Top MLB Bet for June 17th

Today’s play of the day features the best and the worst of the NL West. One team not only leads the division, but is among the best teams in baseball. The other is among the worst the majors has to offer. The stronger team is starting a far superior pitcher which only adds further appeal. Today’s play is all about bankroll building and it is suggested that you parlay it with some of this weekend’s MMA action. Do not lay two and a half units for a one unit return. Combining this with a parlay will allow for a much more attractive return on investment.

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San Francisco Giants vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

Team	Record	Power Ranking	Runs Scored	Differential
Los Angeles Dodgers	47-24	2	5.18	+111
San Francisco Giants	30-39	26	3.87	-82

 

Pitcher	Record	ERA	WHIP
Kenta Maeda	7-3	3.89	1.09
Tyler Beede	0-2	8.06	2.06

 
Form
The San Francisco Giants are set to do battle with NL West division rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Giants have been bad this season. They have a 30-39 record, and are one of only five teams scoring under four runs per game. Their -82 run differential is among the league’s worst. They are a poor 15-18 on the road, but have a better road winning percentage (15-21 at home). They have lost 12 of their last 21 games. The Dodgers have been the team in better form.

The Dodgers have been lights out this season, and are tied for the second most wins at 47. They have a great 5.18 runs per game, and have a tremendous +111 run differential that currently sits as the second highest mark in the league. The Dodgers have won 21 of their last 29 games. They have been much more vulnerable on the road, as they have an outstanding 28-8 record at Dodger Stadium.

The Giants are sending struggling 26-year-old Tyler Beede to the mound. Los Angeles will be countering with the exciting Kenta Maeda. Tyler Beede has been a disaster this season. He has started four of his six appearances, winning none and losing two. He has an atrocious 8.06 ERA and a devastating 2.06 WHIP. The Giants have actually managed to win two of his four starts this season. Beede only has three road starts on the season. He has an 8.80 ERA and 2.09 WHIP. Beede may find himself back in the minors if he cannot start limiting baserunners.

Kenta Maeda has been locked in this season and has a 7-3 record through 13 starts. He has a solid 3.89 ERA that he has paired with a pristine 1.09 WHIP. The Dodgers have won four of his last six starts. Maeda has been a lot better at home this season, and has surprising night and day home/road splits. Maeda has been elite at home where he has a perfect 5-0 record through five starts. He holds a sparkling 1.79 ERA and 0.72 WHIP at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers hold a significant edge in the pitcher form arena.

Edge: Los Angeles Dodgers

Trends
There are some intriguing trends for this contest despite Tyler Beede not having enough starts to qualify for any trends. The Giants have won four of their last five, and have won their last four series openers. The Giants have won six of their last eight games against right-handed starting pitchers. On the flip side, they have lost 25 of their last 35 games against starters with a WHIP lower than 1.15. They have lost 58 of their last 83 road games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. Finally, they have lost 39 of their last 54 against teams with winning records. The Dodgers have been the team in better form.

As expected, the Dodgers have been on a roll. They have won 13 of their last 16 games against starters with a WHIP over 1.30. They have won 40 of their last 53 home games against right-handed starting pitchers. The Dodgers have won 90 of their last 127 home games against teams with a losing record. They have won 36 of their last 51 games against the NL West.

The Dodgers have won Kenta Maeda’s last five home starts. They have won 10 of his last 14 home starts against teams with losing records. However, they have lost four of his last five Monday starts, and six of his last eight starts on five days rest. The Dodgers hold the edge in the trends department.

Edge: Los Angeles Dodgers

Line
The line for this contest tells us all that we need to know. The line opened at -250 and currently sits at -261 at PointsBet. The Dodgers have been dominant this season and are among the best teams in baseball. They have won five of their nine contests against the Giants this season, with two of those wins coming in three home games. The Dodgers are 4-0 in Maeda’s last four home starts versus the Giants. However, they have actually lost four of his last five starts against them. With that said, the Dodgers are far and away the better team in this contest. They are in better team form, and are starting the pitcher in better form. The Dodgers are the lean here, but with odds this large we suggest parlaying this play with some of this weekend’s MMA action.

Edge: Los Angeles Dodgers (-261)

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Raju Byfield is a featured writer at BettingPros. Raju currently sits at 23-17-2 on the season. For more from Raju, check out his archive, and follow him @FantasyContext.