While the NHL is fighting for the Stanley Cup and the NBA playoffs are in full swing, we’re also in the middle of a terrific 2021 in Major League Baseball. The Boston Red Sox went to New York and swept the Yankees on the road for the first time in ten seasons, as the Yankees’ inconsistency continues; if the season ended today, the Bronx Bombers would miss the postseason, as they sit third in the AL East, behind Tampa Bay and the Red Sox. The White Sox and the Athletics are the other two division leaders in the junior circuit, although Oakland only has a one-game lead over Houston. The New York Mets lead the National League East and are the only one of the five teams in the division with a positive run differential on the season. In the NL Central, the Cubs lead Milwaukee by a half-game; in the West, the San Francisco Giants are confounding those who saw the division (and perhaps the NL pennant) as a two-horse race between the Dodgers and the Padres.
Do you plan to include baseball in your weekend MLB betting? Check out these three matchups.
MLB News: Must-Bet Games for This Weekend
Friday, June 11
St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs (2:20 pm ET, ESPN+)
Projected Pitching Matchup: Johan Oviedo (STL) vs Kyle Hendricks (CHC)
Johan Oviedo has not been one of the better starters in the Cardinals’ rotation, as the team has lost four of the last five games in which he has started. On June 5, he took the loss in a 5-2 setback against Cincinnati, giving up a pair of earned runs on three hits, striking out four and walking two in just over four innings. The offense and bullpen also let him down, but he has not gone longer than five innings in over a month, putting tremendous strain on the relievers.
Kyle Hendricks has a 7-4 record on the season, and the Cubs have won the last five games he has started for them. He hasn’t been dominant, allowing three earned runs in each of his last three starts, but he has qualified for a quality start in each of them, as he has gone at least six innings. He has fanned 14 batters and walked just three in those three starts combined — although he has allowed six long balls.
Final Prediction:
Cubs 6, Cardinals 4
Saturday, June 12
Chicago White Sox at Detroit Tigers (4:10 pm ET)
Projected Pitching Matchup: Dylan Cease (SOX) vs Jose Urena (DET)
Dylan Cease pitched against these same Tigers on Sunday, which can often mean a more difficult time for the pitcher, as the hitters are still familiar with his stuff. He dominated the Tigers on Sunday, scattering five hits and a walk over seven scoreless innings, striking out ten. However, the Indians torched him for six runs on eight hits over 3 ⅓ innings in his prior start, and he has alternated between stellar and questionable over his last four starts.
Jose Urena opposed Cease on Sunday, and while his pitching wasn’t bad (three earned runs on six hits, two walks and a strikeout over five innings), the Tigers’ offense let him down in the 3-0 final. With the game moving to Detroit, will the Tigers have more to say with their bats against Cease? It’s hard to argue that you should bet that way, based on Detroit’s offense on the season.
Final Prediction:
White Sox 4, Tigers 1
San Francisco Giants at Washington Nationals (7:15 pm ET, FOX)
Projected Pitching Matchup: Johnny Cueto (SF) vs Joe Ross (WAS)
Johnny Cueto has only made it to the sixth inning in one of his last five starts. His last outing, a loss to the Chicago Cubs, saw him give up four runs (three earned) on six hits, including two home runs, while striking out four and walking two in 4 ⅓ innings. He went seven innings in the start before that, but the game against the Cubs was a clear regression.
Joe Ross has not started a game that his team won since May 26, when he threw four scoreless innings, striking out four. In his last start, in Philadelphia, he gave up four runs (none earned) on three hits, including a home run, striking out four and walking two in six innings in a 5-2 loss. The Nats remain a fairly good team on paper but are nonetheless eight games below .500.
Final Prediction:
Giants 5, Nationals 3
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