Best MLB Bets Today | MLB Picks, June 23

There are some massive series beginning on Friday in MLB, and we’re here to help you win on the action at WSN. We’ve been waiting all week to bet on the Friday slate, and it’s time to make the most of the opportunity. The action starts with the Braves battling the Reds, who have won 11 games in a row. It concludes with an NL West battle between the Diamondbacks and Giants. Let’s get into the best bets for the Friday slate!

Seattle Mariners @ Baltimore Orioles

• Time: 7:05 PM ET
• Starting Pitchers: Logan Gilbert (SEA) vs Kyle Gibson (BAL)
• Moneyline: Mariners (-108) | Orioles (-108)
• Run Line: Mariners -1.5 (+160) | Orioles +1.5 (-194)
• Total: Over 8.5 (-105) | Under 8.5 (-115)

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. See other MLB betting sites for more betting opportunities!

My Pick: Orioles ML (-108)

The Seattle Mariners entered Thursday night’s contest against the Yankees not having scored more than four runs in five of their past six games. They completely flipped the script in the series finale, hanging a ten spot on New York. They also held the Yankees to no runs thanks to a tremendous performance from Bryan Woo. Woo had five strikeouts and went over five innings on the night. The hard part about Seattle’s matchup with Baltimore on Friday is if they’re a changed team.

The Mariners have been playing very poorly over the past couple weeks, so it’s hard to trust them following one good game. Despite the dominant win on Thursday, New York still steamrolled Seattle in the first two games, making them look silly at the plate. The Mariners have one of their best pitchers going in Logan Gilbert on Friday, so look for them to be competitive. However, the offense has been a massive concern of ours, and they haven’t earned our trust just yet. 

Gilbert should limit Baltimore’s runs, if he keeps the ball down in the zone. He has been slightly inconsistent, but when Seattle has needed a big outing, he has delivered historically. Gilbert is 4-4 with a 4.31 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. Over 79.1 innings, he has 84 strikeouts and is coming off a solid performance versus the White Sox. In his past five starts, three have been quality while two have been terrible. We expect to see Gilbert build off his latest start, but it won’t be enough to take down the Orioles because he won’t have enough run support.

Kyle Gibson, the unofficial ace of the Orioles, will take the hill on Friday night. He is 8-4 with a 3.94 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. His numbers are slightly better at home than on the road, with a 4-2 record and a 3.53 ERA. The 35-year-old doesn’t have a ton of power off the mound, but he has been a strong locator this season, and this has combined with a lot of run support. 

Baltimore has scored 49 more runs this season than Seattle, and they’re batting approximately 30 points higher at the dish. Seattle does have an advantage in the bullpen, but they’re 15-20 on the road this season while the Orioles have consistently been one of the best teams in the American League. We like the Orioles to begin the series with a victory on Friday night. 

New York Mets @ Philadelphia Phillies

• Time: 7:05 PM ET
• Starting Pitchers: Kodai Senga (NYM) vs Taijuan Walker (PHI)
• Moneyline: Mets (-104) | Phillies (-112)
• Run Line: Mets -1.5 (+146) | Phillies +1.5 (-176)
• Total: Over 9.5 (-102) | Under 9.5 (-120)

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

My Pick: Phillies ML (-112)

The Phillies had a tough battle with the Braves on Thursday. Although, the final score doesn’t reflect how good the entire defense was through nine innings of baseball. The wheels came off for Philadelphia in the 10th inning where the Braves scored five runs after being shut out in regulation. The straw that broke the camel’s back was an error from Kyle Schwarber in the outfield. He dropped a ball which extended the inning and gave the Braves enough momentum to prevail. 

However, Philadelphia is in a great position to bounce back from their two-game losing streak. Prior to these two losses they had won six in a row. Philadelphia is still in a position to make the playoffs, but they must keep winning. The Phillies were able to break their losing streaks consistently in the second half of last season, which helped them run all the way to the World Series. 

Taijuan Walker will look to cut the losing streak for the Phillies. He is 7-3 on the season, despite not having the strongest numbers. He has a 4.31 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP over 77.1 innings of work. He has limited the overall hits allowed, but his home runs and walks have been bad. He has walked 31 batters and surrendered 10 homers in 2023. 

Kodai Senga will be his counterpart for the Mets and the wing is 6-4 with a 3.53 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Senga is similar to Walker in the sense that he walks a lot of batters and allows homers consistently. Even though the Phillies scored one run in ten innings on Thursday, we like them to score on Friday. New York swept Philadelphia in their first series of the season, but we expect the roles to reverse in this spot.

Philadelphia is due for a bounce-back after two bad games. We expect Schwarber to also shine to make up for his game-losing error on Thursday. Take the Phillies on the moneyline as they will get their first win of the year versus the Mets.