Counting on Quality: Best MLB Quality Start Picks for June 4 (Back Gil, Burnes and Imanaga)
In this exercise, a 2-2 record like I had on Friday isn't going to cut it, but overall I was 4-3 last week, so there's at least that, though I have a ways to go to get to where I want to be.
Fortunately, each team has roughly 100 games left on the schedule for me to work with, so I move forward believing in the system.
Minnesota Twins vs New York Yankees
The Yankees are the best team in baseball so far in 2024 and are hot, winning 10 of their last 12, with Aaron Judge and Juan Soto crushing it, which makes this choice easy.
Luis Gil, with 6 quality starts in 11 outings is on the hill for the Bombers, facing Bailey Ober for the Twins.
The Yankees haven't lost many games with anybody on the mound, but they're 9-2 in Gil starts and average 5.62 runs per start with Gil pitching.
Gil is 4-0 with a 1.27 ERA at home and went 6-0 in May with a 0.70 ERA across 38.2 innings.
PICK: Yankees Money Line -170
Baltimore Orioles vs Toronto Blue Jays
Corbin Burnes who has nine quality starts in 12 outings on the season takes the mound for the Orioles, while there is some debate over the starter for the Blue Jays. One site has the team as undecided, while another lists Trevor Richards, so that's something to pay attention to.
That said, Baltimore is the superior team and will have the superior starter on the mound and that's reflected in the juice on this Money Line.
Burnes has a streak of seven consecutive quality starts, but the Orioles lost the first four of those, getting shut out twice and scoring just two runs in the other two.
On the season though, the Birds are averaging just over five runs per game in Burnes' starts and the team is 8-4, after winning the last three that he started.
PICK: Orioles Money Line -169
Chicago White Sox vs Chicago Cubs
It's a battle of the Windy City, but how much analysis is really needed in this one?
Sure the Cubs are scuffling, losing 12 of 16, but you know what teams that are struggling need? To see the 15-45 White Sox on their schedule.
It also helps that Shota Imanaga is on the mound for the Cubbies, despite his first bad outing of the season against the Brewers last time out.
We all knew regression was coming and it hit hard, just like Milwaukee, but my position is the difference between the Sox and the Brewers is immense and, perhaps more importantly, Shota is not going to allow consecutive bad performances.
Imanaga has six quality starts on the season, while White Sox starter Chris Flexen has two.
It also doesn't hurt that the Cubs are 8-2 when Imanaga starts.
PICK: Cubs Run Line -1.5 -144
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.