Sure Winning MLB Betting Picks for the Weekend (June 3-4)
Posted by Juan Carlos on Friday,June 2, 2017 10:48, EDT in
Folks, we are now in the month of June and that means baseball takes center stage until at least early August when the NFL preseason games get underway. No need to wait for the NFL to add to that bankroll. Here are three games I feel confident about to check out this weekend in the MLB odds.
Sure Winning MLB Betting Picks for the Weekend (June 3-4)
Minnesota Twins At Los Angeles Angels, Saturday
You should generally be betting against the Angels until superstar center fielder Mike Trout returns from a torn ligament in his left thumb. When Trout injured his thumb diving into second base last Sunday, he was leading the AL in the two most prominent WAR models. At Baseball Prospectus, his 3.3 WAR was a half-win better than second-place Corey Dickerson and more than a full win over third-place Aaron Judge. At FanGraphs, his 3.5 WAR is nearly a win better than second-place Judge (2.6) and third-place Miguel Sano (2.5). But you should especially go against the Halos here because it’s a clear pitching advantage for Minnesota behind ace Ervin Santana, who started his big-league career with the Angels. Santana (7-2, 1.75) continued his stellar start to 2017 against the league’s most potent offensive attack. He spun seven innings of one-run ball in a no-decision effort against the Astros on Monday. Opposing teams are hitting just .140 off the right-hander this season. He leads the AL in ERA and WHIP (0.84). It’s Matt Shoemaker for L.A. Shoemaker (4-3, 4.26) took the loss in his last start against the Marlins after allowing four runs over 4 2/3 innings. He is 1-1 with a 4.61 ERA in three career starts against the Twins. Go Minnesota.
Houston Astros At Texas Rangers, Saturday
The Astros set a franchise record for wins in a single month of May, as they went 22-7. The previous club record was set by the 1969 Astros, who went 20-6 in May. The Astros lead the Majors in road winning percentage (18-6). They lead MLB in road batting average (.285), OBP (.360) and runs per game (6.26). It’s Lance McCullers (6-1, 2.48) on the mound. He finished May with a 4-0 record and a 0.99 ERA (4ER/36.1IP) in six starts. He allowed just 21 hits in the month, and tossed 22.0 consecutive scoreless innings from May 1-23. Among AL pitchers in May, McCullers ranked first in ERA, tied for second in wins, third in opp. avg. (.164) and fifth in strikeouts (37). Texas counters with Andrew Cashner (2-4, 2.92). Cashner is 2-1 with a 2.90 ERA in his last five starts. Opponents are hitting .079 off him with runners in scoring position, the lowest in the American League. He has made three starts against the Astros and is 0-2 despite a 2.90 ERA. The pick here is under the total, which likely will be 8.5.
St. Louis Cardinals At Chicago Cubs, Sunday
This is the ESPN Sunday night game. Michael Wacha is on the bump for the Cards. Wacha (2-3, 3.99) lasted three innings in Tuesday’s loss to the Dodgers, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits and three walks. He struck out four. Wacha enjoyed a pair of scoreless frames to begin the game, but he unraveled in the third and yielded four runs on four hits and two walks, running up his pitch count before his removal after the end of the inning. The right-hander was solid through his first seven outings of the season, but nine earned runs in seven innings over back-to- back matchups with the Dodgers have bloated his ERA over a full run to 3.99. Wacha has only pitched in one Cardinals win since April 19. In fact, the Cardinals are 3-6 this year when Wacha pitches. Chicago goes with Kyle Hendricks (4-3, 3.75). He retired the first 10 batters he faced in his last outing against the Padres, but served up a fourth-inning grand slam to Hunter Renfroe that cost the Cubs the game. The disappointing outing was the right-hander’s worst of the year and comes on the heels of a streak in which he allowed two runs or fewer in six straight starts. Hendricks is 3-2 with a 2.81 ERA in his last seven starts.
