Explaining the stunning PGA Tour, LIV Golf merger | Tonight's best bets

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Tuesday, June 6, 2023

Greetings fellow gamblers, it's Chris Bengel back with you on this beautiful Tuesday. Before we get to today's picks, let's address how the day got off to a shocking start in the sports world.

The PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund have agreed to a merger. After two years of serious drama between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, the merger will create "a new, collectively owned, for-profit entity." The PIF has been engaged in antitrust lawsuits against the PGA Tour over the last year, but that litigation will come to an end with this new agreement.

It's mind-boggling that the two sides are coming together. Stars like Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka left the PGA Tour and joined the controversial LIV Golf entity in its early stages, receiving aconsiderableamount of both money and grief for their decisions. Meanwhile, other big-name golfers chose to stay with the PGA Tour, turning down massive paydays from LIV Golf in doing so. It'll be interesting, to say the least, to see golfers from both sides attempt to coexist in this new entity.

Our Zach Pereles will have much more on the merger in tomorrow morning's HQ AM Newsletter, butI recommend listening to today's emergency episode of The First Cut podcast, in which Kyle Porter and our other experts react to it all, to hold you over until then.

OK, now let's dive into Tuesday's baseball picks, which aren't quite as shocking as what I just went over.

All times Eastern, and all odds via Caesars Sportsbook

The Hot Ticket

Twins at Rays, 6:40 p.m.| TV: MLB.TV

The Pick: Rays (-170)

Key Trend: The Rays are 9-1 in their last 10 games against American League Central teams.

Fresh off of winning three out of four against the Red Sox, I'm expecting the Rays' dominance to continue. Rays starter Zach Eflin has really enjoyed a resurgence since leaving the Phillies in the offseason. Aside from star arm Shane McClanahan, Eflin has been the Rays most consistent starting pitcher.

Eflin has accumulated a 7-1 record to go along with a 3.30 ERA. The veteran right-hander has thrived at home, where he's 6-0 with just a 2.19 ERA in six starts. In addition, the Rays have been victorious in all but one of Eflin's starts throughout the 2023 season.

It doesn't hurt that the best offense in baseball plays behind him. The Rays rank first in home runs (103), second in RBIs (343), third in batting average (.266) and third in hits (558). Simply put, Tampa Bay's offense is lethal, which isn't a huge surprise when you have bats like Wander Franco, Randy Arozarena and Yandy Diaz in your lineup. Bank on this lineup to back a pitcher like Eflin, who has been automatic thus far this season.

More MLB Picks

Giants at Rockies, 8:40 p.m.| TV: MLB.TV

The Pick: Under 11.5 (-120) -- When you see that a game is being played at Coors Field, your mind immediately races to the fact that a ton of runs could be scored given the altitude. However, I believe that will be far from the case when the Rockies host the Giants on Tuesday.

The under has had a 14-16 mark when the Rockies have played at home this season. Sure, the Rockies' offense has been strong, as they rank eighth with a .259 batting average. However, the Giants and Rockies both rank in the top 11 in the majors when it comes to batters striking out. The Rockies, who are the more dangerous offense, have averaged just 3.4 runs-per-game over their last five contests.

Meanwhile, the Giants are putting up 2.8 runs-per-game over their last five games and haven't scored more than four runs in any of those matchups during that stretch. Neither side is lighting the world on fire. With that being said, 11 runs is a lot to play with, even at Coors Field. I don't see these two sides getting anywhere close to that number.

Key Trend: The under is 5-2-1 in the last eight meetings in Colorado.

Mets at Braves, 7:20 p.m.| TV: TBSThe Pick: Bryce Elder Over 4.5 Strikeouts (+130)-- Yes, I'm going back to the Bryce Elder well once again. Elder has been one of the top pitchers in baseball up to this point. The Braves right-hander has recorded a 1.92 ERA, which is the lowest among qualifying starting pitchers in baseball. Elder has tallied at least five strikeouts in four of his last six outings, including having six strikeouts in two of his last three contests.

Look, the Mets are one of the more disciplined teams at the plate, as they have the third-fewest strikeouts on the year. However, they are coming off a series against the Blue Jays in which they lost all three games and struck out at least 10 times in each of those contests. With getting Elder's strikeout prop at plus money, I love the value here -- especially with a relatively low number.

Key Trend: Elder has recorded at least five strikeouts in four of his last six starts.

U.S. Open Cup

WNBA on CBS Sports Network

Tune in to CBS Sports Golazo Network for all things U.S. Open Cup. Today, watch Chicago Fire vs. Houston Dynamo. Coverage begins at 8:30 PM ET.Watch Now

CBS Sports Network has the WNBA games you don't want to miss tonight! First, watch the Indiana Fever take on the Chicago Sky at 8 PM ET before catching a matchup between the LA Sparks and Seattle Storm at 10 PM ET.Watch Live

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