Monday MLB Picks: Five Teams to Bet (7/1)

Here are five teams that you should consider betting on Monday:

Kansas City Royals (+130) @ Toronto Blue Jays, 1:07 PM EST Start

The Blue Jays/Royals series has been very competitive so far. Game one was a one-run game until the Blue Jays blew it open in the bottom of the eighth inning. Game two was a walk-off win by the Blue Jays. The third game was a one run ball-game won by the Royals. Now, we shall see what game four has in store for us.

The Royals send Glenn Sparkman to the mound. Since becoming a full time starter at the beginning of June, Sparkman has been much better at home than he has on the road. In his three home starts, he has given up a total of five runs over 17 and 1/3 innings(2.60 ERA). In his two road starts, he has given up 10 runs in 10 and 2/3 innings(8.43 ERA). The Blue Jays have scored six or more runs in all three games of this series, so Sparkman may be in for some trouble today.

The Blue Jays send Clayton Richard to the mound. He is 0-4 on the season, with a 6.89 ERA and a 1.69 WHIP. In his four home starts this season, he has given up 14 runs in 16 and 1/3 innings of work(7.72 ERA). Batters are clearly making a lot of contact against Richard, further illustrated by the fact that he has only struck out six batters over his last four outings.

Look for Monday afternoon to be another knockdown drag-out between these two teams, but look for Sparkman to pitch a little better than Richard today, and you can bet the Royals to take today’s game.

Cincinnati Reds (-105) vs. Milwaukee Brewers, 7:10 PM EST Start

Yesterday’s column talked about the importance of Sunday’s Reds/Cubs game. If the Reds wanted to make it known that they are going to contend for the division title this season, they needed to win yesterday’s game. They did just that, jumping out to an early 3-0 lead, and then holding on for a victory by the score of 8-6. The Reds find themselves 5.5 games back, and today they get another a chance to move up the standings, as they host the Brewers, who are currently tied for the division lead.

The Brewers took two out of three games from the Pirates this weekend. It was a very low-scoring series, as a combined 12 runs were scored over the three game set. The Brewers’ pitching staff, which had been very inconsistent, performed very well this weekend. Will they be able to continue that great performance in Cincinnati this week?

Milwaukee sends Adrian Houser to the mound in game one of the series. He will be the “opener” in this game for Milwaukee. In his last time out as the “opener,” he gave up four hits, three walks, and three runs over two innings of work. He has a 2.94 ERA on the season and has three scoreless innings against the Reds.

Cincinnati sends Tyler Mahle to the mound for the opener. His record on the season is an abysmal 2-8, with a 4.35 ERA. 10 of Mahle’s 15 starts, however, have come on the road. In his five home starts this season, Mahle is 2-1 with a 2.96 ERA. This includes giving up two runs in seven innings against the Astros, and no runs in six innings against the Dodgers.

Look For Mahle to continue his good pitching at home today, and for the Reds to build off of the momentum from this weekend’s series. Take the Reds to win game one of the series.

Texas Rangers (-135) vs. Los Angeles Angels, 8:05 PM EST Start

Two American League West members with losing streaks will square off on Monday when the Rangers host the Angels. The Rangers the final two games in a three game set at Tampa Bay this past weekend, and the Angels lost the final three games of a four game set this weekend to the A’s.

The Angels will send Jose Suarez to the mound in the opening game. In his three starts in the month of June, Suarez has given up 10 runs in 15 and 1/3 innings of work. That equates to a 5.87 ERA. On the season, Suarez has a 5.57 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP.

The Texas Rangers have an all-star pitcher on the mound Monday night. Mike Minor is 8-4 on the season, with a 2.40 ERA. He has given up three runs or less in 15 of his last 16 starts. At home this season, he has given up no runs in four of his eight starts.

Look for the Minor to be great once again on Monday night, and for the Rangers to win game one of this series.

San Francisco Giants (+150) @ San Diego Padres, 10:10 PM EST Start

The Giants and Padres have both been playing better ball as of late. The Giants find themselves 11 games under .500 on the season (36-47), but have played .500 ball (5-5) in their last 10 games. The Padres find themselves one game over .500 on the year (42-41), and are 6-4 in their last 10 games. The teams are 3-3 in their first six games against each other this season.

The Giants send Jeff Samardzija to the mound in game one of this series. He is 4-7 on the season, with a 4.52 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. However, he has good career numbers against the Padres that can give some hope for tonight’s game. He has an 8-3 career record against San Diego, with a 3.46 ERA. At Petco Park specifically, he is 4-2 with a 2.44 ERA and a WHIP of 0.94.

The Padres will send rookie Logan Allen to the mound for tonight’s game. Allen has been spectacular in his first two starts this season, going 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. The stats show, however, that a letdown may be coming soon. In his 13 games at Triple-A this season, Allen was 4-3 with a 5.15 ERA and a 1.439 WHIP. Sooner or later, Allen is going to come back down to earth.

Due to Samardzija’s good career record against the Padres, and Allen being due for a not-so-good outing, take the Giants in an upset to win game one of this series.

Chicago Cubs (-117) @ Pittsburgh Pirates, 7:05 PM EST Start

The Cubs and Pirates both struggled this weekend, losing two out of three games in their respective series. They find themselves tied with the Brewers for the division lead, while the Pirates are currently five games back. Tonight’s game will be the first of 16 games the Cubs and Pirates still have to play against each other this season.

The Pirates will send Trevor Williams to the mound for game one, while the Cubs will send rookie Adbert Alzolay to the hill. Williams has been less than stellar in his two starts since returning from the IL, giving up 17 hits and 11 runs in 11 and 2/3 innings of work(8.48 ERA). Alzolay has given up two hits and two runs over 8 and 2/3 innings of work in his two outings this season. His control has been a little shaky, as he has given up six walks in those two outings.

The Pirates bats struggled over the weekend, as they only scored five runs in three games at Milwaukee. Look for Alzolay to be good tonight, and for the Cubs to get to Trevor Williams. Bet the Cubs with confidence.

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