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MLB Betting Picks and Predictions for Wednesday (June 2) Including Twins vs Orioles

Sascha Paruk

by Sascha Paruk in MLB Baseball

Updated Jun 2, 2021 · 9:20 AM PDT

Nelson Cruz leaves the batter's box
Minnesota Twins designated hitter Nelson Cruz watches his grand slam during the second inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Monday, April 5, 2021, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
  • See the best bets in baseball on Wednesday, June 2
  • A struggling Matt Harvey faces fellow struggler Randy Dobnak as the Orioles host the Twins
  • Nationals vs Braves promises to be a high-scoring affair

With the Phillies vs Reds matchup getting postponed in Cincinnati, there are now just 11 games in Major League Baseball on Wednesday, June 2.

Not many will see the battle between the Twins (22-32) and Orioles (18-37) as a highlight, but that’s where my best bets for the day begin.

Pick #1: Twins vs Orioles – Twins Moneyline

Team (Pitcher) Moneyline Total
Twins (Dobnak) —>-143<— Over 9.5 (-113)
Orioles (Harvey) +125 Under 9.5 (-108)

Odds as of June 2, 2021. 

Both of these teams are playing relatively awful baseball this season. But looking at run differential, the Orioles (-65) are in another stratosphere of abysmal. The Twins (-24) are run-of-the-mill bad, and roster-wise, they aren’t that different from the team that won back-to-back AL Central titles in 2019 and 2020.

This pick is as much a Matt Harvey fade as anything.  The former Cy Young-winner has given up at least five earned runs in his past four starts and hasn’t made it out of the fourth inning in any of them. His ERA has ballooned from 3.60 to 6.84 in the process.  His groundball-to-flyball ratio shows hitters taking to the sky, and that’s going to be an issue against a Minnesota lineup that is fourth in the MLB in homers (74).

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I’m not banking on Randy Dobnak (6.49 ERA) to stifle anyone, even this light-hitting Orioles order. But his WHIP (1.367) is much better than Harvey’s (1.644) and his performance over the past two seasons (3.12 ERA, 1.267 WHIP, and just four home runs in 75 innings) is much more encouraging than anything the Dark Knight has done since 2015.

Pick #2: Nationals vs Braves – Over 10

Team (Pitcher) Moneyline Total
Nationals (Lester) +133 —>Over 10 (-110)<— 
Braves (Smyly) -157 Under 10 (-110)

Odds as of June 2, 2021. 

This is another matchup between two struggling starters. The big bats for Atlanta have solid track record against Washington’s Jon Lester. Ronald Acuna is 3-for-9; Freddie Freeman is 6-for-25 with two homers; and Ozzie Albies is a scalding 7-for-9 with a homer and two walks.

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The same can’t be said for Washington’s stars against Drew Smyly. Juan Soto is 0-for-6; Trea Turner is 1-for-6 (though that one hit was a home run); and Josh Bell is 1-for-7. Further down the lineup, however, Smyly has struggled. Yan Gomes is a 6-for-19 with two home runs and two doubles, while Starlin Castro is 4-for-109 with a double. In a minimal five at-bats, Kyle Schwarber has two extra-base hits.

Truist Park in Atlanta is top-ten in runs scored and has been in the top-half of the league in each of its five years in existence. Weather isn’t supposed to be much of a factor, but there should still be plenty of crooked numbers on the scoreboard.

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