After a 1-1 showing on Friday, Dalton Brown is 17-14 for +4.50 units this season on Betting Predators Daily Best Bets. He'll look to build on those figures with two picks for Saturday's slate.
By Dalton Brown
7:35 p.m. ET: Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees: Yankees First 5 Innings moneyline (-106) at FanDuel
The Red Sox eked out a win in the rivalry's first game Friday night in the Bronx, but I'm expecting New York to bounce back and even the series Saturday night.
Domingo German (3-3, 3.69 ERA) will pitch for the Yankees, a pitcher I trust in his current form. German was dominant into the seventh inning last Sunday in Los Angeles, allowing just one earned run to a Dodgers offense that usually hits righties well. He's surrendered two or fewer earned runs in four of his last five starts dating back to before his sticky substance suspension, and has pitched especially effectively at home (3.19 ERA).
Red Sox starter Tanner Houck (3-5, 5.46 ERA) has not pitched nearly as well. Houck pitched to a 6.08 ERA in May, and allowed four earned runs in just five innings in his first June start. The righty has surrendered three or more runs in seven of his last eight starts, which ought to be more than enough if German pitches to the standard he's set himself of late.
4:05 p.m. ET: Los Angeles Dodgers at Philadelphia Phillies: Dodgers First 5 Innings (+112) at BetRivers
The Philadelphia Phillies picked up a walk-off win over the Dodgers Friday night when Kyle Schwarber sent a pitch deep into the night to right field, but I'm backing Los Angeles behind rookie Bobby Miller.
Miller, the Dodgers' top pitching prospect, has looked dominant (2-0, 1.06 ERA) through the first three starts of his MLB career. The righty has allowed just two earned runs over 17 innings of work, striking out 16 batters, walking just three, and allowing eight hits. Further legitimizing the fireballing righty's numbers are the competition he's faced - two of his first three starts game against the Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees.
Aaron Nola (5-4, 4.30 ERA) pitches for Philadelphia, his second time facing Los Angeles this season. His first outing against the Dodgers on May 3 resulted in a loss, as L.A. tagged the righty for four runs over 6.1 innings of work.
The Dodgers have a habit of crushing right-handed pitching (110 wRC+ since May 1), and Nola was hit hard in May (4.93 ERA). Nola has allowed three or more runs in four of his last five, and last survived a start without allowing a home run all the way back on April 16.
Opportunities to bet the Dodgers as underdogs are rare, especially with a righty on the mound for their opponent - let's take advantage of this one, but steer clear of L.A.'s shaky bullpen.