Category: MLB

Detroit Tigers (26-38) vs. Seattle Mariners (33-31)

Time/Place: 1:10 p.m., Comerica Park
SB Nation Site: Lookout Landing
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: RHP Keider Montero (2-3, 3.69 ERA) vs. RHP Bryce Miller (1-0, 1.71 ERA)

Does anyone reading this need any reminders about how the NLDS ended in 2025? Didn’t think so.

Orion Kerkering’s 2025 season was disappointing after a very good 2024 where he seemed primed for a future late-inning role. The Phillies let Jeff Hoffman walk for Jordan Romano with the idea that Kerkering would fill a bigger role.

Kerkering struggled to with throwing quality strikes and getting consistent chase. He has always had a knack for generating weak contact but he walked more hitters and struggled to keep the ball on the ground as he did so well before.

There were greater concerns with the overall profile. He backed off throwing his patented sweeper because it wasn’t as good of a shape. He lost three inches of drop and a few more inches of horizontal break in an attempt to throw the pitch a little harder.

Velocity gain is generally a good thing, even on pitches like sweepers that require more movement but it just didn’t play as well. Opponents slugged 81 points better against the offering than they did in 2024 and he was not getting as much chase. The trade off just wasn’t worth it.

He also probably needed another secondary pitch to lefties, even if it was just for show. Left handed hitters had a .738 OPS against him which forced Rob Thomson to utilize him differently. Since Kerkering wasn’t a great option to trust for three hitters, they asked him to pitch dirty innings against certain matchups.

After all of that, Kerkering needed to do at least two things for a better 2026: get the sweeper back to it’s 2024 shape and to develop a second off-speed pitch.

The sweeper profile is now much closer to 2024 with roughly the same amount of vertical drop and only slightly less horizontal movement. Kerkering’s outlier sweeper movement worked not just for getting whiffs but for generating soft contact because hitters don’t often see a pitch like it.

He then developed a splitter. It’s not a great pitch since it has well below average drop but it’s another look for left handed hitters and he can locate it.

With a four-pitch mix, the Phillies now have the flexibility to use his arsenal differently than in the past.

Kerkering’s best strike pitch is without question his sweeper, so he is now throwing it more over the plate to get ahead in counts. Given the movement profile, it’s not as risky a bet because hitters generally don’t hit the pitch hard. Despite the middle-middle location, opponents have a hard hit rate of only 17.9% against his sweeper

(image from BaseballSavant)

With the pitch ending over the middle of the plate a lot, the fastballs should be higher in the zone to stay within the sequence tunnel he is working.

It’s risky, especially since Kerkering does not possess a plus fastball but he throws it at 97.4 mph and hitters will be late when it’s sequenced with the sweeper.

The sinker is more fascinating He is landing the pitch on the inner third of the plate to right handed hitters like he has in the past but it’s higher in the zone. Instead of working a traditional east-west approach, throwing the sinker high and in works off the tunnel.

(image from BaseballSavant)

Finally, there is the splitter that can work below the zone to keep hitters honest. He is throwing it 14% of the time to lefties and it forces them to stay honest on the outside part of the plate.

There are some indicators that a 2.49 ERA is probably on the high end of outcomes. He is not getting the groundballs he once generated in 2024 and is riding the highest strand rate of his career. But this is a pitcher figuring out who he is in real time and getting results in the process.

Well, yesterday’s kickoff of a ten-game, three-city ~East Coast road trip could have gone better, with the M’s falling 7-3 to the Tigers in a rainy, muddy mess and J.P. Crawford needing to leave the game thanks to a Framber Valdez hit-by-pitch. It’s a new day today, though, and what better time to bounce back than some breakfast ball and a newly piggyback-less Bryce Miller on the mound?

Lineups:

X-rays for Crawford’s hand yesterday were thankfully negative, but it is zero surprise at all that he is out of the lineup today. Colt Emerson will move over to shortstop, Patrick Wisdom steps in at the hot corner, and Cole Young will slide up to the leadoff spot for the second time of the season.

Detroit’s first seven hitters are unchanged from yesterday, with the exception of rookie sensation Kevin McGonigle being at shortstop rather than third base and Colt Keith taking over duties there, but Matt Vierling and Wenceel Pérez will be patrolling center and right field respectively.

Game Info:

First Pitch: 10:10am PDT

TV: Mariners.TV

Radio: Old Reliable

Today’s roster move: Here

Saturday notes…

• PICKING UP THE PIECES: The Cubs are 10-10 in second games of series, but have lost seven of eight, with their only win at St. Louis on May 30. They are 5-5 in second games at home, but 1-4 after having lost first games. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• TOO MANY RUNS ALLOWED: Yesterday’s 18-3 debacle was the fifth game this season in which the Cubs gave up double-digit runs. They won the next game after three of the previous four, most recently by 10-4 at Pittsburgh on May 27, the day after a 12-1 loss. They did it once at home, losing to the Nationals on Opening Day, 10-4, then beating them, 10-2. Since 2014, the Cubs are 64-60 in games after allowing at least 10 runs. They have given up an average of 4.6 runs in those games. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• RUN DIFFERENTIAL: With their 18-3 loss yesterday, the Cubs’ run differential for the season is down to +3: 299 scored, 296 allowed. The last time it was lower was April 6, when it was +1, 41-40, after a 6-4 loss at Tampa. That was their 10th game of the season. Their peak was +56, 215-159, on May 8, after a 7-1 win at Texas that was the last of the Cubs’ second 10-game winning streak. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• PCA, STREAKING: Pete Crow-Armstrong is on a 10-game hitting streak in which he is batting .366/.447/.659 (15-for-41) with three doubles, three home runs, seven RBI and seven runs scored.

Cubs lineup:

Giants lineup:

Ben Brown, RHP vs. Landen Roupp, RHP

Ben Brown has been just outstanding since he joined the Cubs rotation.

Over those five starts: 1.73 ERA, 1.79 FIP, 0.846 WHIP, 29 strikeouts in 26 innings. NO home runs. In fact, Brown hasn’t allowed a home run since he gave one up to Jacob Young of the Nationals on Opening Day — the very first batter he faced this year.

Keep up the great work, Ben.

Landen Roupp had a decent year for the Giants in 2025, and this year was doing all right until the Brewers pounded him this past Monday with eight runs in five innings. He walked five Brewers, and walks have been an issue for him at times this year.

Roupp last faced the Cubs May 5, 2025 at Wrigley Field and allowed four runs (two earned) in five innings. Ian Happ homered off him.

Here is the weather forecast for the area around Wrigley Field.

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network. It’s also streaming on Peacock (outside the Cubs and Giants market territories).

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Giants site McCovey Chronicles. If you do go there to interact with Giants fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.

You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.

The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.

You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Hey, you, reading this. Who is the Pittsburgh Pirates’ best starter? Paul Skenes, yeah? That’s an easy one. But, who’s the Pirates’ second-best starter? Well, if you read the title of this post, you probably have an inkling… it’s Braxton Ashcraft.

The 26-year-old Texan was taken 51st overall in the 2018 MLB Draft. Despite a series of serious injuries (meniscus, Tommy John Surgery) as he developed in the minors, he made his MLB debut last year in a swing role, and seriously impressed in a manner commensurate with his draft pedigree and top prospect status: a 63 ERA-, 68 FIP-, and 86 xFIP- in 69 2/3 innings spanning eight starts and 18 relief appearances, good for 1.6 fWAR.

Fully ascended to the rotation in 2026, Ashcraft has nearly rivaled Skenes in effectiveness so far. He’s made 12 starts, lasted 74 2/3 innings, and already has 2.0 fWAR with a 66/74/76 line. For the record, Skenes is at 74/64/71 this year (2.2 fWAR in 13 starts), so… that’s quite a one-two punch they’re packing in Pittsburgh these days.

How does Ashcraft do it? Well, mostly how you’d expect. He throws really hard (97 mph average on his heater) and has almost-excellent command. The only pitch that has notable inconsistency in mechanics is his curve, but when you’re fending off a 97 mph four-seamer and a 91 mph slider-cutter thing, it gets harder to punish an 85 mph curve that works more like a traditional slider with a bunch more depth, even if Ashcraft mostly tends to throw it in the zone. Does he have any weaknesses? Lefties tend to do okay against him when they’re not swinging through that curve, so the Braves’ best bet might be for Michael Harris II and company to guess a fastball or slider/cutter and let loose.

Ashcraft is also coming off a pretty dominant outing against the Twins with an 11/0 K/BB ratio in six innings, so… good luck, Braves!

On the flip side, the Braves will hand the ball to a once-dominant phenom who is still figuring out what his career will look like going forward. Spencer Strider comes into the game with a 91/116/93 line in 31 innings (six starts). The run prevention results for him and his defense are above-average, and his pitching’s been in that range as well… but boy, those homers. Strider started his season with just one longball against him in his first three starts, but then the Marlins hit three off him, and the Red Sox tagged him for two first-inning dingers in Boston. He rebounded with a very nice outing against the Reds (8/2 K/BB ratio, his best start of the year in six tries so far)… except that Ronald Acuña Jr. concentrated a series of defensive flubs in right field into the same game, and things didn’t go quite so great for the Braves in a loss — their first defeat in a Strider start this year.

Will the Braves win the set this afternoon, or will they need to rely on a rubber game victory to do so? Stay tuned and find out.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Saturday, June 6, 4:10 p.m. EDT

Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA

TV: BravesVision

Streaming: MLB.tv

Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan, La Mejor 1600/1460/1130 AM

The Mets have granted the release of LHP Anderson Severino for him to play in Japan, according to The Athletic's Will Sammon.

Severino, 31, was recently designated for assignment by New York on May 30 to make room for Cionel Pérez on the 40-man roster.

While he did not pitch in the big leagues with the Mets, Severino went 2-0 with five saves, 20 strikeouts, and a 1.31 ERA over 18 appearances with Triple-A Syracuse.

Severino signed a minor league contract with New York in November 2025 and played in three spring training games this year, but struggled with a 13.50 ERA over 2.2 innings. He was then reassigned to minor league camp on March 1.

For his major league career, the left-hander has appeared in six games (all with the Chicago White Sox in 2022) and owns a 6.14 ERA with nine strikeouts over 7.1 IP.

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The Texas Rangers opened their series against the Cleveland Guardians with a low-scoring victory.

My Guardians vs. Rangers predictions are banking on more of the same Saturday night.

Let's take a closer look at my MLB picks for June 6.

Who will win Guardians vs Rangers today: Texas Rangers (-115)

Tanner Bibee has really struggled on the road, posting a 5.96 ERA and alarming underlying metrics to boot.

Bibee has induced soft contact just 6.5% of the time on balls put in play, the lowest among today’s starting pitchers. He has also allowed a sky-high 26% line drive rate.

With Wyatt Langford and Corey Seager healthy again, the Texas Rangers have a more dangerous lineup to slow down.

Jack Leiter has pitched much better at home. He shouldn’t need much run support against a 22nd ranked Cleveland Guardians offense.

Back the Rangers to -125.

COVERS INTEL:Tanner Bibee ranks in the 26th percentile in Pitching Run Value.

Guardians vs Rangers Over/Under pick: Under 8.0 (-115)

Leiter has made three starts at home against Bottom-15 offenses in OBP vs. right-handed pitching. He allowed a total of five runs while averaging just under 17 outs.

The Guardians rank 24th in OBP and 29th in average against right-handed pitching. Hitting for power at Globe Life Field is difficult to do, and they aren’t well-equipped to string together hits against Leiter.

The Rangers average almost a full run less per game at home. Playing in such a pitcher-friendly environment should help Bibee mask his problems.

Play the Under to -125.

Guardians vs Rangers odds

• Moneyline: Guardians -105 | Rangers -115
• Run line: Guardians -1.5 (+160) | Rangers +1.5 (-190)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-115) | Under 7.5 (-105)

Guardians vs Rangers trend

Texas has hit the Game Total Under in 23 of their last 35 home games (+12.20 units, 32% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Guardians vs. Rangers.

How to watch Guardians vs Rangers and game info

Guardians vs Rangers latest injuries

Guardians vs Rangers weather

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

With the uncertainty surrounding Gavin Lux’s health, the Rays are relatively thin in the middle infield. Richie Palacios (103 wRC+ vs righties) and Ben Williamson (92 wRC+ vs lefties) have done their best to platoon the second base position into close to league average production, but the Rays would be wise to consider some external candidates to take over if Lux remains on the IL much longer.

A potential trade target is Giants second baseman Luis Arraez. Arraez hadn’t played much second base since 2023, but the Giants seem to have helped him find another gear defensively at the position. While I don’t think he is as good as his early-season Outs Above Average (OAA) numbers suggest, I do believe that he’s a passable defender there who will make the plays he’s supposed to make. But the Rays wouldn’t be trading him for his glove.

Arraez is as consistent as they come in his ability to spray line drives all over the field. His contact-oriented profile fits the Rays new offensive identity well, and his career 126 wRC+ against righties makes him even more enticing. It’s rare for a team in contention like the Rays to be able to improve second-base production from roughly league average to comfortably above average without a tradeoff in defensive quality. As a pending free agent, Arraez is one of the few veterans on the roster who could bring back meaningful prospect value if San Francisco decides to sell. His positional fit, production, and status on his current team make him an ideal trade target for the Rays.

So what could it take to acquire Arraez? Unlike a frontline starter, Arraez is a rental bat playing a lower-value defensive position, which should keep the acquisition cost below the Flewelling/Hopkins tier discussed previously. I think it starts with one of the players in the third tier of prospects I mentioned in my last write-up:

• SS Daniel Pierce
• C Caden Bodine
• RHP Michael Forret
• INF Cooper Flemming
• RHP Anderson Brito
• RHP Santiago Suarez
• RHP TJ Nichols

It might feel like a slight overpay to give up one of these guys to get a rental bat, but that’s generally what happens heading into the trade deadline; the Rays would not just be trying to give something of value to land Arraez – they would be trying to make a better offer than several other teams. The Rays may even need to throw in an additional low-minors level lottery ticket type to get the deal done.

The appeal of a move like this is that it addresses a legitimate need without materially changing the organization’s long-term outlook. Arraez would deepen the lineup for a postseason run, the acquisition cost should remain manageable, and the Rays would still retain enough prospect depth to address other needs before the deadline.

The Yankees eked out a win on Thursday to avoid being swept by the Guardians, largely on the back of an excellent start from Carlos Rodón. Rodón held Cleveland to a run on two hits and three walks against seven strikeouts in six innings. That makes it three straight starts by the veteran southpaw of at least five innings and just one run allowed, lowering his season ERA to 2.88 through five outings. There as a moment in the fourth inning that I felt showcased the Rodón of old, earning the nod for Sequence of the Week.

We join Rodón with no outs in the top of the fourth, facing Travis Bazzana. There are runners on first and second and no one out after José Ramírez led off with a single followed by a Rhys Hoskins walk. Bazzana was selected first overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, made his debut at the end of April, and has been one of the Guardians’ most productive hitters with a 128 wRC+ entering play, lauded for his bat-to-ball skills and all fields approach. Given the way the Yankees offense had been struggling in the wake of Aaron Judge’s broken rib, it became imperative that Rodón silence this threat.

Rodón starts Bazzana with an elevated 96 mph four-seamer.

This is exactly the type of fastball that Rodón was known for at the very peak of his powers — high velocity, late life, and pinpointed right to the top shelf of the strike zone. Bazzana has no shot at catching up with this heater and whiffs underneath it late.

Now that Bazzana has shown a willingness to swing at a fastball up and in, the logical follow-up pitch would be a slider down and away that starts down a similar tunnel before dropping off the table late.

Unfortunately, Rodón is a little too high with his release point. The slider therefore exits his hand looking like a ball well above the strike zone and never looks like a strike during its path toward home, making for an easy take from Bazzana.

Given how good the first pitch fastball must have felt coming out of Rodón’s hand, it is no surprise to see him return to the heat here to get back ahead in the count after the mis-executed slider.

He nails almost the exact same location as the first four-seamer he threw and the end result is effectively the same. Bazzana is late with his swing and underneath a pitch that just doesn’t drop as much as he is expecting thanks to its excellent life, fouling it back over the screen for strike two.

With the count to two strikes, Rodón instantly goes for the kill with his typical put-away pitch against lefties — the slider low and away. The question is whether he can make the mid-AB adjustment from the first one he threw.

The answer, as it turns out, was no. Rodón sails another slider, this one even worse than the first. It’s almost like the pitch slips out of his hand with how high it lands. This is about as non-competitive a 1-2 slider as you are going to see and about as automatic a take as Bazzana could hope for with the count leverage so overwhelmingly not in his favor.

Following two substantial misses with the slider this AB, I’ll admit I was surprised to see Rodón double up on the pitch in this spot.

That’s now three sliders and three pieces of poor execution. This pitch starts aimed at Bazzana’s front shoulder, the late glove-side movement and Bazzana’s evasive maneuvers combining to prevent this from being a hit-by-pitch.

Rodón has worked himself into a spot of bother with those two sliders, going from fully in the driver’s seat, 1-2, to being a ball away from walking the bases loaded with no outs. It becomes obvious from this point forward that all Bazzana is going to see is four-seamers, a fact of which I’m sure the hitter is fully aware. That being said, Bazzana has not shown in this encounter that he has the ability to put Rodón’s fastball in play, provided that Rodón keeps hitting his spot at the top of the zone.

That’s exactly what Rodón does, unleashing his third perfectly executed four-seamer of the AB. This pitch just nips the top of the zone, meaning Bazzana has to swing or risk being punched out looking. However, he has not made the adjustment to his swing path to be able to get on top of this pitch, and once again all he is able to do is fight it off foul despite knowing exactly what is coming.

With Bazzana’s eyes clearly set for the elevated four-seamer but with no other pitch he can reasonably throw in this spot, there is an opportunity for Rodón to exploit what Bazzana is hunting by climbing the ladder a little higher than the previous pitch, in effect throwing the pitch that the hitter wants him to but in a spot that is just out of reach.

Talk about a literal perfect pitch. Rodón elevates this four-seamer ever so slightly higher than the previous one, and this time Bazzana can’t fight it off to stay alive. This is such an enticing pitch given it is over the plate, and it’s close enough to the top shelf of the zone that Bazzana is forced to swing. But Rodón commands it inside enough such that the hitter is not given a chance to get extended, which would make it easier to foul off, and the heater handcuffs Bazzana as he whiffs underneath for a huge first out of the inning.

Here’s the full sequence:

This snapshot is as good as I can remember Rodón’s four-seamer in pinstripes. Over the spring, he talked about how the bone spurs were preventing him from really letting lose and throwing the pitch with full conviction in 2025. The pitch currently sports its highest whiff rate (25%) during his time with the Yankees with a little extra velocity and almost an inch less drop than last year, taking the pitch from a 104 Stuff+ grade to 108.

This was also a bit of a “welcome to the big leagues” moment of sorts for Bazzana, who has been otherwise great thus far for the Guardians. Look at that tight grouping of heaters at top of strike zone. The final four-seamer for the strikeout was 97 mph with 18 inches of induced vertical break, both elite marks that the Cleveland rookie will have to get used to seeing in the majors. Bazzana has done most of his damage off the off-speed in his young career, so the attack plan of heaters up and me confirms that Rodón and J.C. Escarra read the scouting report.

Lastly, I liked seeing the mid-game adjustment when it became obvious Rodón had no feel for the slider. Most of his sliders including the three in this AB sailed high, which tells me that Rodón hasn’t quite found the release point that made the pitch so deadly last year. It looks to me that he’s not quite finishing the pitch all the way out in front, which should be something to monitor in his next start. All the same, this AB tells me that Rodón is pretty much all the way back from his injury and can even improve upon his stellar results from last year, which would make it four straight seasons of getting better than the year before.

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For today's busy slate, I've found the value in the MLB player props home run market.

I'll include Michael Massey, Isaac Paredes, and Andrew Benintendi.

Read more in my MLB picks for Saturday, June 6.

Best MLB home run props today

Player to hit a HR	Odds
Michael Massey	+640
Isaac Paredes	+510
Andrew Benintendi	+435
💲Today's HR parlay	+24702

Home run pick: Michael Massey (+640)

He may not be a household name, but Michael Massey is torching baseballs right now.

He has three homers in his last six games and a 47.6% hard-hit rate during that span. The 21.2-degree average launch angle over the last week also stands out, and it's particularly important for this matchup.

Joe Ryan takes the hill for the Minnesota Twins, and he's allowed a 43.2% hard-hit rate across his last two outings. Additionally, 47.2% of the contact against him during that stretch has come through the air, with 17.6% of those fly balls leaving the yard.

With Massey consistently generating hard contact and lift, and Ryan struggling to keep the ball on the ground lately, this is an appealing spot for another long ball.

I'll play this pick up to +600.

• Time: 2:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Royals.TV, Twins.TV

Home run pick: Isaac Paredes (+510)

Houston Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes has an astounding .550 ISO over his last six games, and it's no surprise that he's also gone deep three times.

But it gets better.

He also owns a 62.5% hard-hit rate and 25% barrel rate over the last week, with an average launch angle just above 20 degrees.

The matchup tonight will see him face Athletics rookie Kade Morris, who is making his big-league debut. While there's limited data on Morris at this level, he did allow eight home runs across 11 Triple-A starts before his promotion.

That's far from ideal against a hitter swinging the bat as well as Paredes.

With the Astros third baseman consistently generating elite power numbers, this looks like another favorable spot for a long ball. I'll play this pick up to +450.

• Time: 4:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: NBC Sports California, Space City Home Network

Home run pick: Andrew Benintendi (+435)

Andrew Benintendi has a .500 ISO across his previous six contests, along with a 61.5% hard-hit rate and 23.1% barrel rate. The Chicago White Sox slugger is consistently squaring up the baseball, and he'll face Philadelphia Phillies starter Andrew Painter this afternoon.

Painter has given up 1.86 home runs per nine innings across his last two appearances, while opponents have generated a 36.4% hard-hit rate against him. Additionally, 51% of the contact against Painter during that span has come through the air.

His 5.32 xFIP also suggests he's been vulnerable lately.

While Benintendi's fly-ball rate over the last week sits just below 40%, his recent power surge is difficult to ignore. If Painter continues allowing elevated contact, Benintendi has a strong opportunity to take advantage.

I'll play this pick up to +400.

• Time: 4:05 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Chicago Sports Network, NBC Sports Philadelphia

Today’s HR parlay

Michael Massey	Bet Now +24702
Isaac Paredes
Andrew Benintendi

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

The Los Angeles Angels, ranked fifth in the AL West with a 24-40 record, face the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are first in the NL West with a 41-23 record. The Los Angeles Dodgers are favored with a -375 moneyline compared to the Los Angeles Angels' +290. Starting pitchers are Jack Kochanowicz for the Angels, with a 5.23 ERA, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto for the Dodgers, with a 2.86 ERA.

How to watch Los Angeles Angels vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

• Date: Saturday, June 6

• Time: 10:10 p.m. ET / 7:10 p.m. PT

• Where: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA

• TV Channels: SportsNet LA, ABTV, presented by Pechanga Resort Casino, KCOP 13

• Live Stream:ESPN+, MLB.TV | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Team records

• Los Angeles Angels: 24-40 (#5 in AL West)

• Los Angeles Dodgers: 41-23 (#1 in NL West)

Odds

• Spread: Los Angeles Dodgers -2.5

• Moneyline: Los Angeles Dodgers -375 / Los Angeles Angels +290

• Over/Under: 8.5

Starting pitchers

Los Angeles Angels: Jack Kochanowicz (2-4, ERA: 5.23, K: 46, WHIP: 1.48)

Los Angeles Dodgers: Yoshinobu Yamamoto (5-4, ERA: 2.86, K: 69, WHIP: 1.00)

Series: Game 2 of 3 (series tied)

Weather: 70°F at first pitch

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The St. Louis Cardinals will look to clinch just their second series win in two weeks when they host the Cincinnati Reds in the second game of their weekend series.

Nothing gets Cardinal bats started like playing Cincinnati, and St. Louis hopes to keep the hitting going on Saturday.

The Reds are in danger of losing their third series in a row, and with the Cardinals having an edge in the pitching matchup, my Reds vs. Cardinals predictions and MLB picks call for St. Louis to get the win.

Who will win Reds vs Cardinals today: Cardinals -1.5 run line (+165)

The St. Louis Cardinals have scored 24 runs in three games against the Cincinnati Reds this season. Jordan Walker, in particular, loves seeing the Reds, hitting .500 with five extra-base hits and eight RBIs. 

Reds starter Nick Lodolo doesn't seem like a candidate to slow the St. Louis onslaught. Lodolo's fastball is in the bottom 5% of MLB, and his barrel rate allowed is in the bottom 2%. His barrel rate (14.3%) nearly matches his strikeout rate (18.3%).

The Cards' last three wins have been by multiple runs. I'd take them and give the runs until about +150, or until the moneyline gets closer to -110.

COVERS INTEL:  Lodolo throws his sinker nearly 23% of the time, even though batters are slugging 1.000 against it with a .444 average. He's given up almost as many extra base hits on the sinker (8) as swings and misses (9).

Reds vs Cardinals Over/Under pick: Under 9.5 (-122)

The total market is teetering on the verge of being too expensive. I'd prefer a cutoff at a run lower and closer to even odds, but I'll take -122. Not much steeper.

St. Louis has allowed under five runs in four of the last five. Cincinnati doesn't have much punch with Elly de la Cruz hurt. The Reds have lost six of eight, hitting the five-run mark once. They're scoring less than three a game with Elly out.

Cards starter Matthew Liberatore is coming off a scoreless 5.1 innings. He dropped his ERA by .77 runs and his WHIP by .096 in May.

Reds vs Cardinals odds

• Moneyline: Reds +117 | Cardinals -122
• Run line: Reds +1.5 (-178) | Cardinals -1.5 (+170)
• Over/Under: Over 9.5 (+117) | Under 9.5 (-122)

Reds vs Cardinals trend

The St. Louis Cardinals have covered the Run Line in 30 of their last 45 games (+9.25 Units / 14% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for Reds vs. Cardinals.

How to watch Reds vs Cardinals and game info

Reds vs Cardinals latest injuries

Reds vs Cardinals weather

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

The Boston Red Sox, ranked fifth in the AL East with a 27-35 record, face the New York Yankees, who are second in the AL East with a 37-26 record. The New York Yankees are favored with a -120 moneyline compared to the Boston Red Sox's +110. Starting pitchers are Ranger Suarez for Boston, with a 3.38 ERA, and Will Warren for New York, with a 3.22 ERA.

How to watch Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees

• Date: Saturday, June 6

• Time: 7:35 p.m. ET / 4:35 p.m. PT

• Where: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

• TV Channels: FOX

• Live Stream:ESPN+, MLB.TV | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Team records

• Boston Red Sox: 27-35 (fifth in AL East)

• New York Yankees: 37-26 (second in AL East)

Odds

• Spread: New York Yankees -1.5

• Moneyline: New York Yankees -120 / Boston Red Sox +110

• Over/Under: 8.5

Starting pitchers

Boston Red Sox: Ranger Suarez (2-3, ERA: 3.38, K: 57, WHIP: 1.16)

New York Yankees: Will Warren (7-1, ERA: 3.22, K: 70, WHIP: 1.20)

Series: Game 2 of 3 (series tied)

Weather: 87°F at first pitch

The Cubs keep trying to fix the pitching mix.

Saturday, they recalled right-hander Javier Assad from Triple-A Iowa.

To make room for Assad on the 26-man roster, right-hander Ethan Roberts was optioned to Triple-A Iowa.

Assad has made eight appearances for the Cubs this year (three starts) with a 5.88 ERA and 1.269 WHIP. At Iowa, Assad has posted a 7.88 ERA in five starts. He was sent to Iowa to stretch out to start but threw just one inning and threw only six pitches in his last outing June 3. The short outing might have been to keep him available for this recall.

Roberts has a 1.96 ERA and 1.091 WHIP in 14 relief appearances for the Cubs this year. He’s been fairly reliable, but the Cubs might be looking for someone who can go multiple innings, as Assad can.

As always, we await further developments.

Folks, I’m afraid that we’re going to have to talk about Mauricio Dubón once again. Well, I’m not so much “afraid” of it as I am happy to do so, since this has been one heck of a week at the plate for ol’ Dubie. Dubón hit another big homer during Friday’s 6-3 win for the Atlanta Braves over the Pittsburgh Pirates and he’s now hit a homer in three straight games — a new personal best mark for Dubón in terms of homer streaks.

Earlier this week when he spoke to the media, Dubón stated that he was a “confident” guy and that he was relishing the opportunity to get the chance to show what he can do with the bat in big-time situations. This was yet another case of Dubón coming through in the big moments as both of hits came with two strikes on the board this time. I asked Dubón about where his confidence level is at right now and whether or not it’s spiking at the moment or if this is just how he normally operates.

“I’m very cocky,” said Dubón. “I know I can do it. I know I can go out there and […] let my game speak for itself. I’ve always got the chip on my shoulder so I know I can go out there and perform.”

He’s definitely been performing as of late, as he’s upped his slash line to .259/.315/.418 with a wOBA of .324 and a wRC+ of 105. For Dubón, his current wOBA and wRC+ would both be career-high numbers for him and while he did also acknowledge the ebbs and flows of a season, he seems determined to make sure that he’s making the best of this opportunity that he’s got so far.

Dubón also credited manager Walt Weiss for giving him the opportunities in the first place and Weiss was more-than-happy to deflect that praise onto his capable utilityman. “With all of the big hits he’s had, it’s pretty easy to write his name in the lineup,” explained Weiss when he was asked about Dubón’s performance so far. “It’s easy for me to write Dubón’s name in the lineup because of what he’s been doing all year. He seems to be in the middle of a lot of really good things this year.”

“He’s a treat to be around,” continued Weiss when he was asked further questions about Dubón. “It’s good energy every day. He loves playing baseball and I know that sounds weird but he truly does. You never see him without a smile on his face. Even on the days when he’s not playing, he’s a pro and he’s already ready. When he’s not in the starting lineup, he’s ready to pinch-hit or go in the game. He doesn’t even have to get any warning.”

“He’s a really good player and I think the Atlanta fans are seeing what this guy really is,” exclaimed Weiss. “Maybe he hasn’t had so many opportunities along the way but you put this guy out there and he helps you win games.”

Dubón as certainly helped the Braves a ton this season and we’re only seeing it start to ramp up with his performances this week. We’ve already talked about the versatility that he brings to the table and his sky-high confidence and now we’re starting to see him really put it all together in order to hit a level that we haven’t seen from him in other destinations. We’ll see if Dubón can continue to keep things going in the right direction as he continues to get the job done for the Braves here in 2026.