Caleb Wilfinger
The 2025 MLB season keeps rolling along, and Monday features a 7-game slate for us to enjoy. I’m 28-16 on my MLB best bets this year and the Pickswise MLB handicapping team as a whole is 64-45-5 in these MLB best bets this season. Let’s keep it going as we get into today’s top picks on Monday, June 16.
You can also find out our experts’ MLB picks for EVERY game today.
MLB best bet: Phillies first 5 innings team total over 2.5 (+115)
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to +105.
My first MLB best bet for this slate comes in Miami, where I’ll be fading Sandy Alcantara once again against a playoff caliber opponent. It wasn’t long ago that Alcantara was one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. However, this season has not gone to plan for the Marlins’ ace following his return from Tommy John surgery; he has posted a 7.14 ERA and 1.49 WHIP through his first 13 outings. Even if Alcantara improves on his season-long results, all we need is for the Phillies lineup to put up 3 runs in the first 5 innings, which is certainly doable against a familiar foe. Ultimately, Alcantara has allowed 3 or more runs in 9 of his last 11 starts — so I’ll go back to the well one more time and take the Phillies to exceed their team total in the first 5 innings on Monday.
MLB best bet: Seattle Mariners first 5 innings run line -0.5 over Boston Red Sox (-118)
Odds available at BetMGM Sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to -130.
For my second MLB best bet on Monday’s card, let’s head to Seattle and back the Mariners to lead after the first 5 innings. The Boston Red Sox are flying high following a sweep of the New York Yankees at home over the weekend. However, the vibes in the clubhouse probably won’t be anything close to high following the shocking news that star third baseman Rafael Devers was traded to the San Francisco Giants for a package that ultimately amounted to very little. Things won’t get any easier for Boston against a Mariners team that is coming off a successful sweep in their own right, and Seattle will also be sending Logan Gilbert (2.37 ERA, 0.79 WHIP) to the mound at home. I’m expecting a quick start for Seattle and I’d be pretty surprised if Lucas Giolito (5.45 ERA) and the suddenly weakened Red Sox offense have any answers following a cross-country trip with no rest day in between games.
