Nippon Professional Baseball Odds, Picks & Best Bets for June 25

• Previously perfect Yomiuri Giants (4-1) handed first loss of the season by Hiroshima Toyo Carp
• Chiba Lotte Marines (4-1) now hold the longest active winning streak after their fourth straight win
• See odds and best bets for all the Nippon Professional Baseball action taking place on June 25th

Even in a condensed 120-game Nippon Professional Baseball season, it’s still far too soon to see definitive patterns taking shape.

Case in point: on Tuesday, the Yomiuri Giants were handed their first defeat of the young season by the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, and have now fallen into a three-way tie with the Chiba Lotte Marines and the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles for the best record in Japanese baseball.

Still, Wednesday brings a whole new outlook, and with Chiba pushing for a fifth consecutive win, maybe they can separate themselves from the pack. Here’s a glimpse at all the moneylines, runlines, and game totals for Thursday, June 25th.

NPB Odds: June 25th

Odds as of June 24.

Marines on the March

It might only have been five days ago, but Friday’s season-opening, extra-innings loss to the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks seems like a lifetime ago for the Chiba Lotte Marines.

Since that defeat, Chiba has been on a tear, rolling to four straight victories and a perch atop the Pacific League alongside the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles courtesy of identical 4-1 records.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaAeJ6Ay-5o

With the likes of former major-leaguers Leonys Martin and infielder Brandon Laird in their lineup, the Marines have the second-most-potent offense in the Pacific League thus far, posting 21 runs. And it is Laird who has done much of the leading with his bat, putting up a team-leading .438 batting average with three home runs and six runs batted in.

SE CALIENTA LAIRD

Brandon Laird disparó su tercer cuadrangular de la temporada, segundo en días consecutivos, al irse de 3-2 con 3 remolcadas y dos anotadas para los Chiba Lotte Marines de Japón #NPB. #LaCasaDelRey pic.twitter.com/M6fZXkc02r

— Beisbolpuro (@Beisbolpuro) June 24, 2020

And that offense will be counted on to hand Adam Jones and the Orix Buffaloes a third consecutive loss in Chiba on Wednesday. Orix has a two pairs of losses on the season sandwiched around its solitary win. Its offense has put up a Pacific League-low 15 runs, with Jones, arguably the biggest name among former MLB players, struggling to adapt so far. The former Baltimore Oriole is batting just .263 with one RBI on the season.

Pick: Marines (-160); Over 8.0 (-125)

Can Rick Roll?

After pulling themselves out of the Pacific League basement with Tuesday’s 9-6 win over the Seibu Lions, the three-time defending Japanese champions Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks will try to build on that, starting with Wednesday’s third contest of six straight against the Lions.

But while the Hawks offense broke out in a big way in Tuesday’s win – scoring more runs in one game than it had cumulatively in the previous four – Fukuoka will have confidence in handing the ball to former major-league starter Rick van den Hurk.

Though he hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2012 with Pittsburgh, the Dutch right-hander has been plying his trade in Asian leagues ever since, first in South Korea and now in Japan. And even at 35, he’s no slouch.

Rick van den Hurk
KKKKKKKK pic.twitter.com/XmexaqbIac

— ここうちゃん🍓🇧🇪 (@ouou__38) September 20, 2019

In five seasons in Japan, he’s compiled a 41-17 record with a 3.50 ERA and has averaged nearly 10 strikeouts per nine innings. If the offense can stay in the groove it established in Tuesday’s win, Van den Hurk should have all the run support he’ll need.

Pick: Hawks (-135); Under 10.0 (-110)