Welcome to the Saturday, June 1st edition of RotoBaller's MLB Betting Picks. I will be serving up some of my top options on today's 15 game slate.
In this article, we will dive into the numbers and pick out my top recommended betting picks for today's slate. Feel free to contact me on Twitter @JoeWilliamsVI if you have any questions or if you'd like addition content and occasional gambling notes and tidbits.
Here are my picks for Saturday, June 1st. Be sure to check out all the MLB Vegas Odds and MLB Park Factors for today's slate. Good luck!
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Kansas City Royals @ Texas Rangers (-170)
O/U: 11
The Royals turn to RHP Homer Bailey to try and get things going in a positive direction. Kansas City won the opener behid RHP Jakob Junis on Thursday, but fell in Friday's game by a 6-2 count. Bailey might not be the guy to right the ship, as the Royals are 0-3 over his past three outings, and 2-5 across his past seven starts. He is a dismal 0-2 with a 9.58 ERA across the past three outings spanning just 10 1/3 innings. Bailey also has a 6.16 ERA in 19 road innings this season.
RHP Lance Lynn was the winning pitcher in a matchup on May 16 in Kansas City, a 16-1 laugher. He allowed just one earned run, six hits and a walk with five strikeouts over seven innings in the quality start, and he has allowed three or fewer runs while lasting six or more innings in four straight contests. He has a subpar 5.92 ERA in 24 1/3 innings at home, but also a solid 3-0 record. It's too much chalk betting the Rangers at home, so play them on the run line for a better value.
My Pick: Rangers -1.5, +108
Washington Nationals @ Cincinnati Reds (-128)
O/U: 10
The Nationals will be facing an old friend at Great American Ball Park on Saturday when RHP Tanner Roark takes the ball for the Reds. He spent his first six seasons in Washington, winning 64 games across 141 starts in the majors. Roark has fit in with the Reds, posting a respectable 4-3 record, 3.20 ERA and 1.42 WHIP with 59 strikeouts over just 56 1/3 innings. The Reds enter this one with a 4-1 record in their past five home games against a right-handed starting pitcher, and they're 8-3 in the past 11 vs. NL East foes, too.
The Nats counter with RHP Erick Fedde, and they're just 1-4 in the past five starts by the righty. Washington has struggled on the road, too, going just 2-6 in the past eight away from home while going 2-9 in the past 11 on the road vs. RHP. While the Nats are 16-5 in the past 21 meetings, including 8-1 in the past nine at GBAP, I like Roark with a chip on his shoulder against his old mates.
My Pick: Reds -128
San Francisco Giants (-138) @ Baltimore Orioles
O/U: 9.5
Last night's game was outstanding if you were holding an 'over' ticket. The game featured 15 total runs, including 11 combined runs in the first inning to send over bettors to the window with a winning ticket. Both RHP Shaun Anderson and RHP David Hess have been shaky, so another high-scoring affair should be in the offing.
The over is 7-2 in San Francisco's past nine games, and 9-4 in their past 13 on the road. In addition, the over is 5-2 in their past seven vs. RHP. For Baltimore, the over has connected in each of their past five interleague games, while going 4-0 in the past four vs. RHP. The over is 8-3 in the past 11 for the O's, too, while going 5-1-1 in Hess' past seven starts overall and 4-0 in his previous four at home.
My Pick: Over 9.5
Los Angeles Angels (-112) @ Seattle Mariners
O/U: 9
Angels LHP Andrew Heaney will be making just his second start of the regular season after battling an injury since spring training. He allowed two earned runs, two hits and a walk with eight strikeouts over five innings in a no-decision against the Rangers last time out. The Angels were victorious in his only previous outing this season. Since the start of the 2016 season, however, Heaney is 0-3 with a 4.97 ERA across 25 1/3 innings over five starts against Seattle while the M's are hitting .295 against him.
The Mariners counter with LHP Tommy Milone, who carries a 1-1 record, 3.38 ERA and 0.84 WHIP into play after just two outings. The Halos have really struggled against southpaws, going 5-12 across their past 17 tries vs. LHP. The Mariners aren't much better, though, going 2-9 in the past 11 vs. LHP and 2-9 in their past 11 inside the division, too. Something's gotta give, right? Well, the Angels are 2-8 in the past 10 trips to the Emerald City, while going 3-10 in the past 13 overall against the M's. The Angels are also just 1-4 in the past five tries against the Mariners. As such, the M's are a solid value at home as short 'dogs.
My Pick: Mariners -102