in the series, too. The under is 7-2 in the past nine meetings since August 17th, 2025.
Cincinnati has dropped three in a row and is 2-6 over the past eight games since June 22nd. The total has gone low in the past two games, while the under has a 5-4 edge in the past nine outings.
Lefty Andrew Abbott (5-4, 3.90 ERA, 1.41 WHIP) takes the ball for the Reds. He is much better on the road this season, going 3-2 with a 3.17 ERA and 1.37 WHIP across 48.1 innings in nine starts. The Brewers counter with lefty Shane Drohan, who is 3-2, with a 3.12 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and one save across 52 innings in six starts and 10 relief appearances.
Cincinnati is 10-8 this season versus lefties, while Milwaukee is 17-10 against southpaws. Inside the division, the Brewers are 14-5 in 19 tries, while the Reds are a dismal 4-19 against National League Central foes. The Brewers are 28-17 at home, too, while ranking second in the Majors in run differential (+127) behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (+163). On the flip side, the Reds are 20-23 on the road, and they have a -58 run differential, which ranks 14th in the National League.
Let’s back the Brewers at home as moderate favorites, even though Abbott has been strong on the road. We’ll go low on the total.
Picks: Brewers Moneyline (-168) & Under 8.5 Runs (-104)
Miami Marlins (-154) at Colorado Rockies (+130) | O/U 10.5 (-124/+102)
The Marlins (46-40) and Rockies (33-53) meet at Coors Field in Denver at 8:40 p.m. ET. These two organizations came into the Majors together in 1993. After years of struggling, the Marlins are starting to turn a corner, while the Rockies aren’t making as many inroads.
Miami has dominated its fellow expansion brethren lately, too, winning eight consecutive meetings since September 16th, 2025. That includes two wins in the first two games of this series, with the Rockies outscored 24-10, and the over has cashed in both meetings.
Marlins righty Max Meyer (9-0, 2.60 ERA, 1.11 WHIP) takes the ball, looking to get to 10-0. The former first-round pick (No. 3 overall) in 2020 has been putting up All-Star caliber numbers this season, and he is 4-0 with a 3.11 ERA and 1.12 WHIP across 46.1 innings in eight road outings.
The Rockies counter with lefty Kyle Freeland (1-7, 7.50 ERA, 1.61 WHIP). The pitching scales are severely tipped in favor of the Marlins. He is 1-2 with a 6.75 ERA and 1.61 WHIP at home in 37.1 innings across seven starts at home, while teams are hitting .308 against him at Coors Field.
Take the Marlins and go rather aggressively based on the pitching matchup. Let’s keep slamming the over until the Rockies figure out how to slow down the Marlins’ bats.
Picks: Marlins Moneyline (-154) & Over 10.5 Runs (-124)
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