Top MLB Betting Odds & Picks for Thursday, June 9th (2022)
Another 3-0 day was ruined by a two-team moneyline parlay for the second consecutive day. This time, the Yankees were the culprits, as their offense failed to show up for the first time in a week in an 8-1 loss to Minnesota. While we cannot complain about a second straight profitable 2-1 day, we are now a little gunshy about firing away on another two-team parlay today.
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 >>
Shane McClanahan’s Strikeout Prop: O/U 7.5 K’s
The St. Louis Cardinals have mashed left-handed pitching all year. They entered yesterday ranked second in the majors with a 121 wRC+, fourth with a .339 wOBA, and fifth with a .312 BABIP against southpaws. St. Louis will not face many left-handed starting pitchers tougher than Tampa Bay's Shane McClanahan (6-2, 2.10), whose 89 strikeouts lead the league. However, St. Louis has the fourth-lowest strikeout percentage (18.3%) against left-handers, so something has to give.
McClanahan has struck out at least seven batters in ten of his 11 starts but has faced just three teams (Twins, Yankees, Mariners) ranked in the bottom half of the league in strikeout percentage against lefties. Conversely, five of his 11 starts are against teams that rank in the top ten, including the two at the top of the list, the Marlins and Orioles. He does have the advantage of only facing one current Cardinals hitter (Albert Pujols) in his career. Still, we feel his strikeout prop does not accurately reflect how difficult St. Louis hitters have been to punch out.
Bet: Shane McClanahan UNDER 7.5 Strikeouts (-160 at DraftKings)
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Atlanta Braves RL
The Braves notoriously started 52-55 last year before ending the regular season on a 36-18 tear and going on to win the World Series. So is Atlanta's 2022 version of a torrid stretch of play happening right before our eyes?
Atlanta has won seven consecutive games and had not had longer than a two-game winning streak before this. The Braves have outscored their opponents by 32 runs during the winning streak, and with five of the seven wins coming on the road, they are now over .500 both on the road and at home for the first time this season.
Atlanta is 9-1 in its last ten home meetings with Pittsburgh, and they enjoy a significant pitching edge, as Max Fried (5-2, 2.74) opposes JT Brubaker (0-5, 4.70). Atlanta is 7-2 in Fried's last nine starts, with the only losses coming against Milwaukee and San Diego, two of the top three teams in the National League. Pittsburgh ranks 24th with an 89 wRC+ against lefties, while its team ERA also ranks 24th at 4.37. Thus, this series opener is setting up to be a big win for the Braves.
Bet: Atlanta Braves -1.5 Runs (-135 at DraftKings)
New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins Team Total O/U
Entering last night, the New York Yankees had scored 48 runs during a seven-game winning streak and scored five or more runs five times in that span. They had also ranked third in the majors in OPS (.945) over the previous seven days, fourth in team batting average (.297), and hit a league-leading 14 home runs in that span.
New York benefits from familiarity with Minnesota starter Dylan Bundy (3-3, 5.57), as he spent his first five seasons in Baltimore. Bundy's hits/nine innings rate (11.1) and K/9 rate (7.7) are on pace to be career-worsts, and he is 2-6 with a 6.42 ERA in 15 career appearances (12 starts) against New York in his career. That 6.42 ERA is Bundy's second-worst among opponents he has made more than two starts against, and we look for a hot Yankees lineup to get the better of him once again.
Bet: New York Yankees Team Total OVER 4.5 Runs (-140 at DraftKings)
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Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.