Friday’s MLB American League betting picks – July 1, 2022

Headlining the Major League Baseball (MLB) schedule on Friday is an interleague matchup between the Rangers and Mets, another between the White Sox and Giants, and an AL West divisional game between Oakland and Seattle. Here are the best bets on games featuring American League teams scheduled for Friday, July 1, starting at 2:20pm ET.

Texas Rangers (+150) @ New York Mets (-175)

Chris Bassitt hasn’t had to be great to be effective for the Mets. He’s 6-5 with a 4.01 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. He has missed bats, however, striking out 95 over 89.2 innings. Bassitt should be brilliant on Friday. The Rangers are seven-for-70, with just two doubles, both hit by Kole Calhoun, who’s four-of-12 in his career against Bassitt.

The Mets are mostly unfamiliar with Rangers’ starter Glenn Otto, which is to be expected given the interleague matchup. Starling Marte is two-for-three with a triple against Otto, but besides him, only Mark Canha has seen Otto before. Otto won’t be able to miss the Mets’ bats for long regardless. He’s 4-3 with a 5.31 ERA and 1.51 WHIP.

Take the Mets in the first five innings, on the moneyline, and to win by at least two runs despite their middle-of-the-pack bullpen (16th-ranked WHIP amongst relievers).

Chicago White Sox (+115) @ San Francisco Giants (-135)

Lance Lynn is expected to make just his fourth start of the season, and the first three haven’t gone to plan. He’s allowed 11 earned runs over 16 innings pitched for a 6.19 ERA and 1.44 WHIP. While he’s been effective against the Giants in the past (seven-for-53), this is not the Lance Lynn of the past.

Alex Cobb isn’t who he once was, either. He’s 3-3 with a 5.48 ERA and 1.46 WHIP, but he has struck out 53 batters in just 46 innings pitched. He’s also handled the White Sox rather well in the past. Tim Anderson is three-for-eight with a double, so bet on him to collect multiple total bases on Friday. Leury Garcia is another good bet to have multiple total bases. He’s three-of-nine with a triple and a homer.

Cobb won’t go deep in the game. He seldom completes five innings. This game will come down to who has the better bullpen, and based on WHIP, that would be the Giants (1.29 versus 1.35 for Chicago). Take San Francisco on the moneyline. Parlaying the Giants and Mets on the moneyline pays +173 with Bovada.

Oakland Athletics (+155) @ Seattle Mariners (-180)

Marco Gonzales might be 4-8, but he’s performed better than his record indicates. His 3.31 ERA and 1.31 WHIP are competitive, and the Mariners have the third-best bullpen in baseball (1.12 WHIP). Seattle also has the 18th-ranked OPS, however, so scoring has been Seattle’s problem.

The Athletics are plenty familiar with Gonzales. They’re 40-of-184 with 10 doubles and five homers against him for a .725 OPS. Jed Lowrie is five-for-17 with a double, and Chad Pinder is eight-for-34 with two doubles and a dinger. Take either to have multiple total bases on Friday, but don’t bet on the rest of the Athletics to do much. They are the worst offense in baseball (.600 OPS).

The Mariners have handled James Kaprielian, as have much of the league. He’s 0-5 with a 5.88 ERA and 1.44 WHIP this season. Seattle batters are 15-for-50 against him with four extra-base hits for a .916 OPS. Cal Raleigh is two-for-three with a homer, and Julio Rodriguez is three-for-six with a dinger. Five Mariners have multiple hits off Kaprielian in limited at-bats.


Take Seattle in the first five innings and on the moneyline. Parlaying the Mariners, Mets, and Giants on the moneyline pays +325.

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