Monday June 25th MLB Free Pick
Do The Cubs Get One With a Rookie Pitcher As Everybody Rides the Dodgers?
There’s a lot of action on the Dodgers tonight in the June 25th MLB free pick and few could argue with the 70 plus percent of the public that is backing LA. After all, the Cubs come into Monday night’s contest fresh off being swept over a 4-game series by Cincinnati. On top of that, Chicago has to make a cross country flight and will send a pitcher to the mound making his MLB debut. The Dodgers meanwhile have rattled off three straight wins and their starting pitcher should be in line for a better performance as he makes his 3rd start off the DL. Are the Dodgers too easy of a pick tonight?
What Happened to Chicago Over the Weekend?
it’s threat level midnight in the Windy City as the Cubs were just swept in a four game series against the last place team in the NL Central the Cincinnati Reds. To be fair, the Reds have won 7 straight games and are one of the hottest teams in the MLB over the past two weeks. Either way, Chicago’s offense looked vulnerable in scoring just 7 runs in the first three games of the series and putting up 3 or less in 6 of the last 8. The Cubs did put up 6 in a 6-8 loss yesterday and Joe Maddon is hoping a trip out West for the June 25th MLB free pick gets his team going. Plus, there are still some Chicago batters who are hot over the past 7 days, mainly Javy Baez (.429), Albert Almora (.333) and Jason Heyward (.321).
The reason Chicago is going to need to score tonight is because they don’t know what to expect from starter Duane Underwood who is making his MLB debut. Underwood wasn’t exactly tearing up the minors unlike other callups this time of year. The 2012 2nd round pick is 3-7 with a 4.27 ERA in 14 games in Triple-A this season.
Can the Dodgers Get It Going Back at Home?
After dropping two of three to Chicago to start the week, the Dodgers had a nice weekend getaway in the Big Apple with a 3-game sweep of the Mets. They hope to ride that momentum tonight and through a 4-game series with Chicago as there’s a buzz at Chavez Ravine as Clayton Kershaw makes his first home start since returning from the DL Saturday. LA scored 21 runs over the weekend against the Mets, capped off by yesterday’s 7 solo HR in an 8-7 win. The Dodgers have now hit 12 long balls over the past week and the offense is licking their chops in the June 25th MLB free pick up against the rookie Underwood.
Make no mistake, the Dodgers aren’t exactly coming into Monday night’s contest beaming with confidence in their pitching situation either. Maeda not only missed 2 weeks with a hip strain to start the month, his last start was a 5BB, 3ER performance at Wrigley Field last Tuesday in which he couldn’t get out of the 4th inning. That game was the first time Maeda had faced the Cubs but he better find success tonight as a poor performance could mean a trip to the bullpen.
June 25th MLB Free Pick Betting
The Dodgers would be the easy play tonight and the value isn’t completely horrible at LAD -162. Chicago has lost 5 straight road games meanwhile the Dodgers are 5-1 in their last 6 at home. The Cubs could feasibly pull off the upset tonight at +150 underdogs, but it’s hard to tell what to expect from their rookie pitcher. Underwood is going to give up some runs and the Chicago offense should be able to tack on a few against Maeda. That being said, tonight’s total of 8.5 definitely looks doable.
Free Pick: Chicago Cubs / Los Angeles Dodgers *Over 8.5*
