Major League Baseball’s schedule for the first Monday in June is a light one, with only six games on the board. 13 National League teams enjoy a day off on Monday. MLB Odds mostly favor the home teams for these contests.
The Los Angeles Angels head home after a disastrous road trip. Once 10 games over .500, the Angles have lost 11 in a row, including a crushing defeat in the ninth inning on Sunday in Philadelphia. LA has a chance to stop the skid versus the Boston Red Sox. Monday also has another east coast team out west, as the New York Mets face the San Diego Padres.
Only one of Monday’s six games stand as a divisional matchup, with three east coast teams making long trips across the country to play. Today’s wagers back a road underdog and fade that struggling Angels club. Here’s a look at three MLB Best Bets for Monday, June 6th.
| Game | Best Bet | ||
| Arizona at Cincinnati | Diamondbacks Moneyline +108 (FanDuel) | ||
| Seattle at Houston | Under 8 Runs +100 (BetRivers) | ||
| Boston at Los Angeles Angels | Red Sox Moneyline +108 (FanDuel) |
The Arizona Diamondbacks (26-29) come into this one after dropping two of three to the Pirates in Pittsburgh this weekend. That series dropped the D-backs under .500 away from Arizona, as they’re now 12-13 on the road this season. Arizona’s 3-7 in their last 10, hitting .216, with a 4.96 team ERA, and being outscored by 21 runs.
The Cincinnati Reds (18-35) lost three of four to the Washington Nationals at home this weekend in a matchup of the two worst teams in the NL this season. The Reds are now 10-15 at home this season. Despite losing three in a row, Cincinnati’s 5-5 in their last 10, with a .284 batting average, and a 4.35 team ERA.
The Diamondbacks expect veteran starter Madison Bumgarner (2-4, 3.31 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 37 strikeouts) to take the hill on Monday. Despite an up-and-down season so far, the lefty allowed just two runs and seven hits in six innings in his last outing. He has completed at least six innings in his last three starts and four of his last five.
He’ll be backed by first baseman Christian Walker, who has a team-leading 14 home runs, second only to the 16 of Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts in the National League. Walker has eight homers in his last 19 games coming into the four-game series in hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park.
The Reds expect to counter with rookie Hunter Greene (2-7, 6.19 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 64 strikeouts), who struck out seven through the first three innings against Boston in his last start. But it blew up from there, as the Red Sox tagged him for six hits and four runs in the fourth inning of that game.
Recent trends favor Arizona in this matchup. The Diamondbacks are 6-1 in the last seven meetings in Cincinnati, and 5-0 in the last 5 meetings overall. Arizona’s also 8-2 in their last 10 during game 1 of a series. Meanwhile, the Reds are 4-11 in their last 15 games versus a left-handed starter. Cincinnati’s just 3-8 in their last 11 games as a home favorite and 1-4 in their last five at home.
The Seattle Mariners (24-30) come to this contest winners of three of their last four games, with each victory coming by one run. But in two of their last three, Seattle and its opponents have failed to score at least eight runs. The Mariners, rank in the bottom 10 of the league in run offense, have scored five or more runs in just 23 of their 54 games this season.
Over their last 10 games, Seattle sports a 6-4 record. In those contests, the Mariners posted a .255 batting average and 3.20 team ERA, while outscoring opponents by 13 runs.
The Houston Astros (35-19) return home after a nine-game road trip that saw the team win six games. They’re 7-3 over their last 10, with a .245 batting average and a 3.31 team ERA. Houston, though, only outscored opponents by two runs over that span. And to start that trip, the lost two of three in Seattle where all three contests finished under a total of eight.
The Astros’ team ERA checks in at 2.93, third-best in MLB. That’s a big reason the Astros are the most profitable team to the Under, as it has cashed in 39 of 54 games. Houston expects Cristian Javier (3-2, 2.41 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 52 strikeouts) to take the mound on Monday opposite Mariners’ starter Robbie Ray (4-6, 4.93 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 74 strikeouts).
Recent trends favor the Under in this one. The Under is 6-0 in Seattle’s last six versus a team with a winning record, and 5-1 in the last six meetings between these two clubs. Houston’s seen the Under go 8-1 in their last nine games versus a left-handed starter.
The Boston Red Sox (27-27) enter this contest riding a four-game winning after sweeping the Oakland Athletics over the weekend. Boston’s bats plated an average of 6.8 runs per game over this run. The Red Sox have played well on the road this season, posting a 14-13 record away from home so far.
Over their last 10 games, Boston has a 6-4 record. Red Sox hitters managed a .278 batting average, while their pitching staff posted a 3.30 ERA. They outscored opponents by 17 runs in that stretch.
The Los Angeles Angels (27-28) hope to finally stop their extended losing streak with a win on Monday. The Angels have dropped an MLB-high 11 games in a row, losing their latest in a heartbreaker on the road. Before dropping all six games on their last road trip, LA lost five in a row at home.
Over their last 10 games, the Angels are winless, hitting .225, but with an abysmal 6.86 team ERA. During that stretch, LA opponents outscored the Angels by a whopping 37 runs. While the Angels are struggling as a team, they also are looking for center fielder Mike Trout to end his slump. He went 0 for 3 with a walk on Sunday and is now hitless in his last 26 at-bats, the longest hitless streak in his career.
Right-hander Michael Wacha (3-1, 2.43 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 27 strikeouts) will make his ninth start of the season for Boston. He’s coming off a loss his last time out against Cincinnati, even though he allowed just one run (unearned) and three hits in 5.2 innings. Right-hander Noah Syndergaard (4-3, 4.02 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 27 strikeouts) will be on the mound for the Angels to make his ninth start of the season. He’s coming off a loss his last time out on Tuesday against the New York Yankees, allowing five runs and seven hits in just 2.1 innings.
Boston enters this contest 8-0 versus AL West opponents so far this season. The Red Sox are 6-1 in their last seven road games versus a right-handed starter and 5-1 in their last 6 road games versus a team with a losing record. The Angels, meanwhile, are 3-13 in their last 16 games following a loss. LA’s 0-8 versus AL East opponents so far this season and 0-7 in their last 7 games versus a right-handed starter.
If you were paying attention, the Texas Rangers made some big moves during last offseason with the hopes of winning the 2023 World Series. While going on a spending spree doesn’t work for many teams (looking at you, New York Mets and...
Read more Current Playoff Format Making MLB Odds More Unpredictable
MLB’s new playoff format, implemented in 2022, has been a boon for the underdogs in World Series futures odds. Last year, a wild card team (Texas Rangers) won the World Series with preseason odds of +5000. The year before, the...
Read more 2024 World Series Futures Odds: Will an Underdog Win It All Again?
The road to the World Series has been filled with landmines for many odds-on favorites in recent years. Just ask the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers–two teams who have each won over 200 games the past two years but have no...
Read more 2024 World Series Futures Odds: Will a Favorite Cash In?
With the conclusion of the 2023 MLB World Series, we’ve had a first-time champion in the four major U.S. sports for the third time since June. The Texas Rangers joined the Denver Nuggets and Vegas Golden Knights at the top of their...
Read more Look Ahead to 2024 MLB World Series Futures Odds
