Top MLB Betting Picks of the Week – June 25th Edition

The American League East remains one of the epic division battles in recent years, as the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox remain tied — with Tampa Bay a distant third, 14 games back. Cleveland is finally pulling away in the AL Central, with an eight-game lead over Detroit and Minnesota. Houston looks to be moving away from Seattle in the AL West, now leading by 4 ½ games and having won eight of ten. In the National League East, the Philadelphia Phillies were fading but have won seven of ten to cruise past Washington into second place, just two games behind Atlanta. In the NL Central, Milwaukee has moved past the Cubs, taking a two-game lead, and in the NL West, the Dodgers continue their surge back to the top but still trail Arizona by 2 ½ games. Check out our MLB betting previews of three games you should consider in your wagering in the week ahead.

Top MLB Betting Picks of the Week – June 25th Edition

MLB Power Rankings: The Astros streak their way into the No. 1 spot https://t.co/czVHdklNPh pic.twitter.com/IcrBTX9XYr

— Zesty Houston Astros (@zesty_astros) June 21, 2018

Monday, June 25

Toronto at Houston (8:10pm ET)

Projected Pitching Matchup: J.A. Happ (9-3, 3.56 ERA) (TOR) vs Justin Verlander (9-2, 1.60 ERA) (HOU) While the Toronto Blue Jays are 15 games out in the AL East, J.A. Happ has pitched well this season. He did get roughed up on June 20 by the Braves, but he lasted 8 ⅓ innings, permitting a pair of home runs and four earned runs on six hits — and he did get the win. Before that, he threw 12 shutout innings in two starts against Tampa Bay and Baltimore. Against Atlanta, two of those four runs came in after he had left the game, thanks to reliever Ryan Tapera, so that looks more like a managerial mistake than Happ’s problem. The problem for Happ is that he faces a Houston lineup that has been torrid lately, and a counterpart in Verlander who has been almost unhittable at times this season. In his last start, he threw 6 ⅔ innings of six-hit, one-run ball, striking out 10. However, in the three starts before that, he had permitted three home runs and eight earned runs over 19 combined innings. But does Toronto have the bats to give Happ a bit of a lead? MLB Betting Prediction: Houston 4, Toronto 2

Tuesday, June 26

Washington at Tampa Bay (12:10pm ET, ESPN+)

Projected Pitching Matchup: Max Scherzer (10-3, 2.09 ERA) (WAS) vs Nathan Eovaldi (1-3, 4.91 ERA) (TB) Max Scherzer has been consistent in each of his last four starts, permitting two earned runs and lasting at least six innings (and lasting eight innings against Tampa Bay on June 5). Unfortunately, he has only one win over that stretch, as the Nationals’ offense has fallen off the table. The team took 2-0 losses against San Francisco and Toronto, and he got a no-decision on June 21 against Baltimore in a game the team would win when the relievers came on. Scherzer faces off against Nathan Eovaldi, who returned from the DL to face Oakland on May 30, throwing six shutout innings, but who has surrendered at least three earned runs in each game since, and who permitted four solo home runs in a 5-1 loss at Houston on June 20. Eovaldi’s stuff is finding too much of the plate, and Washington has the bats to make him pay, if they have the patience to get good swings. MLB Betting Prediction: Washington 5, Tampa Bay 2

Wednesday, June 27

Chicago Cubs at Los Angeles Dodgers (10:00pm ET, ESPN)

Projected Pitching Matchup: Kyle Hendricks (5-7, 3.73 ERA) (CHI) vs Alex Wood (3-5, 4.13 ERA) (LA) Despite a decent ERA, Kyle Hendricks has put up a 5-7 record for the Cubs, in part because of inconsistent offense (in four of his losses, the team has scored just a single run) and his own tendency to leave stuff out over the plate (he has permitted at least three earned runs in three of his last four starts). He faces a Dodgers team that is pounding the ball as they climb out of that hole they dug for themselves to start the season. Hendricks faces Alex Wood, who had a terrific 2017 but saw it end in injury and who has not found the same success in 2018. He did get the win in his last two starts, holding the Mets and the Giants to three combined earned runs over 11 ⅔ innings, striking out nine. His last start, against the Mets on June 22, was his first quality start in over a month. Can he do the same thing against a Cubs lineup that can be dangerous? MLB Betting Prediction: Los Angeles 4, Chicago 2