MLB Best Bets for Monday, September 6, 2021
Yesterday we lost our parlay, and we lost one of our plays. However, on the other pick, we made four units, so we had a profitable day. I tend to look for plus-money opportunities for that reason. Happy Labor Day to all, let’s make some spending money.
Giants vs. Rockies
Kyle Freeland at one point was an automatic bet on the under when he was pitching at Coors Field. While that trend ended quite some time ago, there are still some nice opportunities when his name pops up on the docket. Freeland left his last start with an injury after only one inning. However, in his previous three starts, he had a nice string of three consecutive quality starts. Kevin Gausman has had a great season for the Giants and he really shines when he is pitching on the road. In 15 road starts, he has a 1.79 ERA. He has yet to pitch at Coors this season, and he hasn’t faced the Rockies this year either. The Rockies hitters are 19 for 67 against Gausman in their collective at-bats. I like this game to go under the 11 run total at -112.
Dodgers vs. Cardinals
All Max Scherzer has done since coming over to the Dodgers from the Nationals is deal. He’s given up five earned runs in 35 innings, and the Dodgers have won every game he has started. He is pitching like the Cy Young-level talent that he is. On the Cardinals side, Miles Mikolas is making his fifth start since returning from injury. So far, he’s faced only the NL Central and has had mixed results. Mikolas is a really talented pitcher, but he might need some more time to shake off some of the rust. The Dodgers hitters have faced Mikolas 44 times and are hitting .239 against him. I like Mikolas to rebound from a rough outing he just had, and I expect Scherzer to allow a run or two at most. Play the under 7.5 and let’s hope the Dodgers hitters don’t demolish Mikolas.
Reds vs. Cubs
The Cubs are hot. They’ve won their last six games and hit two grand slams yesterday. Now, in fairness, they were playing two other teams that have no hope for the playoffs either. But, still, beating the Pirates and Twins is what the Cubs should do, so they took care of business. Today they face the Reds, who still have some slim playoff hopes. Sonny Gray takes the mound for the Reds. Gray has been a better pitcher on the road, he’s pitching to a 2.96 ERA. No one on the Cubs has had much success against Gray. Justin Steele has been refreshing for the Cubs since joining the rotation. Steele is coming off his best start, holding the Twins to just one hit over five innings. Both starters should do their job today, but the Reds have one of the worst bullpens in baseball. I like the Cubs to continue their win streak for at least one more game. Play them at +133.