MLB Picks Today: Expert Predictions & Best Bets for Friday, June 19, inc. Reds vs Yankees
The 2026 Major League Baseball season rolls on with another excellent slate of games on Friday. The 14-game card includes a couple of anticipated showdowns, including a potential NLCS preview between the Milwaukee Brewers and Atlanta Braves at 7:10 pm ET. The action gets underway at 2:20 pm ET with a battle between the Blue Jays and Cubs.
Let's break down my MLB best bets for Friday, June 19, while you can also find out our expert MLB picks for EVERY GAME today and throughout the entire 2026 campaign!
MLB best bet: New York Yankees -1.5 over Cincinnati Reds (-120)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to -130.
The Yankees were just soundly defeated by the Chicago White Sox on Thursday, but New York should be in a great position to bounce back against the lowly Reds to kick off this weekend series. New York is sending Cam Schlittler to the mound, and that typically spells good things for the Yankees -- especially at home. Schlittler (1.82 ERA) has surrendered 1 or fewer runs in a whopping 8 of his last 10 outings, and that should continue against a Cincinnati team that is in the basement in the NL Central for a reason. On the other side, Reds starter Rhett Lowder owns a 4.60 ERA and that doesn't bode well against a New York offense that has a much higher OPS at home. Let's back the Bronx Bombers to make some noise and win by margin.
Get our full Reds vs Yankees predictions
MLB best bet: San Diego Padres vs Texas Rangers Over 7 (-115)
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to -125.
This is a situation where the market is clearly overreacting a bit to Jacob deGrom being the starter pitcher for Texas on Friday. However, while deGrom's numbers are rock solid on paper (3.17 ERA, 10.5 strikeouts per 9 innings), the veteran's 3.57 FIP suggests that he's due for a bit of regression, and that issue could pop up in this matchup. San Diego's offense is not lighting the world on fire, but the Padres have generally been a better offense on the road — which bodes well in this one. On the other side, Randy Vasquez is another pitcher that is due for some real regression, and his 4.47 FIP suggests that Texas should be able to generate some runs off the San Diego starter on Friday. Let's back the Over 7 runs with confidence.
Read our full Padres vs Rangers predictions for today's matchup
