Thursday’s MLB American League betting picks – June 16, 2022

There are just 18 Major League Baseball (MLB) teams scheduled to play on Wednesday, June 16. Five of those nine matchups are American League games, while one is an interleague clash. Here are the best bets on the games featuring American League teams scheduled for Wednesday, starting at 1:35pm ET.

Baltimore Orioles (+205) @ Toronto Blue Jays (-255)

Kevin Gausman’s 5-5 record is not indicative of how good he’s pitched for Toronto this season. His 77 strikeouts are 15th-most in MLB, and his 2.67 ERA is 16th-best. Both of those rankings are sure to improve against Baltimore. The Orioles are just seven-for-24 against Gausman, with three doubles all hit by Rougned Odor, who has six hits in 15 at-bats against Gausman. You might want to bet on him to have multiple total bases on Thursday.

Tyler Wells is projected to go for Baltimore, and he’s 3-4 with a 3.86 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. That ERA is almost a run higher on the road, however. Blue Jays batters have had their fun with Wells, collecting seven hits in 18 at-bats, with two dingers and two doubles. Expect Toronto to take an early lead and keep it. The Blue Jays relievers have the 12th-best WHIP in baseball, while Baltimore’s relievers are ranked 16th.

Take Toronto in the first five innings and to win the game.

Oakland Athletics (+120) @ Boston Red Sox (-140)

Rich Hill is still eating innings at the age of 42. This season for Boston, he’s 2-3 with a 4.38 ERA and 1.22 WHIP, which is typical Rich Hill. But there’s nothing typical about Hill’s numbers against the Oakland A’s. He’s allowed just a .504 OPS against Oakland batters, who’ve gone nine-of-46 with four extra-base hits against Hill. Ramon Laureano has two of the team’s three doubles in eight at-bats.

Paul Blackburn has been quite good this season for Oakland, posting a 5-2 record with a 2.31 ERA and 1.01 WHIP. Oakland has lost the last three games he’s started, however, as Blackburn allowed eight runs in the first two starts and none in the latest against Cleveland. He won’t likely keep Boston off the scoreboard, though. In just 15 at-bats against Blackburn, the Red Sox have six hits, half of which are doubles, all of which were hit by different batters.

Stay away from the first five innings in this one, but expect Boston’s relievers to give Red Sox batters a chance to win the game. Their 1.20 WHIP is 10th-best in MLB, while Oakland’s is fourth-worst (1.43). Take Boston on the moneyline. Parlaying the Red Sox with the Blue Jays pays +138.

Cleveland Guardians (-115) @ Colorado Rockies (-105)

Triston McKenzie is better than his record – much better. He’s 3-5 despite a 27th-ranked ERA (3.09) and fifth-ranked WHIP (0.89). The Rockies are mostly unfamiliar with him, with Randal Grichuk and Jose Iglesias combining for five at-bats without a hit.

Chad Kuhl has no-hit three Guardians in seven at-bats, but he allowed five runs in 4.1 innings pitched in his last start against San Diego. Cleveland has posted a better team OPS than the Padres so far this season and is one of the top 10 hitting teams in baseball.

Expect Cleveland to ride its MLB-best relievers (1.07 WHIP) to a victory on Thursday. Take the Guardians on the moneyline, and turn your moneyline parlay featuring Toronto and Boston into a trifecta for +346 odds.

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