Friday’s MLB slate is heavy on evening action. There are 14 games to choose from, with each contest starting at 6:40 p.m. ET. Only the Phillies and Mets are missing from the schedule as those two squads prepare to clash in London.

We’re coming off a perfect 4-0 day on Thursday, and we’re slowly but surely climbing out of the hole we dug ourselves to start the year. We’ve still got a long way to go, but there’s lots of season left.

Let’s see if we can chip away at the deficit a little more on Friday with four of my favorite bets.

MLB Bets Today – Picks for Friday, June 7

Cincinnati Reds ML vs. Chicago Cubs (-120; FanDuel)

Nick Lodolo will be on the bump for the Reds on Friday, and he’s one of my favorite pitchers to back at the moment. Lodolo missed most of last season with an injury, but he’s back to being his usual dominant self in 2024. He’s racked up a 3.11 ERA through eight starts, and his 2.94 xERA is even better.

Lodolo has excelled at missing bats and limiting the damage on balls in play, which is an excellent combination. He should be able to mow through a Cubs’ lineup that has been awful against southpaws of late. They have a 61 wRC+ in that split over the past 30 days, which is the second-worst mark in baseball.

On the other hand, the Reds’ offense has feasted on left-handers of late. They own a 134 wRC+ over the past month, and that figure has increased to 175 over the past 14 days.

They’ll face a southpaw in Justin Steele on Friday, so the Reds have the clear advantage offensively. Steele has bounced back after a disastrous start to the year, but I still rate Lodolo as the better pitcher.

Los Angeles Dodgers-New York Yankees Under 9.0 runs (-112; DraftKings)

The Dodgers and Yankees will square off in a potential World Series preview in the Bronx on Friday. That said, we’re likely not going to see the marquee version of the Yankees. Juan Soto left Thursday’s game with a left forearm injury, and he will undergo imaging before today’s contest. Regardless of the result, it seems unlikely he’ll be in the lineup.

The Yankees’ offense has been cruising of late, but without Soto, they’ll have their hands full vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Yamamoto has largely lived up to the bill after signing the richest pitcher contract in MLB history, posting a 3.32 ERA and a 3.35 xERA with excellent strikeout metrics. The Yankees have yet to see Yamamoto, so I like his chances of keeping their offense at bay.

The bigger question is can Cody Poteet do the same vs. the Dodgers? Poteet has made just two starts this season, but the early returns are promising. He owns a 3.40 xERA while pitching to minuscule walk and barrel rates.

Ultimately, this number feels too high. I’m willing to play the Under on 9.0 up to -120, and I’d play Under 8.5 at -105 or better.

More MLB Bets for Friday, June 7

Royals ML vs. Mariners (+110)

The Royals have been one of the biggest surprises in baseball this season, but they’re still listed as home dogs for Friday’s contest vs. the Mariners. They’ll have a tough matchup vs. Bryce Miller, but Miller hasn’t been unhittable; his xERA is currently above 4.00. Meanwhile, Daniel Lynch has a 1.50 ERA and 3.14 xERA across 12 MLB innings. The Royals’ offense has also been slightly better against right-handers (100 wRC+) than Seattle has been vs. southpaws (96), so +110 feels like a nice value.

Ryan Weathers Under 4.5 strikeouts (+120)

Weathers has been racking up the punchouts recently, tallying 26 over his past three outings. That’s extremely impressive, but his strikeout numbers for the year are still middling. His strikeout rate puts him in the 48th percentile, so this feels like a strong sell-high opportunity. The Guardians are also a solid matchup for an under. They’ve historically been one of the t

2024 MLB Bets Record

  • Yesterday: 4-0 (+2.05 units)
  • Season: 125-133-6 (-11.775 units)

All bets are based on half units unless stated otherwise.