With no playoff action to sink our teeth into on this first Monday of June as we await the open of the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup final, let’s sample a little MLB out west, an elimination game in NCAA Baseball regionals, and a soccer friendly across the pond.  

SAN DIEGO PADRES at LOS ANGELES ANGELS

Yes, the Angels lost eight of their last nine and sit 17 games below .500 on the season, but that’s why we’re getting good value here as the Halos host their SoCal neighbors. 

San Diego is playing pretty well of late, having won three of its last four series, and will start Matt Waldron. He dropped his ERA by more than a run and half over his last four starts and struck out 25 over his last three outings. 

However, lefties are hitting over .300 against Waldron this season, and the Angels could put out a decent southpaw-heavy lineup for this contest. 

LA will go with Tyler Anderson, who sports a stellar 2.47 ERA and was superb in May, giving up only three home runs in five starts. He also held the Yankees to one run in his last outing, despite walking six.

Angels money line, +114 (DraftKings) 

LSU at NORTH CAROLINA

The Tigers forced a deciding game in the Chapel Hill regional with an 8-4 victory on Sunday evening after losing 6-2 on Saturday to the Tar Heels to drop down to the loser’s side of the double-elimination bracket. 

LSU had to beat South Carolina twice  – 11-10 and 12-11 – to advance to the SEC title game, where they fell 4-3 to Tennessee. That gives them plenty of recent experience in having their backs against the ropes. 

The Tigers also put 21 runs across the plate in two games on Sunday after a couple of slow offensive performances in the first two days of the regional as they scraped by Wofford before losing to UNC. 

UNC might be the home team here, but we all know how huge pitching depth and momentum are when we get to these deciding regionals, and with Arizona being upset in Tucson, the unseeded Tigers have an unexpected shot at hosting a Super Regional against either West Virginia or Grand Canyon if they win this one. I like the value with plus money here. 

LSU money line, +100 (DraftKings)  

ENGLAND VS. BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Gareth Southgate and his Three Lions squad get their two-game Euro 2024 preparation campaign under way as they host a Bosnia & Herzegovina side that finished a pathetic fifth in their six-team qualification group, behind the likes of friggin’ Luxembourg. 

The Premier League only finished a couple of weeks ago, so many of the England players will not feel particularly rested coming into this one, but I think they will have more than enough to comfortably handle The Dragons, who have lost eight of their last nine games against countries not named Lichenstein and gave up five goals to Portugal and four to Luxembourg in qualification. 

Southgate still has to cut seven players from his squad to get down to the 26-man unit he takes to Germany, and the popular opinion is there are potentially at least a couple of spots up for grabs depending on performances against B&H and Iceland, so some players should still be motivated to try and make a good final impression. 

England to win, goals over 3.5 at +120 (DraftKings)