As we finish off the weekend, let’s find some MLB best bets and baseball picks for Sunday’s full slate of games. Our top MLB bets today feature the Sunday night matchup between the St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies. We also find some winners in the New York Yankees vs. San Francisco Giants showdown. Plus, we wrap up our Sunday baseball betting card with some top MLB props. Enjoy the weekend baseball as we cash our MLB picks! 

 

 

 

MLB Picks, Predictions, & Best Bets Today, 6/2

As always, be sure to shop around for the best odds and lines at different sportsbooks. The odds in this article below are accurate as of this writing. Without further ado, let’s check out my MLB best bets and baseball predictions for Sunday, June 2nd!

 

 

 

Cardinals vs. Phillies Prediction Today, 6/2

This week’s Sunday night MLB game features the Philadelphia Phillies hosting the St. Louis Cardinals. The starting pitching matchup of Lance Lynn vs Taijuan Walker immediately has looking at a certain bet for the standalone matchup tonight. Let’s take a closer look.

With a 3.45 ERA, Lynn is having a decent season so far for St. Louis. However, the veteran right-hander has a few underlying stats that point to negative regression. First off, Lynn’s 4.14 xERA and 4.22 FIP tell us he’s been a bit lucky. His 21.3% strikeout rate and 9.2% walk rate are the worst they’ve been since 2017 and 2018, respectively. Lynn’s 1.34 WHIP is also essentially the same as it was last year when he had a 5.73 ERA.  

Lynn has struggled lately with a 4.39 ERA in the month of May with at least 3 runs allowed in 4 of those past 5 starts. He’ll now face a Philadelphia offense that’s been among the league’s best against right-handed pitching (.322 wOBA, 109 wRC+). The Phillies also have top-tier numbers at home (.333 wOBA, 116 wRC+). Lynn faced them earlier this season in St. Louis and allowed two unearned runs, for what it’s worth. 

Meanwhile, the Cardinals should put up runs themselves against Taijuan Walker. The Phillies’ right-hander has looked shaky this season, to say the least. He has a 5.51 ERA with a 6.18 xERA and 5.26 FIP through six starts. Walker has multiple advanced numbers and underlying metrics that are especially concerning. Just check out his Statcast page: 

Walker just allowed six runs to the Giants last outing and he’s coughed up 11 runs over his past 14 innings combined (spanning three starts). Now he has a matchup against a St. Louis offense that’s finally woken up after a slow start to the year. The Cardinals are a top-5 offense in baseball over the past month overall. They’re especially hammering right-handed pitching lately with an MLB-best .361 wOBA and 139 wRC+ in the split over the past two weeks.

Grab the over in the first five innings and the full game tonight  as both the Phillies and Cardinals offenses can light up the scoreboard here. There have been 9+ total runs in every Taijuan Walker start this year, including 11+ runs in all but one outing. 

Expert Cardinals vs. Phillies Picks

  • Over 9 Total Runs (+100 BetMGM)
  • 1st 5 Innings Over 4.5 Runs (-130 BetMGM)

 

 


 

Yankees vs. Giants Prediction Today, 6/2

As recently as last year, a pitching matchup of Nestor Cortes vs Blake Snell in San Francisco’s pitcher-friendly park would have us taking the under right away. Not this season, though. Both starters are in tough spots this weekend and the numbers point to plenty of scoring. 

Snell is off to a terrible start for the Giants with a 10.42 ERA and 2.00 WHIP through five outings. The lack of a full Spring Training has really caught up to last year’s NL Cy Young winner. Snell likely turns it around but it still may take a couple more starts. The San Fran southpaw has allowed at least 4 runs in four straight appearances and the Yankees could easily continue the trend here. 

New York has the best offense in baseball over the past month in terms of wOBA (.349) and wRC+ (130). Over the past two weeks, the Yanks have solid splits vs. lefties with a .318 wOBA, 109 wRC+, and .144 ISO. They also have the MLB’s second-best offense on the road this year, second only to the Dodgers. Snell could be in trouble once again as his early-season struggles continue. 

As for Cortes against the Giants, there could be an even bigger offensive explosion on that side of the matchup. San Fran’s lineup is crushing left-handed pitching lately to the tune of a .362 wOBA, 142 wRC+, .230 ISO, and .270 BA over the past two weeks. The Giants are punishing lefty starters right now. 

Cortes, meanwhile, has glaring home/road splits. The Yankees’ southpaw has an ugly 6.16 ERA on the road compared to a 1.12 ERA at home. He’s allowed at least 4 runs in 4 of his 6 road starts this year and is clearly not the same guy away from Yankee Stadium. Cortes has a decent 3.30 ERA overall this season, but we can fade him on the road until he proves otherwise. 

Take the over for both the full game and first five innings for this game. The over has cashed in 12 of the last 17 Giants games. These teams have also combined for 8+ runs in both of the first two games already this series. 

Expert Yankees vs. Giants Picks

  • Over 7.5 Total Runs (-122 FanDuel Sportsbook)
  • 1st 5 Innings Over 4.5 Runs (+116 FanDuel Sportsbook)

 

 


 

Best MLB Player Props Today, 6/2