Sunday afternoon brings us another loaded MLB slate as we dive into baseball picks and predictions. Our top MLB bets today feature the Seattle Mariners vs. Kansas City Royals matchup and the Chicago Cubs vs. Cincinnati Reds divisional 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, 6/9

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 9th!


Mariners vs. Royals Prediction Today, 6/9

Cole Ragans has been a profitable pitcher to back lately and we’ll look to do it again this weekend. The Kansas City Royals starter has a 1.13 ERA over his past 4 starts and a 2.63 ERA over his last 8 outings. The left-hander may be due for even more positive regression as his 2.26 FIP (compared to a 3.21 ERA) and a high .323 BABIP indicate. Ragans’ 29.4% strikeout rate and low 7.9% walk rate are very encouraging as well. 

The KC southpaw will take on a Seattle Mariners offense that has below-average numbers against left-handed pitching this season (.297 wOBA, .219 BA, 96 wRC+). Over the past two weeks, the Mariners have been even worse vs. lefties with a .280 wOBA, .197 BA, and 85 wRC+. 

Interestingly enough, Ragans has a 1.02 ERA in 6 day starts this season compared to a 5.26 ERA across 7 night outings. It’s literally day and night for a guy who should be more comfortable in this home Sunday afternoon setup – especially with the favorable matchup. 

Meanwhile, Ragans should get some run support from the Kansas City bats against George Kirby. The Mariners’ starter has a 4.05 ERA this year and is prone to blowups. He’s had multiple shaky starts in the past month alone with 4+ runs allowed in 3 of his last 6 starts and a 4.37 ERA over this span. Kirby has some other glaring splits going against him with a 5.35 ERA on the road (compared to 2.72 ERA at home) and a 7.98 ERA in day starts (compared to a 3.07 ERA at night). 

The Royals offense is a dangerous one, especially at home (.342 wOBA, .275 BA, 115 wRC+). They’re also top-10 in the MLB against right-handed pitching with some solid numbers in the split over the past week (.331 wOBA, .265 BA, 111 wRC+). Take KC to get the win at home and lead after five innings. The Royals are 24-10 at home this season while Seattle is just 15-19 on the road.

Expert Mariners vs. Royals Picks

  • Royals Moneyline (-115 BetMGM)
  • Royals 1st 5 Innings ML (-120 BetMGM)

 

 


 

Cubs vs. Reds Prediction Today, 6/9

Shota Imanaga has been one of the best stories in baseball this season. The Japanese left-hander is rocking a 1.88 ERA in his rookie campaign with the Chicago Cubs. As impressive as he’s been, though, we’re fading him today as part of this Cubs vs. Reds pick. 

Imanaga is coming off back-to-back shaky outings, allowing 12 total runs over the past two starts combined. He’s probably been overdue for some negative regression once the scouting report on him became clearer. Imanaga’s 3.00 xERA, 3.39 xFIP, and 81.3% strand rate suggest he’s gotten a bit lucky so far. The Brewers and White Sox got to him in these past two starts with the regression monster threatening. 

The Cincinnati Reds can certainly hand Imanaga another rough start with their favorable numbers against left-handed pitching lately. The Reds are crushing lefties with a .418 wOBA, 170 wRC+, .322 BA, and .959 OPS over the past two weeks. They could get to Imanaga at home here. 

On the other side, though, Frankie Montas could have issues with the Cubs lineup as well. Montas has a 4.00 ERA on the season and his predictive metrics are all higher (4.60 FIP, 4.58 xFIP, 4.30 xERA). While he did just ironically toss 7 shutout innings in Coors Field his last time out, he was struggling beforehand. Montas had a 5.82 ERA over his previous four starts and a 5.86 ERA over the previous eight outings.

The Cubs, meanwhile, have top-10 splits vs. right-handed pitching over the past week (.322 wOBA, .200 ISO, 110 wRC+). This offense has also woken up lately, averaging 6.5 runs per game over the past 9 contests. 

Grab the over in this one for the full game and first five innings as both the Reds and Cubs should make this one higher-scoring. The added bonus is that it’s an hot afternoon game in a hitter-friendly park. Giddyup! 

Expert Cubs vs. Reds Picks

  • Over 8.5 Total Runs (-124 FanDuel Sportsbook)
  • 1st 5 Innings Over 4.5 Runs (+106 FanDuel Sportsbook)


 

 

 

Best MLB Player Props Today, 6/9