Yesterday was not great. It started out promising as the San Diego Padres hit their first five over in the fourth inning but was all downhill from there. That’s baseball, however, and we are still up 1.03 units on the week with a 13-10 record. So, without further adieu, here are our baseball bets for June 30th.
Baseball Bets for June 30th
Headliner: Rays @ Mariners
The Tampa Bay Rays had quite the scare on June 22nd when lefty ace Shane McClanahan left his start early due to “mid-back tightness.” It would prove to only be a day-to-day injury, however, as eight days later he is taking the bump for game one of their weekend series against the Seattle Mariners. McClanahan has long been the favorite to win the AL Cy Young this season. Through 16 starts and 93 innings, he carries an ERA of 2.23 with 100 strikeouts and a 1.12 WHIP. He has been even better over his last seven with a 2.09 ERA over 43 innings. His strikeouts have been down of late as he has not surpassed five in any of his last three starts, but he will be facing a team that strikes out at the third-highest rate in baseball in tonight’s contest.
The Mariners will be countering with rookie Bryce Miller. Through 10 starts, Miller carries a 3.88 ERA with 49 strikeouts and a 0.97 WHIP across 55.2 innings. Over his last seven starts, he has a 5.65 ERA with 31 strikeouts and a 1.25 WHIP across 36.2 innings. Two of those seven starts came against the New York Yankees and the Texas Rangers, where he combined for 15 earned runs over seven innings. The Rays have one of the better offenses in baseball, and it has led them to the best record in baseball. Expect no less tonight.
The Play: Rays ML – 1.5U
Bonus Player Prop: McClanahan O6.5 Strikeouts – 1.5U
The Lone Star State Rivalry: Astros @ Rangers
The Houston Astros take I-45 North to face the Texas Rangers of Arlington. On the mound for the Astros will be swingman Ronel Blanco. In 13 appearances this season, four starts and nine in relief, Blanco holds a 4.63 ERA across 35 innings. In his last seven appearances, he has a 4.33 ERA over 27 innings. Though he does have a higher ERA when starting, he has limited baserunners better in that role. As a starter, he has a 1.30 WHIP and as a reliever, it sits at 1.92. The Astros are coming off a game last night in which they shut out the St. Louis Cardinals 14-0, so how their offense performs tonight against a better starting pitcher will be telling of how the rest of the season will go.
The Texas Rangers are sending Jon Gray to the mound. In 14 starts this season, he holds a 2.89 ERA across 81 innings. Gray has been stellar over his last seven starts, going 43.1 innings and posting a 2.08 ERA with a 0.88 WHIP. On April 15th of this season, in just his third start, Gray did face the Astros in Houston. He only went two innings in that game, however, as he was nailed in the arm by a line-drive comebacker off the bat of notorious slugger Yordan Alvarez. In that short outing, he gave up one run on one walk and one hit. The Rangers hope for a little more length out of their starter this time around, and barring another 103 mph comebacker drilling him in the arm, they should get their desired outcome.
The Play: Rangers ML – 1U
Bonus Player Prop: Corey Seager O1.5 Hits – 0.5U
Clubs As Old As Time: Yankees @ Cardinals
In a battle of the “storied franchises,” the New York Yankees travel to Missouri to take on the St. Louis Cardinals. On the mound for the Yankees will be Luis Severino. In seven starts this season, Severino carries a 5.25 ERA across 36 innings with 32 strikeouts and a 1.50 WHIP. He has performed much worse so far this season than the usual mid-3 ERA he puts up perennially. The Bronx Bombers are coming off of a series against the Oakland Athletics in which Domingo German threw the first perfect game since 2012 and the third all-time for the Yankees.
The Cardinals will send Matthew Liberatore to the mound. In seven starts for Liberatore this season, he holds a 5.60 ERA over 27.1 innings with 21 strikeouts and a 1.65 WHIP. Liberatore is a young lefty that has not panned out as the Cardinals had hoped thus far in his career. He is only 23 years old, however, and has shown flashes of brilliance in the past. Don’t expect much brilliance tonight from either side, as this game will be a shootout and the last of our baseball bets for June 30th.
The Play: Yankees ML – 0.5U
Bonus Total Bet: Game Total O9.5 – 1U
Main photo credits:
Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
Players mentioned:
Shane McClanahan, Bryce Miller, Ronel Blanco, Jon Gray, Yordan Alvarez, Corey Seager, Luis Severino, Domingo German, Matthew Liberatore
