June 28 MLB Series Prices: Braves, Rangers Emerge as Intriguing Underdogs

• NL East-leading Braves are +120 series underdogs against the struggling Mets
• The red-hot Rangers can overtake the slumping Rays in the battle for the top Wild Card in the AL
• The Pirates look to build on a 6-1 run as they visit the Brewers, but have struggled in recent trips to Milwaukee

The Atlanta Braves look to extend their lead atop the NL East as they visit the troubled New York Mets this weekend. The surging Texas Rangers are pegged as underdogs as they visit a Tampa Bay Rays mired in their worst slump of the season, while the Milwaukee Brewers look to continue their recent dominance of the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates.

Below, find SBD’s picks for this weekend’s biggest matchups, plus the odds for every series kicking off on Friday, June 28th.

Atlanta Braves vs New York Mets Series Prices

First-place Braves Visit Slumping Mets

After splitting a four-game series with the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field earlier this week to improve to 4-3 so far on their current 10-game road trip, the Atlanta Braves visit the New York Mets. The Braves are +120 underdogs for the three-game set at Citi Field.

The Braves are enjoying an impressive 15-5 run that has lifted them to the top of the NL East standings, where they maintain a 4.5-game lead over the second-place Philadelphia Phillies.

Julio Teheran's line: 4+ IP, 9 H, 7 ER 3 BB, 2 K, 1 HR, 93/53#Braves trail 7-0 as we head to the sixth at Wrigley.

— 680 The Fan (@680TheFan) June 25, 2019

The Braves have avoided consecutive defeats during their current surge while also improving their road record to an NL-best 24-17. The club has tended to surrender big run totals in recent outings, allowing seven or more on seven occasions over their past 20.

Julio Teheran faces lingering concerns ahead of his scheduled Saturday start, after the right-hander surrendered 13 total earned runs in 8.0 innings of work over his past two starts.

Braves vs Mets Probable Starting Pitchers

While the Braves have been playing some of their best baseball of the season, the Mets have gone in the other direction. But despite losing five straight, and battling growing tensions in the dressing room, New York hosts Atlanta as a -140 favorite on the MLB series prices.

The Mets return home after being swept by the Philadelphia Phillies in a four-game series earlier this week, dumping the club to 5-11 in their past 16 outings, and 11 games out of first in the NL East standings.

#Phillies complete the sweep of the #Mets with 4 straight comeback wins! pic.twitter.com/QSqrQ2fjf3

— Unsportsmanlike Content™ (@UCSportsMedia) June 27, 2019

Among the favorites to win the NL East at the start of the season, the Mets have tumbled down the NL East divisional odds, where they now lag at a distant +4000, and also sit as a lengthy +1500 bet to win the 2019 World Series.

The club has produced steady results on home turf this season. The Mets went 13-3 at home prior to dropping three of four to St. Louis earlier this month, and are 3-3 in their past six home series with the Braves.

Note that Noah Syndergaard, who’s scheduled to start game three on Sunday, is coming back from the IL. His last start came on Jun. 15th, when he was tagged for five runs (four earned) on six hits over six innings against the Cardinals. “Thor” is sporting a 4.55 ERA this year, nearly 1.5 runs higher than his career average (3.18).

Pick: Braves (+120)

Texas Rangers vs Tampa Bay Rays Series Prices

Slumping Rays Limp Home to Host Red-Hot Rangers

The Texas Rangers will be aiming to overtake Tampa Bay in the race for the AL’s top Wild Card when they visit the Rays this weekend as intriguing +215 underdogs in the MLB  series prices. The Rangers have closed the gap on Tampa Bay to one game after opening their current road trip with wins in five of six outings.

Texas has also moved to within 4.5 games of first-place Houston in the AL West during their five-game win streak, lifting the club to +1700 in the AL Pennant odds.

After 81 games the Rangers are 9 games over .500! Who would have guessed that before the season started! #TexasRangers #TogetherWe

— AllThingRangers (@AllThingRangers) June 27, 2019

The Rangers have looked good on the road of late. With this week’s three-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers, the Rangers have now suffered just one series loss in their past six road sets, going 12-6 over their past 18 road dates. That performance is all the more surprising given that they won just five of their first 20 road games this season.

Rangers vs Rays Probable Starting Pitchers

The news that Tampa is investigating the possibility of playing half their home games in Montreal has coincided with the Rays’ worst slump of the season, with wins in just five of their past 16 outings.

However, the club’s current swoon has failed to dampen their position with oddsmakers, as they remain lofty -265 favorites ahead of their three-game tilt with the Rangers.

Wow! Tommy Pham had some pretty candid thoughts on the news that the Rays could be splitting time between Tampa Bay and Montreal in the future: pic.twitter.com/us0fUroZop

— Brenden Schaeffer (@bschaeffer12) June 20, 2019

The Rays return home after going 3-7 on their recent road trip. The club has not fared much better at home recently, going 4-7 while going winless in their past three home series, and have failed to claim a home-series victory over a team sporting a winning record so far this season.

Pick: Rangers (+215)

Pittsburgh Pirates vs Milwaukee Brewers Series Prices

Pirates Eye Return to NL Central Contention in Clash with Brewers

The Pittsburgh Pirates will enjoy a golden opportunity to return to contention in the NL Central when they visit the struggling Milwaukee Brewers this weekend as +220 series underdogs.

The Pirates have heated up since opening the month of June on a dismal 2-10 run, posting wins in eight of 11 to climb within five games of the first-place Chicago Cubs.

The @Pirates have beaten the Astros 14-2 and 10-0 over the last two days, the first team ever to win back-to-back interleague games by 10+ runs.

They also became just the 4th NL team since 1900 to hit 4+ HR and 4+ doubles in consecutive games.#LetsGoBucs

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) June 27, 2019

The Pirates ended a seven-game road slide with series victories in Miami and Houston, and have fueled their current surge with a potent offense that has averaged nine runs per game over their past four outings.

Pirates vs Brewers Probable Starting Pitchers

Despite going 5-10 over their past 15 outings, the Brewers welcome the Pirates to town as heavy -270 chalk. Milwaukee is coming off a 4-2 win on Thursday to avoid being swept by the visiting Seattle Mariners.

The Pirates (38-41) have won six of their last seven games and begin a stretch of 16 straight games inside the National League Central. They are 1-6 against the Brewers this season. The Brewers (43-38) have lost nine of their last 13 games. #pirates #dkps

— John Perrotto (@JPerrotto) June 28, 2019

The club has tallied just one win over their past six home series. However, that came against the Pirates, whom they swept in a three-game set earlier this month to improve to 11-5 in their past 16 dates with Pittsburgh.

Pick: Brewers (-270)

Additional MLB Series Odds