Another winning day in our MLB betting tips last Thursday moves us to 12-6 on the 2018 season so far! We’ll look to continue our momentum as we preview the key games of the day this Thursday, the 7th of June below.
Arizona Diamondbacks at San Francisco Giants (5.45am AEST)
After being let go from the Boston Red Sox at the end of last season, Clay Bucholz was signed to a minor deal with the Diamondbacks last month and has so far pitched well in all of his three starts. He has a 1-1 record with a 1.50 ERA so far this season and comes up against the Giants in San Francisco on Thursday morning.
The Diamondbacks currently sit atop the NL West with a 31-28 record, but such is the tightness of the division that wins from the Giants on Wednesday and Thursday against the Diamondbacks would see them jump from third to first in the division.
Chris Stratton will be on the mound for the Giants on Thursday morning. The righty has a 7-3 record so far this season with a 4.50 ERA. He has arguably the more consistent pitcher of the two this season so far and I have a lot more faith in the Giants batting line-up at the moment, especially after a big 10-3 home win against Arizona on Tuesday.
TIP: San Francisco -1.5 - $2.40 at CrownBet
Detroit Tigers at Boston Red Sox (9.10am AEST)
The Red Sox have been waiting for Eduardo Rodriguez to develop for a few years now and 2018 seems to finally be the year for him so far. He has a 6-1 record through 11 starts in 2018 and is maintaining a healthy 3.88 ERA. He is by no means an ace yet, but behind Sale, Porcello and Price he is a well above fourth string.
He’ll be up against Blaine Hardy on Thursday morning, who has just two starts in relief for an injured starter so far this year. However, he has been good in those two starts and has made a case to keep his spot with a 2-0 record and 2.77 ERA.
There’s something about the Boston batting lineup at the moment that just makes me question betting against them, especially at home, where they have a great 20-8 record. The Red Sox are first in the majors in both hits and runs and I expect them to win comfortably on Thursday morning.
TIP: Boston -1.5 - $1.89 at Sportsbet
Philadelphia Phillies at Chicago Cubs (10.05am AEST)
Both the Phillies and the Cubs will be looking for a strong performance in this series as both currently sit within three games of their respective division leaders. The Phillies have lost their last three games in a row and on the contrary, Chicago have won their last four as they start to return to their World Series form of 2016.
Jose Quintana will be on the mound for the Cubs, and will be looking to carry on from an impressive start last week in which he threw six scoreless innings and earned the win for the Cubs.
Aaron Nola has been the Phillies best starting pitcher so fat this season and maintains a 7-2 record with a 2.18 ERA. The right hander is currently second in the NL Cy Young predictor race and we like him to do the job on the Cubs here.
TIP: Philadelphia to win – Price not yet available
