Top MLB Betting Odds & Picks for Thursday, June 23rd (2022)
We have given a lot of credit in this space to the pitchers who have thrown no-hitters or came close to throwing no-hitters. However, the batters deserve their due as well, and we give a special shoutout to Baltimore’s Austin Hays. He became the sixth Orioles player to hit for the cycle and the third player in Major League Baseball to hit for the cycle this month. He joins the Mets’ Eduardo Escobar and the Angels’ Jared Walsh, who have accomplished the feat since the calendar turned to June, and Milwaukee’s Christian Yelich hit for the cycle on May 11th (his third career cycle).
What slugger(s) is in for a big day on today’s ten-game slate?
Here are our best bets for Thursday’s MLB action. (Odds courtesy of DraftKings)
View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet >>
Chicago Cubs vs. Pittsburgh Pirates RL
The Pirates have won the first two games of this four-game series by a combined 19-2 and entered last night’s games against the Cubs having won three straight. However, Pittsburgh failed to earn its first four-game winning streak of the season, as Chicago crushed them 14-5 last night. The win is just the Cubs’ third in their previous 16 games.
Chicago’s pitchers entered last night’s game with a 7.11 ERA over that poor 15-game stretch. However, Justin Steele (2-5, 4.27) has been one of the bright spots in the rotation lately. Steele has pitched to a 3.65 ERA over his last seven starts but an even better 1.89 ERA (1-0) in three June starts. Pittsburgh’s Jose Quintana (1-4, 3.66) is going the other way, going 0-2 with a 6.50 ERA in four June starts. Quintana has allowed five home runs in his last 10.1 innings, and opponents are hitting a blistering .321 against him this month.
With the significant disparity in the pitching momentum in this game, we are riding with the Cubs to end this series on a big positive note.
Bet: Chicago Cubs ML (-120 at DraftKings)
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Milwaukee Brewers O/U
When betting an over/under in a game involving the Milwaukee Brewers, one has to be confident they will do their part in the scoring, as the Brewers are 8-23 when scoring three runs or fewer. Thus, they have scored three or fewer earned runs in 44.2% of their games. A big reason for their poor offense is that they are so strikeout prone, as they entered yesterday’s game averaging 8.8 K’s per game, fifth-worst in baseball. Given that St. Louis starting pitcher Dakota Hudson (5-3, 3.31) is off to a 5.0 K/9 pace, which would be his lowest by 1.2 strikeouts per nine innings, we like for Milwaukee to put the ball in play early and often today.
We are not worried about St. Louis’s ability to score, as they rank third in the majors with 342 runs. They face Jason Alexander (1-0, 2.42), who has allowed two or fewer earned runs in all four of his career starts but has faced just one team over .500, while the other three opponents (Cubs, Nationals, Reds) are all at least 17 games under .500. We expect the step up in competition to get the best of him today.
Bet: Cardinals-Brewers OVER 9 Runs (-110 at DraftKings)
Bet $5, Win $200 on Any MLB Moneyline
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic | Breaker | Castbox | Pocket Casts
Whether you’re new to sports betting or a betting pro, our How To Bet and Sports Betting Strategy and Advice pages are for you. You can get started with our How To Section — including How to Avoid the 7 Biggest Sports Betting Mistakes — or head to more advanced strategy — like Thinking Like an Expert Sports Bettor — to learn more.
Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.