MLB Weekend Picks

The month of June is finally here, and BetRivers.com is proud to provide a wide variety of MLB game lines, futures and our MLB weekend picks. So last weekend was a tough one, going 1-2 with a rainout puts us at 20-15 on the year. This weekend is the first weekend of June baseball, and there’s a ton of great games over the weekend to whet our grubby betting fingers on. Longtime Poker broadcaster and sports bettor David Tuchman is here to preview the notable games and make his MLB Weekend picks for the first weekend in June. View the latest odds and bet online legally, securely, and easily with the top rated sportsbook.

Let’s get right to it. Here are my MLB Weekend picks for June 4 to June 6.

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MLB WEEKEND PICKS: FRIDAY, JUNE 4

BOSTON RED SOX (33-23) at NEW YORK YANKEES (31-26), 7:05 p.m. ET
PITCHERS:  Nathan Eovaldi (6-2, BOS) vs. Michael King (0-2, NYY)
MONEYLINE: Yankees -122 ML, Red Sox +105 ML
SPREAD: Yankees -1 (+123), Red Sox +1 (-143)
OVER/UNDER: 9.5 (+100/-120)
Click here for the full list of Yankees-Red Sox odds.

A classic rivalry! And what’s really weird this year is that it is June 4th, and the Yanks and Sox haven’t played each other once yet! That changes Friday, as the Bosox invade the Bronx to face their hated rivals. The Yankees have been incredibly frustrating to watch this year. They have gotten exceptional pitching – both starters and relievers – but they can’t hit water if they fell out of a boat. Friday’s matchup features Nate Eovaldi, 6-2, 4.01 ERA vs. Michael King, 0-2, 2.86 ERA. King is filling in for the injured Corey Kluber.

There’s just no one in the Yankee lineup to get excited about. Aaron Judge, their biggest star, is hitting .290-13-30; .393 OBP, .931 OPS. Those are solid, solid numbers.  But that’s it. DJ LeMahieu? .255-03-14, .667 OPS. Terrible. Giancarlo Stanton? .259-9-24, .814 OPS, not great Bob. Gleyber Torres? .266-02-19, .697 OPS. Gary Sanchez? .205-6-13, .717 OPS. The list goes on and on. Whereas, the Red Sox, at 32-23, have hit the ball really really well. JD Martinez (.320-12-39, .956 OPS), Xander Bogaerts (.309-10-31, .908 OPS), Rafael Devers (.278-14-43, .928 OPS) are just crushing the ball.  Alex Verdugo has been solid as well, with a .286-7-24, .796 OPS slash line. 

The Red Sox pummel the Yanks in the Bronx on Friday night.

The Pick: Boston Red Sox +105 ML

SEATTLE MARINERS (29-29) at LOS ANGELES ANGELS (25-31), 9:38 p.m. ET
PITCHERS: Robert Dugger (0-1, SEA) vs. Shohei Ohtani (1-1, LAA)
MONEYLINE: Angels -180 ML, Mariners +150 ML
SPREAD: Angels -1 (-124), Mariners +1 (+104)
OVER/UNDER: 8.5 (-109/-108)
Click here for the full list of Angels-Mariners odds.

The Mariners and Angels had a pretty good rivalry going in the late 90’s-early 2000’s, but it’s faded a bit as both teams have been pretty lousy the last few years. The Mariners have played better than expected this year though, and are a surprising 28-29, while the Angels have underperformed, at 25-30. However, Friday night is special – it’s Ohtani time, as the two-way star will pitch and DH on Friday.  

Ohtani is hitting well, at .263-15-40, .927 OPS. Toss in 11 doubles, 3 triples, 7 SB, and 35 runs, and he’s the Angels’ most electrifying player. (Mike Trout is on the DL). Meanwhile, on the mound, Ohtani is 1-1 across 7 starts, with a 2.72 ERA and 50 Ks in 36 IP.  The Mariners will counter with the immortal Robert Dugger and his 6.06 ERA.  The Mariners will need to rely on their only decent hitter, Mitch Haniger, hitting .264-14-36, .864 OPS, on the year. Kyle Seager has 33 RBI and 10 HR but is hitting just .222.

The Pick: Los Angeles Angels -180 ML

SATURDAY, JUNE 5

MIAMI MARLINS at PITTSBURGH PIRATES, 4:05 p.m. ET
PITCHERS: Trevor Rogers (6-3, MIA) vs. Chase De Jong (0-0, PIT)

One o the more interesting MLB weekend picks involves the Miami Marlins and the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates. The Marlins have not lived up to the hype from 2020, when they made the playoffs, as they are struggling to stay out of the basement in the NL East at 24-30. The Pirates are firmly and comfortably entrenched in the basement in the NL Central at 20-34. These are the games that sports betting was built for. I mean, why else would you watch? 

Miami will go with rookie ace Trevor Rogers, who’s been electric this year, at 6-3, 1.87 ERA and 76 K in 62 IP.  The Pirates will go with a 27-year old Chase De Jong. De Jong has been up for a cup of coffee here and there since 2017, but he just can’t seem to stick. I’m thinking, maybe his career ERA of 6.71 isn’t helping. He did make 1 start already this year, however, and went 5 innings, allowing just 1 ER and striking out 5. Plus, the Pirates will get their rookie of the year candidate Ke’Bryan Hayes back for this series, playing 3B. Hayes went just 1 for 5 before he got hurt – but his one hit was a homer. 

Neither one of these teams can really hit, however. The Pirates boast several decent contact hitters. Adam Frazier (2B) is hitting .335, Colon Moran was hitting .297, but he’s hurt. Bryan Reynolds is hitting .283 and leads the team with 7 home runs. No one else has more than 4.  Again, that’s not great, Bob.  The Marlins did welcome Starling Marte and his .319 average back, recently. Jesus Aguilar leads the team with 10 HR and 39 RBI, but he’s been slumping lately, seeing his average drop to .253. He’s a streaky hitter. Jazz Chisholm, the Fish’s rookie 2B has his average up to .272 and boasts 6 HR and 9 SB. 

I’m a fan of betting against really bad teams, especially when they’re starting bad pitchers. 

The Pick: Miami Marlins 

NEW YORK METS at SAN DIEGO PADRES, 10:10 p.m. ET
PITCHERS: Jacob de Grom (4-2, NYM) vs. Joe Musgrove (3-2, SD)

Speaking of deGrom, he’s the front-runner for the Cy Young award. Even though Woodruff has insane numbers, deGrom’s are even better, which is astounding. So far in 2021, deGrom, over 8 starts, is 4-2, 51 innings pitched, only 22 hits and 7 walks! That’s a 0.57 WHIP. He’s struck out 82 batters in 51 innings, which is more than 1.5 per inning. His ERA is 0.71 and opposing batters are hitting a “whopping” .129 against him.

The Padres, at 34-23, are near first in the West (battling it out with the Giants and Dodgers, all neck-in-neck) are, on paper, a better team than the Mets (even though the Mets, 27-21 are in first in the East). And they’re sending Joe Musgrove to the mound – he’s no slouch either. His numbers are solid: 4-4, 2.08 ERA, 60 IP, 79 K, 0.76 WHIP and his BA against is .158.

So this should be a tight, tight game. And while the Mets don’t usually score for deGrom, he’s been so dominant, this should be a 1-0/2-1 type win for the Mets.

Depending on what the total is, take a look at the UNDER. 

The Pick: New York Mets 

SUNDAY, JUNE 6

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS at MILWAUKEE BREWERS, 4:10 p.m. ET
PITCHERS: Caleb Smith (2-1, ARI) vs. Brandon Woodruff (4-2, MIL)

Alright. You caught me. This one’s a gimmie. Nothing wrong with grabbing the low-hanging fruit from time to time. And a win is a win, right? This one is basically a license to print money. The Diamondbacks are atrocious and they run into one of the front-runners for the Cy Young in 2021, Brandon Woodruff. “The Woodman” is 4-2, but his overall numbers are even more insane. He’s tossed 71 innings and allowed just 33 hits and 16 walks – that’s good for a 0.69 WHIP. His ERA is an otherworldly 1.27 and he’s struck out 83 batters in those 71 innings. He’s been phenomenal. There’s a chance Arizona can keep it close with their pitching, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

The Pick: Milwaukee Brewers

Below there are some pretty enticing favorites if you’re inclined. You won’t get the best odds, but you’ll likely win. (dates and pitchers matter here): There’s a chance I’ll be looking to parlay three of these games together on Sunday depending on how spicy my bloody mary is. 

  • Miami Marlins (Sandy Alcantara, 2-5, 3.68) over Pittsburgh Pirates (Chad Kuhl, 0-2, 6.41)
  • Chicago White Sox (Carlos Rodon (5-2, 1.98) over Detroit Tigers (Jose Urena, 2-4, 4.14)
  • Tampa Bay Rays (Glasnow, 4-2 2.69) over Texas Rangers (Dane Dunning, 2-4, 4.67)