Tiny Nick’s Gambling Picks: 6/01

Locks

MLB (0.75 Unit) LA Angels @ NY Yankees -1.5 (+120): 6:05 PM CT on FS1

You’d have to say the Angels are in a pretty ugly slump at the moment, losing 6 straight games with a minus-19 run differential. The answer to pulling themselves out of this slump is definitely not the pitching matchup tonight, which should lead to another easy Yankees win here.

After they beat up on Noah Syndergaard last night, the Yankees have an even easier pitcher to victimize tonight in Reid Detmers. The Angel lefty has done nothing but regress since his no-hitter a few weeks ago, getting beat up by a weak Texas Rangers lineup twice. Going against the Bronx Bombers who are one of the best power teams against lefties – on the road where his ERA has ballooned to 8.49 – seems like a recipe for further disaster for the Halos.

But the Yankees might not even need much run support with Nestor Cortes going tonight. He's really living up to the Nasty Nestor moniker. The Yankees are undefeated at home behind Cortes, and I don’t see that changing tonight. Going against a pitcher they can beat up on, I see that win coming comfortably and paying off this plus-juice return.

MLB (0.5 Unit) Cincinnati Reds/Boston Red Sox Over 8.5 (-110): 6:10 PM CT on NESN

After two games and one total run – which followed a 12-run outburst on Sunday – the up-and-down Red Sox are due for a bounce-back offensively. I see that coming tonight against the Reds and their starter Hunter Greene. The No. 2 pick in 2017 might throw extremely hard, but he also gives up a lot of hard contact. He also struggles against right-handed bats, so the powerful righties Boston has could tee off against Greene in small Fenway Park.

Much like last night with the Mets, it’s certainly possible for Boston to reach this total themselves. But I see a resurgent Reds team contributing here as well against Garrett Whitlock. The Red Sox starter has struggled since moving to a full-time starter role, and his ERA at home is double what it is on the road. Both teams should take advantage of mediocre-at-best pitching, a small park, and a fairly low total to cash an over here.

Degenerates

No degenerates today.

Tiny Nick is 745-617 ATS (+80.4 Units) on his Locks since joining Zone Coverage. 

Every day he will offer his Locks and Degenerate picks. Locks are the games he’s confident in. Degenerates are entertaining but riskier picks.