A Look at Where Bettors Stand in 15 of Today's Games + 10 Bets to Watch

In today’s newsletter…

• Leading Off: Previewing the 2025 NHL Draft

• Top 10 Bets: Yankees have gone 14 straight games without an over

• Player Profile: Breanna Stewart is looking for another big game vs. Phoenix

• Public Betting: Bettors are backing Houston vs. the Cubs

• Overtime: Ace Bailey’s reps reportedly told a top-five team not to draft him

Like the NFL and NBA drafts before it, the 2025 NHL Draft has no intrigue at the top — in fact, FanDuel, DraftKings and ESPNBET won’t even let you place a wager on Matthew Schaefer going No. 1 overall to the Islanders.

Intrigue does exist fairly soon after, though; Michael Misa is only -160 at FanDuel to go second to San Jose, while Anton Frondell is close behind at +110. The odds are reversed for Chicago’s No. 3 pick, with Frondell at -110 at Misa at +125.

Rounding out the top five, Caleb Desnoyers (-140) is the favorite to be Utah’s first pick as the Mammoth, and Porter Martone (+170) is expected to be Nashville-bound.

Elsewhere, CBS Sports explains how Schaefer’s joyous night Friday will follow a wave of tragedy.

—Patrick Dorsey

Yankees’ Warren has 27 Strikeouts over 23.1 June Innings

By Craig Williams

Yankees moneyline (-220 at DraftKings)
The Yankees finally had a breather after playing 16 games in 16 days. Whether that is what they needed to get their bats back on track remains to be seen, but it certainly won’t hurt. They have hinted at snapping out of their offensive slump on a few occasions, including on Wednesday when they scored seven runs. We’re not making any proclamations on whether that uptick in production is here to stay, but we certainly favor the Yankees’ side of the pitching matchup — Will Warren vs. Mitch Spence — and their home success compared to the A’s struggles on the road. 

Yankees vs. Athletics under 8.5 runs (-105 at FanDuel)
The Yankees and Athletics both rank bottom 10 in runs scored since the beginning of June, and in the Yankees’ case, they’ve gone 14 straight contests without an over. They had one push over that span. The A’s have not trended under to quite the same degree, but they’re 3-7-1 to the under over their past 11 with worse offensive metrics away from home. The bigger issue for the A’s will be facing rookie right-hander Will Warren, who has been in quality form since May 9.

Will Warren over 6.5 strikeouts (-106 at FanDuel)
If you forgive Warren’s start against the Dodgers on May 31, he has a 2.78 ERA since his May 9 start against the A’s. He went 7.1 innings with seven strikeouts in that start, and he’s continued to miss bats, punching out 27 over 23.1 June frames. The Athletics are striking out at a 24.2% rate in June and enter tonight’s contest with a slightly higher whiff rate on the road. Warren has not been a strikeout artist of late, but he does have two double-digit strikeout performances over his past seven to demonstrate his ability to miss bats in bunches.

Mets moneyline (-165 at ESPNBET)
Times are rough for the Mets, who have struggled on the road this season. It’s been their pitching that has let them down of late, but we’re bullish on them righting that ship tonight against the Pirates, who own the league’s worst wOBA and fourth-worst ISO against left-handed pitchers. They’re also 20-21 at PNC Park. The Mets are 9-6 in games started by southpaw David Peterson, and we expect them to do enough offensively to back Peterson in the series opener.

Pirates under 2.5 runs first 7 innings (-105 at DraftKings)
The Pirates are averaging 3.7 runs per game over their past 10, so don’t be fooled by their 7-3 mark to the over across that span. They are one of the league’s worst teams against left-handed pitching, entering tonight’s contest with a .215/.278/.328 slash line. Mets starter David Peterson had not allowed an opponent to score more than three earned runs until he struggled against the Phillies in his most recent start. We expect the Pirates to struggle against him in tonight’s series opener.

David Peterson over 4.5 strikeouts (-160 at DraftKings)
We’re looking for a bounceback from David Peterson, who couldn’t hold down the Phillies like he has previous opponents this season. The metrics appear to be in his favor in this spot as the Pirates have hit very lightly against left-handed pitching. Meanwhile, Peterson is limiting opponents to a .292 wOBA overall. That bodes well — on paper — from the standpoint of him delivering length and missing a few extra bats. The Pirates own a 26.9% strikeout rate versus lefties, and even though Peterson has not been prolific in the strikeout department this season, he’s punched out at least five batters in nine of 15 starts.

Juan Soto 2 or more hits + runs + RBI (-155 at DraftKings)
Soto’s slow start is a thing of the past, and he’s swinging the bat like the middle-of-the-order menace everyone expected when the Mets stole him from the Yankees. He’s OPSing over 1.200 in June with 13 extra-base hits, 24 runs and 18 RBI. He’s 4 for 10 with a double and two walks against Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller.

Brewers -1.5 (+105 at FanDuel)
The Rockies not only struggle on the road (.615 OPS), but against left-handed pitching as well (.628 OPS). They’ll face off against southpaw Jose Quintana, who presents a particularly challenging matchup to a team like the Rockies, who swing at the highest rate in baseball. Their lack of plate discipline threatens to play right into the hands of Quintana, who will be perfectly content inducing weak contact.

Rays moneyline (-118 at FanDuel)
The Rays are in prime form, entering tonight with a 16-7 record in June and a 7-3 mark over their past 10. Starter Ryan Pepiot has played his role, posting a 2.48 ERA over his past 12 starts. In contrast to the Rays, who are right on the Yankees’ heels in the AL East, the Orioles continue to struggle, entering play 4-6 over their past 10. The Rays have also been much better on the road — 19-12 — than the Orioles have been at home — 17-21.

Phillies vs. Braves over 9 runs (-128 at FanDuel)
The Braves and Phillies are both struggling at the dish to a degree, ranking bottom 10 in runs per game in June. But we’re looking at the pitching matchup allowing for a little more offensive production in this spot. The Phillies are going with hard-throwing rookie Mick Abel, who has allowed seven home runs across his past three starts, and the Braves are a dangerous lineup in spite of their current struggles. The same can be said for the Phillies, who will face off against Bryce Elder and his 5.32 ERA and 1.50 WHIP across 22 June innings. 

Breanna Stewart Had a Big Game (35 Points) in First Meeting vs. Phoenix

Name: Breanna Stewart
Team: New York Liberty (11-3)
Position: Forward
Season Stats: 21.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.2 blocks
Matchup: at Phoenix Mercury (11-4)

Past 5 Games

• at Golden State (6/25): 23 points on 9-19 shooting, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks

• @ Seattle (6/22): 18 points on 6-14 shooting, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 blocks

• vs. Phoenix (6/19): 35 points on 11-17 shooting, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals

• vs. Atlanta (6/17): 23 points on 8-18 shooting, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block

• @ Indiana (6/14): 24 points on 7-15 shooting, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals

Head-to-Head

• This is the Liberty’s second game vs. Phoenix this season; Stewart put up 35 points in their first, an 89-81 loss at home.

Potential Bets

• Total points (20.5): Over -120, Under -108

• Total rebounds (6.5): Over -122, Under -108

• Total assists (3.5): Over -130, Under -102

• Points + Rebounds + Assists (31.5): Over -114, Under -114

Bettors Like the Astros (+1.5) in Their Showdown with the Cubs

WNBA

• Fever (-2.5, -106) vs. Wings: 56% of the money and 62% of the bets are with Indiana

• Liberty (-1.5, +101) vs. Mercury (+1.5, -110): 86% of the money is with Phoenix, but 65% of the bets are with New York

MLB

• Mets (-1.5, -102) vs. Pirates: 67% of the money and 60% of the bets are with New York

• Rays (-1.5, +126) vs. Orioles (+1.5, -152): 52% of the money is with Tampa Bay, but 53% of the bets are with Baltimore

• Athletics vs. Yankees (-1.5, -102): 85% of the money and 82% of the bets are with New York

• Cardinals vs. Guardians (+1.5, -152): 57% of the money and 65% of the bets are with Cleveland

• Padres vs. Reds (+1.5, -140): 53% of the money and 62% of the bets are with Cincinnati

• Blue Jays vs. Red Sox (+1.5, -176): 70% of the money and 71% of the bets are with Boston

• Phillies (+1.5, -176) vs. Braves: 69% of the money and 75% of the bets are with Philadelphia

• Giants (-1.5, +100) vs. White Sox: 72% of the money and 65% of the bets are with Chicago

• Mariners vs. Rangers (+1.5, -178): 80% of the money and 79% of the bets are with Texas

• Cubs vs. Astros (+1.5, -178): 64% of the money and 73% of the bets are with Houston

• Dodgers (-1.5, +100) vs. Royals: 79% of the money and 73% of the bets are with Los Angeles

• Nationals (+1.5, -152) vs. Angels: 57% of the money and 59% of the bets are with Washington

• Marlins vs. Diamondbacks (-1.5, +114): 86% of the money and 68% of the bets are with Arizona

In the News 

• Ace Bailey’s reps reportedly told a top-five team not to draft him.

• Paige Bueckers called the pressure put on Caitlin Clark “inhumane.”

• Portland’s WNBA expansion team reportedly fired its president after less than 3 months.

• Wander Franco was found guilty of sexual abuse of a minor in the Dominican Republic.

• Justin Tucker, who is without a team, was suspended for the first 10 weeks of the 2025 NFL season.

What to Watch (times are ET)

• 7pm: 2025 NHL Draft on ESPN/ESPN+

• 7:05pm: Rays vs. Orioles on Apple TV+

• 7:10pm: Cardinals vs. Guardians on Apple TV+

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