After an 0-3 reverse sweep on Friday, we're looking to get right! The Braves blew a 5-0 and a 7-5 lead to the Reds to start the night off in the wrong direction. The Mets kept the bleeding going by losing to the Phillies as slight underdogs.
The worse loss of the night, though, came when the Angels blew a late-inning lead over the lowly Rockies. Baseball is indeed a funny game at times. Oh well, time to shake it off and start another winning streak.
Let's get back in the Win column with 2 MLB Best Bets for Monday, June 26. Good luck with all of your Monday night action on the diamond. Let's ride!
Best Bet: Reds (+126)
Why in the world are the Reds underdogs in this game? Sure, they lost 2 of 3 to the Braves, but that's forgivable since Atlanta is the best team in baseball. We'll gladly back a team like Cincy at a nice underdog price, especially since they're 12-2 over their last 14 games.
Reds rookie Brandon Williamson does scares us a bit, but Orioles starter Cole Irvin has been a complete mess this season. Irvin is 1-3 with a 7.71 ERA, which tells you all that you need to know about his lack of command. Even more telling is that Irvin only ranks in the 2nd percentile in barrel rate.
Those types of numbers won't fare well against a Reds lineup that's been on fire for the entire month of June. Elly De La Cruz is hitting .333 since being called up and he hit for the cycle against Atlanta on Friday. It's the first cycle that Cincy has had since Eric Davis in 1989.
The Reds have the edge in runs scored, batting average, OPS, and bullpen. Don't overthink this one. Take Cincy at this great price!
Best Bet: Angels (-126)
Yep, we're running it back with the Angels even though they burned us on Friday night. It's hard to believe that LAA lost 2 of 3 to Colorado, but they did score 25 runs on Saturday. Though the Angels are a tough team to figure out, they've got the much better offense in this matchup against the Chi-Sox.
The Angels rank 6th in runs, 9th in batting average, and 4th in OPS. The White Sox aren't even close to them in those categories, as they only rank 24th, 22nd, and 25th, respectively. LAA also has a nice bullpen edge (3.59 reliever ERA vs. 4.57).
Reid Detmers doesn't have impressive yearly numbers, but the kid has been dealing of late. The young lefty's ERA is 0.96 over his last 3 starts. Even more impressive is that Detmers ranks in the 89th percentile in barrel rate and 80th percentile in strikeout rate.
Dylan Cease has a couple of nasty pitches, but his hard-hite rate of 47% sticks out like a sore thumb. Look for the Angels lineup to feast on some of his hanging breaking pitches. Lay the small number with LAA.
