MLB Today: Youth Movement Paying Off For Reds
Cincinnati Extends Winning Streak to Eight
It was quite the end to the weekend with Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout hitting back-to-back home runs and the Boston Red Sox defying the MLB picks by sweeping the New York Yankees.
In 10 of the 16 games on the schedule on Sunday, the team listed by the MLB predictions as the favorite came away with the win – and that included Boston completing a doubleheader sweep of the rival Yankees for the first time in nearly 20 years.

Lance Lynn of the Chicago White Sox made some MLB news by striking out 16 batters in seven innings in a loss to Seattle.
When looking at the MLB playoff odds, the Atlanta Braves and Tampa Bay Rays are tied for the best odds to win the World Series at +550. The Los Angeles Dodgers come in at +600 with the Houston Astros priced at +750.
As well explore a variety of other MLB odds here to win!
Watch Out, We Have Some Streakers
Things are starting to get interesting in the National League with four teams having won at least six straight games.
Cincinnati leads the way with an eight-game winning streak as the Reds are just a half-game behind first-place Milwaukee in the National League Central Division after Sunday’s extra-inning win over Houston.
POV: The hottest team in baseball wins its eighth game in a row pic.twitter.com/EuhK0bugPQ
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) June 18, 2023
The Reds are doing this with eight players 25 or younger playing key roles.
Spencer Steer has two home runs and eight RBIs during the winning streak. Will Benson has scored at least one run in each of his last four games. Matt McLain has five runs in the last four games and the Reds are 8-2 since Elly De La Cruz made his MLB debut. Cruz (+650) has moved to the No. 2 choice, according to the MLB odds, in the National League Rookie of the Year race.
Andrew Abbott is now 3-0 and has yet to allow a run in his three starts and Hunter Greene has a 2.31 ERA in his last four starts.
San Francisco has won seven games in a row to move ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers and into second place in the National League West Division. Rookie catcher Patrick Bailey is batting .318 over his last five games.
In the National League East, Atlanta and Philadelphia have won six consecutive games and the Miami Marlins are on a four-game winning streak.
The Boston Red Sox have the longest active winning streak in the American League as the sweep of the three games against the rival New York Yankees pushed the streak to four games.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Pittsburgh Pirates have lost six games in a row while Oakland and Colorado have dropped five consecutive games.
Here Comes Davis
The Pittsburgh Pirates need a lift and perhaps calling up catcher The Pittsburgh Pirates, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, is what the team needs.
Davis has spent time at Class AA Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis. He is hitting .284 with 10 doubles, 11 home runs, 30 RBIs and nine stolen bases in 51 games.
With Davis joining the majors, it seems like a good time to see how some recent No. 1 overall picks are faring.
Spencer Torkelson, the top pick in 2020, is batting .303 over the last 10 games for the Detroit Tigers with three home runs, eight runs and eight RBIs.
Adley Rutschman of the Baltimore Orioles is on a six-game hitting streak with a double, two home runs and four RBIs during that stretch.
Royce Lewis of the Minnesota Twins is 10-for-24 in his last eight games while Mickey Moniak of the Los Angeles Angels is batting .281 with two home runs and eight RBIs in eight games in June.
Last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Jackson Holliday, is hitting .330 with 13 doubles, five triples and seven home runs in 58 games at the Class-A level.
As for the players in contention to be the No. 1 overall pick in next month’s draft, outfielder Dylan Crews and pitcher Paul Skenes are both at Louisiana State. The Tigers face top-seeded Wake Forest on Monday at 7 p.m. ET in the College World Series. Skenes threw 123 pitches against Tennessee on Saturday so don’t look for him to pitch in this game. Crews, who had two hits and scored a run in the 6-3 win over the Volunteers, figures to bat leadoff for the Tigers once again.
Former Cy Young Winners in Action on Monday
When looking at the slate of games on Monday, two starting pitching matchups stand out.
Merrill Kelly gets the ball for the NL West-leading Arizona Diamondbacks and goes against former Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes of the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers. According to the MLB betting lines, Burnes (+2200) is eighth in the National League Cy Young odds.
Speaking of former Cy Young Award winners, Max Scherzer will pitch in the series opener for the New York Mets against Hunter Brown and the Houston Astros.
When the 38-year-old Scherzer made his MLB debut, throwing 4.1 hitless innings in Arizona’s loss to Houston on April 29, 2008, Brown was just nine years old.
Monday’s Best Bets
Jose Berrios of the Toronto Blue Jays is coming off a season-best 7.2 inning stint and he has pitched at least six innings in each of his last three starts. However, facing one of the hottest teams in baseball in the Miami Marlins, it might be worth going with the +135 price for Berrios to go under 17½ outs.
St. Louis third baseman Nolan Arenado hit a pair of home runs in his last game after going six games without a HR. Washington starter Josiah Gray has allowed four home runs in his last three starts so why not take a chance on Arenado at +300 to go deep again.
Pete Alonso of the New York Mets was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts on Sunday as he played for the first time since June 7. Don’t be surprised to see Alonso to shake some of the rust off. He is listed at +130 to go over 1½ total bases on Monday against the Houston Astros. Alonso could draw the interest of those taking part in MLB live betting with some solid early at-bats on Monday.
Fernando Tatis Jr. has gone four straight games without a home run. While San Francisco pitcher Ryan Walker hasn’t allowed a home run this season, his first 11 appearances have come in relief. With Walker set to start, will Tatis get a chance to dial long distance? He has +350 odds to blast his 15th home run of the season.
Injury Update
The biggest injury news over the weekend was that Alonso returned to action for the Mets a couple of weeks ahead of schedule.
The Cardinals could have outfielder Lars Nootbaar back in the lineup when St. Louis plays Washington on Monday. It will be his first game since May 29, as he has been sidelined with a back injury. For Washington, infielder Jeimer Candelario is questionable with a bone bruise in his right thumb.
Colorado shortstop Ezequiel Tovar is questionable for Monday’s game with Cincinnati due to the birth of his child.
San Francisco Giants infielder Casey Schmitt and relief pitcher Scott Alexander are both questionable for Monday’s game with San Diego.
Detroit Tigers outfielder Matt Vierling is questionable to face the Royals on Monday as a result of back spasms. Detroit saw outfielder Akil Baddoo go on the injured list.
Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk is questionable with a hand injury.