MLB Picks Today: Expert Predictions & Best Bets for Wednesday, June 17, inc. Rays vs Dodgers
The 2026 Major League Baseball season continues with another loaded slate of games on Wednesday. The 15-game card includes a couple of anticipated showdowns, including a potential World Series preview between the Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Dodgers at 3:10 pm ET. The action gets underway at 12:40 pm ET with a showdown between the Mets and Reds. Let's break down my MLB best bets for Wednesday, June 17, while you can also find out our expert MLB picks for EVERY GAME today and throughout the entire 2026 campaign!
MLB best bet: Boston Red Sox ML over Toronto Blue Jays (-118)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to -130.
It hasn't been a season to remember for the Red Sox, but Boston should be in a position to bounce back with a victory at Fenway Park on Wednesday. For starters, the hosts should be able to scratch across plenty of runs against Blue Jays starter Max Scherzer (10.23 ERA), a pitcher who is clearly nearing the end of his career at this point. Furthermore, Toronto's lineup is one of the worst units away from home in the majors this season, as the Blue Jays are averaging under 4 runs per game away from Rogers Centre. Conversely, while Red Sox pitcher Jake Bennett isn't all that impressive on paper, the young starter has some advanced metrics that suggest he's due for a bit of positive regression in a few areas. With that in mind, I'll back Bennett and Boston's bullpen as short home favorites against the struggling Scherzer and the Blue Jays.
Get our full Blue Jays vs Red Sox predictions
MLB best bet: LA Dodgers -1.5 over Tampa Bay Rays (+120)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to +110.
This series between a couple of the best teams in baseball has been highly competitive to this point, but Wednesday's contest is one that should favor the hosts. The Rays are a strong side, but they've fallen out of first place in the AL East following a poor stretch over the last few weeks. Things won't get any better for Tampa Bay against Shohei Ohtani, who holds an ERA of 1.06, to go along with a 0.84 WHIP and top-flight marks in xBA, xSLG and wOBA (Baseball Savant). Ohtani will be going up against a Rays lineup that has registered just 14 runs over their last 5 games, which bodes well for the Japanese superstar in this one.
On the other side, Tampa Bay is sending out Shane McClanahan, who has struggled in each of his last 2 outings against much worse competition than what he'll see from the Dodgers lineup. Let's target Los Angeles to win by multiple runs on Wednesday.
Read our full Rays vs Dodgers predictions for today's matchup
