To start off the week, we went 1-1 for our best bets on Tuesday night. Our lone win came courtesy of the Seattle Mariners, who went over 3.5 team total runs (-105), scoring 4 in a win over the Tampa Bay Rays. Do not look now, but the Mariners are 6-0 against the Rays this season, who are one of the best teams in the American League.
However, we picked up a defeat with the Boston Red Sox (-145) on the moneyline, who lost 4-2 to the Detroit Tigers. The Red Sox have now lost five-straight games, but are still only 1 game behind the Rays for first place in the AL East.
Today, we have a full-15 game slate in the majors, which begins at 12:35 p.m. ET between the Minnesota Twins and Cincinnati Reds. Here we’re going to be tracking all the best MLB picks base on the odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook for Wednesday night’s baseball action.
MLB picks for Wednesday, August 4th — Record YTD (21-18)
Frankie Montas over 5.5 strikeouts (-130)
Since we’ve entered into the second half of the 2021 MLB season, it has been really hard to find good value on strikeout props. However, I think we might’ve found one at a great price in the Oakland Athletics and San Diego Padres game at 3:37 p.m. ET. The A’s will put Frankie Montas on the mound, who has a 9-8 record and 4.08 ERA in 21 starts this season.
The 28-year-old starter had a solid month of July, where he had a 2-1 record, 2.30 ERA, and 40 strikeouts in 31.1 IP. Montas has gone over 5.5 strikeouts in 12 out of 21 starts, including 4 out of his last 5 outings. In his last five starts at home, Montas is averaging 6.6 strikeouts per game. He’s facing a Padres’ offense that averages 8.35 Ks per game, which is good for seventh in the majors. That number has gone up on the road to 8.49 strikeouts per game this season.
Braves (-115) vs. Cardinals
Don’t look now but the Atlanta Braves, who are in third place in the NL East are only 2.5 games behind the New York Mets for first place. The Braves have won 3 out of their last 5 games, which includes a 6-1 win over the Cardinals Tuesday night. Atlanta should be in line for another win, despite having starter Drew Smyly on the mound.
Smyly had a rough first two months of the season, but has pitched exceptionally well in June and July. Along those same lines, the southpaw has done well on the road with a 5-2 record and 4.20 ERA through 11 starts. The Cardinals will likely put up some runs on Smyly, but I think the Braves’ offense will also score some runs on recently acquired starter J.A. Happ, who had a 5-6 record and 6.77 ERA with the Twins. In Smyly’s last five road starts, the Braves are 5-0 and averaging 8.8 runs per game. Back the Braves on the ML!
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