MLB Best Bets: San Diego Padres & New York Mets | Wednesday, June 1st

MLB Best Bets for Today: Expect San Diego to play well behind Darvish

MLB teams are beginning to figure out their identities. Teams figure this out by finding out how to win ball games most effectively. Some may be very good offensive teams that rely on home runs and production with runners on base. Others may rely more on their pitching or bullpen to lead the way. Either way, this is the point of the season where it is important for managers to understand their team strengths and weaknesses. Today, we are going to target two potential playoff teams that have solidified their identities.

Below, you will find two of the best bets for tonight's MLB slate.

Bet #1: San Diego Padres F5 -0.5 (+110) vs. the St. Louis Cardinals

"There's a reason his nickname is 'Sugar.'"- @ San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres will take on the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 3 of their three-game stint tonight. The Cardinals won the previous two games, and both were very competitive. Tonight, the Padres will send their best pitcher to the mound to face this Cardinals lineup.

Yu Darvish will get the ball for San Diego, and his 4-2 record is very solid. He has a somewhat high ERA of 3.76, but when looking at his record, that tells you that the offense normally scores runs when he is on the mound. Darvish has been a bit inconsistent this season, but he has shown some signs that he can still be very effective. In his last two starts, Darvish has pitched 6+ innings and has given his team a chance to win in both of them.

The Cardinals will give the start to Dakota Hudson, who has a 3-2 record with an ERA of 3.22. At first glance, his numbers look solid. However, he has walked 23 batters so far this season while striking out only 25. Hudson allows a lot of runners on base, so his ERA being as low as it is means that he's had some good fortune. Hudson has failed to consistently pitch deep into games because of his problems with walks, so that's something the Padres can take advantage of.

Led by Manny Machado and Jake Cronenworth, the San Diego Padres offense will look to take advantage of a good matchup to produce with runners in scoring position. We're going with the Padres to lead this game after five innings!

Bet #2: New York Mets Team Total over 5.5 Runs (+105) vs. the Washington Nationals

"More hits than Nickelback tonight" - @ New York Mets

Last night's game between the New York Mets and Washington Nationals showed how good this Mets offense is. New York dismantled the Nationals pitching staff to the tune of a 10-0 victory. New York ranks first in the MLB in team batting average and second in runs per game. This is a great matchup for the Mets offense to do damage once again.

Evan Lee will make his MLB debut on the mound for the Nationals tonight. The left-hander will be skipping Triple-A ball and heading straight to the MLB. Lee has struggled in his last two minor league starts, giving up four earned runs in each game. This is the last offense a pitcher making his debut would like to see.

Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, and Jeff McNeil have led the way for New York's offense this far. Alonso has been very effective as he leads the team in both home runs and runs batted in. The Mets will look to spoil Evan Lee's MLB debut today. We're going to go with the Mets to score 6+ runs!