Walk-Off Wagers: MLB Best Bets Today (Predictions for Rangers-Rays, Braves-D-Backs and Orioles-Mariners)

Breaking down three best bets for Tuesday's MLB action.

The Braves are favored at home on Tuesday. / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Tuesday’s Major League Baseball features a full 15-game slate, concluding with Game 2 between the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers in their early-week series.

While I’m not betting on the Dodgers-Mets matchup tonight, there are three games that I believe are worth targeting, including a couple with All-Star caliber pitchers on the mound.

Atlanta Braves starter Spencer Strider is one of those pitchers, but his team has not fared well in his limited outings in 2025. Can he turn things down against a struggling Zac Gallen and the Arizona Diamondbacks?

Then, in the American League, one-time All-Star George Kirby aims to shake off a slow start to 2025 against the lowly Baltimore Orioles. I have a play on the total in that matchup as one of today’s best bets.

Here’s a full breakdown of the plays I’m taking on June 3. 

MLB Best Bets for Tuesday, June 3

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

• Texas Rangers-Tampa Bay Rays First 5 Innings UNDER 4.5 (-135)
• Atlanta Braves Moneyline (-148) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
• Baltimore Orioles-Seattle Mariners OVER 8 (+100)

Texas Rangers-Tampa Bay Rays First 5 Innings UNDER 4.5 (-135)

Who would’ve thought that before the 2025 season that a pitching matchup between Tyler Mahle and Drew Rasmussen would be a must-watch TV?

Well, that’s the case on Tuesday, as Mahle enters this start with a 1.64 ERA for the Texas Rangers while Rasmussen has a 2.33 ERA for the Tampa Bay Rays. Both pitchers have expected ERAs that are short of 4.00 this season, so it’s not a total fluke that they’re off to these strong starts.

When it comes to offense, the Rangers have struggled, ranking 26th in MLB in runs scored, 28th in OPS and 26th in Weighted Runs Created Plus. The Rays aren’t much better, ranking 15th in runs scored and 17th in OPS, although they are 13th in wRC+. 

Still, I’m not buying either offense against these starters.

So far in 2025, Rasmussen has given up three or fewer earned runs in 10 of his 11 starts, and he has allowed just nine hits and no runs over his last three outings (18.0 innings of work). 

On the Rangers’ side, Mahle has just one outing where he’s given up three earned runs, allowing two or fewer in 11 of 12 appearances. 

These are two of the best UNDER teams in MLB – Texas is a league best 40-19-1 to the UNDER while Tampa Bay is 34-22-3 – so I love taking the UNDER in the first five frames in this matchup.

Both starters have been too consistent to fade with this total all the way up at 4.5 on Tuesday. Plus, this takes out the bullpens (Texas has 3.72 ERA, Tampa Bay has a 3.24 bullpen ERA) from potentially ruining what should be a solid pitcher’s duel.  

Atlanta Braves Moneyline (-148) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks

To say it’s been a rough season for Gallen is an understatement.

The Diamondbacks righty used to be a perennial contender for the NL Cy Young, but he’s really taken a step back in 2025, posting a 5.54 ERA while allowing four or more earned runs in each of his last four starts.

Here’s how Gallen ranks in some key advanced numbers – per Statcast – this season:

• Expected ERA: 4.13 (38th percentile)
• Average Exit Velocity Against: 91.0 (17th percentile)
• Walk Percentage: 11.0 percent (23rd percentile)
• Hard-Hit Percentage: 45.3 percent (20th percentile)
• Pitching Run Value: -7 (9th percentile)

That’s not going to cut it, even against a Braves team that is under .500 this season. 

Atlanta is sending ace Spencer Strider to the mound for the fourth time this season, although it is 0-3 in his starts. Strider has a 4.50 ERA, pitching 5.0 innings or less in three straight outings.

Still, I like the Braves to take this matchup. Not only does Atlanta have a slight pitching edge with these starters, but the D-Backs’ bullpen is one of the worst in baseball, posting a 5.29 ERA in 2025. 

Atlanta, on the other hand, has a 3.59 bullpen ERA in 2025. Since Arizona is just 4-8 in Gallen’s starts, I lean with the Braves to pick up a win at home on Tuesday. 

Baltimore Orioles-Seattle Mariners OVER 8 (+100)

It’s been a tough start to the season for Kirby, who currently has a 11.42 ERA, allowing 13 runs and 11 hits across 8.2 innings of work. 

While the Orioles are a bottom-10 team in OPS, runs scored and just 19th in wRC+, I think they can get to the young righty on Tuesday. 

Seattle has combined for nine and 11 runs in Kirby’s two outings in 2025, and his opponent on Tuesday – Tomoyuki Sugano – hasn’t fared much better.

Sugano has a 3.23 ERA in 2025, but his expected ERA is all the way up at 4.48, a sign that regression is coming. Sugano has given up at least two runs in four of his last five starts, and he has a suspect bullpen (5.33 bullpen ERA) behind him in Baltimore. 

Seattle is also fifth in MLB in wRC+, so I wouldn’t be shocked if the offense is able to get to Sugano and the O’s on Tuesday night.

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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