Our free MLB picks are out for Friday, June 17th, 2022! Make sure you check our MLB picks before the action kicks off.
Look below to find our free MLB picks for the five best games on today’s schedule!
Atlanta Braves @ Chicago Cubs – 2:20PM ET
The Atlanta Braves and the Chicago Cubs will be playing the first game of their three game weekend series here on Friday afternoon. The Braves are fresh off of a series with the Washington Nationals, while the Cubs are coming off of a series with the San Diego Padres.
Tony Battalio
The Atlanta Braves are getting ready to open this three game weekend series in this one as they have been on an absolute roll throughout June thus far. They are still undefeated in the month as we are heading into June 17th. The Braves are looking to gear up for a second straight World Series run and they come into this game with a record of 37-27 through their first 64 games of the 2022 Major League Baseball season. As they are currently on a 14 game winning streak.
The Chicago Cubs are in the midst of a rough season as they come into this game with a record of 23-40 through their first 63 games of the 2022 Major League Baseball season. They are winless in their last ten games on the year and are currently on a ten game win streak as they have gone from within 10 games around .500 to 17 games below the .500 mark at the moment. As for the result of this game, I am going with the Atlanta Braves to pick up the victory.
Tony’s MLB Pick: Atlanta Braves (-180)
Jeffery Thomas
The Atlanta Braves were off on Thursday as they traveled to Chicago for a weekend series with the Cubs. The Braves still have not lost a game in June (14-0) and are coming off a sweep of the Washington Nationals on the road. This winning streak has closed the division lead by the Mets in the NL East to just 4.5 games.
This series with the Cubs will provide them a great opportunity to close it even further as Chicago is one of the coldest teams in the league. They have now lost 10 in a row following their 6-4 loss on Thursday and there’s no reason to believe they’ll now come and beat this surging Braves team. Both teams are heading in opposite directions and that trend will continue on Friday in a blowout win.
Jeffery’s MLB Pick: Atlanta Braves -1.5 (-110)
Marko Nadin
The Chicago Cubs are fourth in the NL Central with a 23-40 record. They have lost 10 consecutive games and are coming off a 0-4 series loss to the San Diego Padres. The Cubs are 19th in the league scoring 4.29 runs per game and are ranked 26th allowing 5.38 runs per game. The Cubs will start Keegan Thompson tonight who is 6-2 for the season with a 3.67 ERA. The Cubs have lost 35 of the last 51 games when their opponent allows 2 runs or less in their previous game.
The Atlanta Braves are second in the NL East with a 37-27 record. They are on a 14-game winning streak not losing a single game in the month of June. The defending champions are 7th in the league scoring 4.84 runs per game and are ranked 12th in the league allowing 4.15 runs per game. The Braves will start Charlie Morton tonight who is 4-3 for the season with a 5.67 ERA. Atlanta has won the last 7 games after allowing 2 runs or less in their previous game and 14 of the last 17 games following a win.
Marko’s MLB Pick: Atlanta Braves (-180)
Tampa Bay Rays @ Baltimore Orioles – 6:05PM ET
The Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles will be playing the first game of a three game weekend series in this one. Tampa Bay is coming off of a series with the New York Yankees, while Baltimore just finished up with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Tony Battalio
As they start this series Tampa Bay Rays will be looking to bounce back from a rough series with the American League East division rival the New York Yankees. They will be Facing off with another American League East team, the Baltimore Orioles in a three game weekend series. Tampa Bay has flown way under the radar this season, at least in my opinion as they come into this game with a respectable record of 35-28 as they are in third place of the division. They are currently on a three game losing streak at the moment.
It has been a rough year for the Baltimore Orioles but fortunately for them their future does look bright, as Adley Rutschman seems to be blossoming into a star right before our eyes. The Orioles come into this game sitting in last place in the American League East as a trail of the Yankees by 20 games with a record of 28-37 on the year. The Orioles are actually closer to .500 than most all of the other fourth and fifth place teams in baseball, which shows just how dominant New York has been so far this year. As for the result of this game I have the Rays picking up the win.
Tony’s MLB Pick: Tampa Bay Rays (-154)
Jeffery Thomas
The Tampa Bay Rays were competitive in their last series against the New York Yankees despite being swept. Every game was decided by less than 2 runs but Tampa just didn’t have what it took to push through and get a game from the best team in all of baseball.
They’ll now get a much easier opponent in the Baltimore Orioles who they are already 4-2 against this season. Look for them to take advantage of their pitching advantage in this one to get that record up to 5-2 on Friday and start this series off with a win.
Jeffery’s MLB Pick: Tampa Bay Rays (-154)
Marko Nadin
The Baltimore Orioles are at the bottom of the AL East with a 28-37 record. They have won 3 of the last 5 games but are coming off a 2-2 series tie with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Orioles are 21st in the league scoring 4.20 runs per game and are ranked 24th in the league allowing 4.83 runs per game. Baltimore will start Dean Kremer tonight who is 1-1 for the season with a 3.86 ERA. The Orioles have lost 60 of the last 88 games played on Friday and 89 of the last 124 games against teams with a winning record.
The Tampa Bay Rays are third in the AL East with a 35-28 record. They have lost 5 of the last 6 games and are coming off a 0-3 series loss to the New York Yankees. The Rays are 25th in the league scoring 4.11 runs per game and are ranked 5th in the league allowing 3.85 runs per game. Tampa Bay will start Shane Baz tonight who is 0-1 for the season with a 19.29 ERA. The Rays have won 22 of the last 32 road games against teams with a losing record and have lost 5 of the last 7 games against AL East opponents.
Marko’s MLB Pick: Baltimore Orioles (+130)
Milwaukee Brewers @ Cincinnati Reds – 6:40PM ET
The Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds will be playing the first game of their three game weekend series here on Friday afternoon. The Reds are fresh off of a series with the Arizona Diamondbacks, while the Brewers are coming off of a series with the New York Mets.
Tony Battalio
The Milwaukee Brewers are having a decent season so far. As they come into this weekend series with the Cincinnati Reds sitting in the second place of the National League Central division. The Brewers come into this game with a record of 35-30 as they are five games above the .500 mark and currently trail the St.Louis Cardinals by two games. They have hit a skid as of recently as they have only picked up two victories and their last 10 games on the year. They are currently on a two game losing streak at the moment that they will be looking to break in game one of the series.
The Cincinnati Reds started out the year as one of the worst teams in Major League Baseball but I’ve slowly picked it up throughout the progression of the season. They come into this game 17 games below the .500 mark on the year and sitting in last place of the National League Central division at the moment. They currently have a record of 23-40 through their first 63 games of the year and enter this one having won five out of their last ten, as well as currently on a one game losing streak. As for the result of this game I’m going with Milwaukee to pick up the victory.
Tony’s MLB Pick: Milwaukee Brewers (-112)
Jeffery Thomas
The Milwaukee Brewers recently lost their NL Central division lead and are quietly one of the coldest teams in all of baseball at the moment. They lost yet again on Thursday, 5-4 to the Mets, and have now lost every series in the month of June. The Brewers will now travel to Cincinnati in hopes off turning the tide but the Reds come in winners of three of the last four.
Hunter Greene is taking the mound and that should be good news for Milwaukee who has had good success against him this season. Last month the Brewers lit him up for 8 runs in just 2.2 innings and Greene is 0-2 overall against them on the year. I like the Brewers to continue to see them ball well off him and get a much needed victory on Friday.
Jeffery’s MLB Pick: Milwaukee Brewers (-112)
Marko Nadin
The Cincinnati Reds are at the bottom of the NL Central with a 23-40 record. They have won 3 of the last 5 games but are coming off a 2-1 series win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Cincinnati is 13th in the league scoring 4.56 runs per game and is ranked 28th in the league allowing 5.48 runs per game. The Reds will start Hunter Greene tonight who is 3-7 for the season with a 5.10 ERA. Cincinnati has won the last 4 games played after a day off and 5 of the last 6 opening games of a series.
The Milwaukee Brewers are second in the NL Central with a 35-30 record. They have lost 3 of the last 5 games and are coming off a 1-2 series loss to the New York Mets. The Brewers are 16th in the league scoring 4.41 runs per game and are ranked 14th in the league allowing 4.29 runs per game. Eric Lauer will be the starting pitcher for the Brewers tonight who is 5-2 for this season with a 3.36 ERA. Milwaukee has won 5 of the last 7 games as a road underdog and 17 of the last 24 games against NL Central opponents.
Marko’s MLB Pick: Milwaukee Brewers (-112)
New York Yankees @ Toronto Blue Jays – 7:07PM ET
The New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays will be playing the first game of their three game weekend series here on Friday afternoon. The Blue Jays are fresh off of a series with the Baltimore Orioles, while the Yankees are coming off of a series with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Tony Battalio
This is going to be the best series of the weekend by far as two of the top teams in the American League and all of Major League Baseball are set to face off. As the American League East leading New York Yankees meet the second Place team in the American League East, the Toronto Blue Jays. The New York Yankees have been the best team in major league baseball throughout the first 2 1/2 months of the 2022 season. They have raced into this game with a record of 47-16 through their first 63 games of the year.
The Toronto Blue Jays have flown under the radar in my opinion, much like the Tampa Bay Rays have as well. But when being compared to the New York Yankees it’s fair to say that every team in the league has flown under the radar so far this season. They come into this game with a record of 36-27 through their first 63 games of the 2022 Major League Baseball season as they are currently in second place of the East. They are 6-4 over their last ten games and currently on a one game losing streak. As for the result of this game I am going with the New York Yankees to pick up the win.
Tony’s MLB Pick: New York Yankees (-108)
Jeffery Thomas
The New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays will square off in a battle of the top two teams in the AL East on Friday for a weekend series north of the border. The Yankees will put their seven-game winning streak on the line in this battle as the Blue Jays are coming off a humbling loss to the Baltimore Orioles. The Os got them by the score of 10-2 as Kevin Gausman couldn’t make it out of the third inning of his start.
A running theme for the Yankees recently, along with the winning, had been a lot of low-scoring affairs. I’m looking at the pitching matchup for Friday and seeing another possibility of it with Jordan Montgomery facing Ross Stripling. Stripling hasn’t allowed a run in any of his three outings in June while Montgomery is coming off 7 innings of shutout ball. I like the under again in this Yankees game.
Jeffery’s MLB Pick: Under Runs (-110)
Marko Nadin
The Toronto Blue Jays are second in the AL East with a 37-26 record. They have won 3 of the last 5 games and are coming off a 2-2 series tie with the Baltimore Orioles. The Blue Jays are 11th in the league scoring 4.64 runs per game and are ranked 8th with 4.06 allowed runs per game. Toronto will start Ross Stripling tonight who is 3-1 for the season with a 3.14 ERA. The Blue Jays have won 5 of the last 6 opening games of a series and 4 of the last 5 games against a left-handed starting pitcher.
The New York Yankees are on top of the AL East with a 47-16 record. They have won 7 straight games and are coming off a 3-0 series sweep against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees are third in the league scoring 4.98 runs per game and are ranked the best in the league allowing 2.91 runs per game. The Yankees will start Jordan Montgomery tonight who is 2-1 for the season with a 2.70 ERA. They have won 14 of the last 17 games played on Friday and 15 of the last 21 road games.
Marko’s MLB Pick: Toronto Blue Jays (-108)
Chicago White Sox @ Houston Astros – 8:10PM ET
The Houston Astros and the Chicago White Sox will be playing the first game of their three game weekend series here on Friday afternoon. The Astros are fresh off of a series with the Texas Rangers, while the White Sox are coming off of a series with the Detroit Tigers.
Tony Battalio
This series is going to be an interesting one as the Chicago White Sox and the Houston Astros will meet for three games over the weekend. It has been two completely opposite seasons for both of these teams and people expected the White Sox to be the best team in the American League Central and easily run away with the division. While everyone expected Houston to also remain dominant which they have,
The difference lies in the fact that the White Sox have been a complete disappointment up until this point. Chicago comes into this game with a record of 30-31 and on a three game win streak. While the Astros have been one of the best teams in Major League Baseball and currently have a record of 39-24 and sit in first place of the American League West division where they will likely remain for the rest of the year at this rate.
Tony’s MLB Pick: Houston Astros (-172)
Jeffery Thomas
The Chicago White Sox will play the latter half of their road trip when they travel to Houston this weekend to take on the Astros. The first half was a great success as the Sox swept out the Tigers, outscoring them by over 20 runs in the course of three games. It was complete domination and may be a sign of their season turning around and getting to the levels people expected of them to begin the season.
This series with the Astros will be a better test as Houston is the team holding the second best record in the American League. I’m surprised the moneyline price on Houston is so steep given how well the White Sox were swinging the bats in the previous series and with Framber Valdez’s inconsistencies at home this year I expect the White Sox to keep this one close on the road.
Jeffery’s MLB Pick: Chicago White Sox +1.5
Marko Nadin
The Houston Astros are on top of the AL West with a 39-24 record. They have won 3 of the last 5 games and are coming off a 2-1 series win over the Texas Rangers. The Astros are 20th in the league scoring 4.28 runs per game and are ranked third in the league allowing 3.48 runs per game. Houston will start Frambler Valdez tonight who is 6-3 for the season with a 2.64 ERA. The Astros have won 6 of the last 7 games when their opponent allows 2 runs or less in their previous game and 15 of the last 21 home games.
The Chicago White Sox are third in the AL Central with a 30-31 record. They have won 3 of the last 5 games and are coming off a 3-0 series sweep against the Detroit Tigers. The White Sox are 23th in the league scoring 4.16 runs per game and 22nd in the league allowing 4.74 runs per game. Lucas Giolito will be the White Sox’ starting pitcher tonight who is 4-2 for the season with a 3.88 ERA. The White Sox have won the last 5 road games and have lost 5 of the last 6 games played after a day off.
Marko’s MLB Pick: Houston Astros (-172)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
