Best MLB Bets Today: Top MLB Picks For Saturday, June 1

Saturday’s MLB slate is chock-full of afternoon contests. 10 of the 15 games will start between 3:07 p.m. and 4:10 p.m. ET, while the final five will start in the evening. Only one of the games has the potential for weather concerns, so it should be a solid day of MLB action.

Let’s dive into some of my favorite bets for Saturday’s slate.

MLB Bets Today – Picks for Saturday, June 1

Milwaukee Brewers ML vs. Chicago White Sox (-152; FanDuel)

The Brewers have been one of “my teams” all season, and they’ve paid dividends early. They’ve jumped out to a 34-23 record, giving them a 6.0-game lead in the NL Central.

They’re in another good spot to pick up a win on Saturday. They’re taking on the White Sox, who have been the worst team in baseball by a comfortable margin. They have just 15 wins this season, and no other team is below 21.

The Brewers will send Robert Gasser to the bump, who has lived up to the billing as one of the team’s top prospects. He’s pitched to a 1.96 ERA through his first four starts, and his 2.44 xERA puts him in the 94th percentile. His batted ball data is among the best in the league, while he’s walked just 1.1% of opposing batters. He may not be quite this good all season, but I’m not forecasting a ton of regression.

The only reason the Brewers aren’t bigger favorites is that Garrett Crochet will take the mound for the White Sox. Crochet is easily their best pitcher, and his 2.18 xERA is actually better than Gasser’s. Still, Crochet can only do so much. The White Sox also had a starting pitching advantage on Friday, and they had the lead when Erick Fedde left the game. Then, the team’s bullpen proceeded to give up eight earned runs in four innings. Even if Crochet can give the White Sox another lead, the Brewers should be able to get across the finish line.

Colorado Rockies at Los Angeles Dodgers (+270; FanDuel)

Is backing the Rockies against the Dodgers the best idea? Probably not, but if you’re going to do it, you’d want to do it when Cal Quantril was on the mound. That will be the case on Saturday, and Quantril has been outstanding for the Rockies of late. He pitched to a 1.71 ERA in May, and he led the team to a victory over the Phillies in his last outing.

Quantril should at least be able to keep the Dodgers offense at bay, particularly the bottom half of their lineup. The Dodgers have struggled to get production out of their No. 6 through 9 hitters all season, combining for just a .200 batting average. That’s the fourth-worst mark in the MLB.

On the other side, Yoshinobu Yamamoto should be able to silence the Rockies bats. However, Yamamoto hasn’t been unhittable. His 3.41 xERA is mortal, and he ranks in the 19th percentile in hard-hit rate.

If the Rockies can scratch across a couple of runs, the Rockies have the potential to pull off a big upset.

More MLB Bets for Saturday, June 1

Tigers-Red Sox Under 8.5 (-110)

The Tigers have quietly built out an excellent rotation. Tarik Skubal and Jack Flaherty are the headliners, but Reese Olson has also had an outstanding season. He owns a 1.92 ERA, and he generates groundballs at one of the highest rates in the league. Olson should be able to limit the damage vs. the Red Sox on Saturday, while Cooper Criswell is good enough to hold up his end of the bargain.

Ben Lively Under 5.5 strikeouts (-145)

Lively has had a nice year for the Guardians, but he’s clearly been fortunate. His xERA is nearly a full run higher than his actual mark, and his strikeout metrics are all below average. His chase rate puts him in just the second percentile, while his Whiff rate puts him in the 21st. The Nationals aren’t an ideal matchup either, ranking 17th in strikeout rate vs. right-handed pitchers. Lively started the year with back-to-back seven-punchout games, but he’s gone over 5.5 in just one of his past six. This number is simply too high.

2024 MLB Bets Record

Yesterday: 3-1 (+1.07 units)
Season: 113-124-6 (-13.715 units)

All bets are based on half units unless stated otherwise.