All 30 teams are back in action on a busy Tuesday of Major League Baseball!
Look below to find our free MLB Picks for the five best games on today’s schedule!
Los Angeles Angels @ Oakland Athletics – 3.37PM ET
A pair of AL West rivals will kick off our Tuesday afternoon of Major League Baseball when the second placed Athletics host the fourth placed Angels for the second and final match of their two game set at the O.co Coliseum.
Jesse Livermore
With the realistic possibility of an AL wildcard spot still on the table for the A’s, I am going to take Oakland to win Tuesday’s matchup. The Athletics have an impressive 9-3 record from their last 12 games against the Angels and James Kaprielian (2.90 ERA from 11 starts) should give Oakland an advantage in the pitching matchup over Los Angeles’ Jose Suarez (2.29 ERA from two starts, 11 appearances). Suarez has a respectable record from fewer innings, however the Angles have lost 13 of the last 16 games that Suarez has started, while the A’s have won four of the last five games started by Kaprielian.
Jesse’s MLB Pick: Oakland Athletics (-156)
Tim Newton
Despite Shohei Ohtani starting for the Angels last night, Oakland still picked up the 4-1 win in the first of two games between the sides. Ohtani actually pitched six innings for no runs and only three hits, with the A’s getting their work in after the AL MVP favorite was taken off. They will now carry that momentum into tonight and I like them to sweep this two-game series. Jose Suarez, LA’s starting pitcher, will make it tough for them as he has been on fire since being promoted to the starting rotation, while James Kaprielian, Oakland’s starting pitcher, has been just as good. Kaprielian has allowed three or more runs in just two of his 11 starts, keeping scores low and giving the A’s a better chance of coming out on top. He will do the same again and the Oakland batting lineup will do the rest.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Oakland Athletics / Under 8.5 (+230)
Katherine Mouradian
The Athletics are having a good run as of late against the Angels, winning six of their previous seven. The Athletics are second in the AL West, and the Angels are fourth in the AL West. It is important for the Athletics to keep winning games if they want to keep their wild card spot. The Angels on the other hand, have a percentage of .500, and have won five out of their last 10, so the playoffs are looking a little out of reach. I’ll be backing the Athletics, especially considering they are playing at home.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Oakland Athletics (-156)
There’s ending a game.
And then there’s 𝙀𝙉𝘿𝙄𝙉𝙂 a game. pic.twitter.com/BpoM8o2wVz— Oakland A’s (@Athletics) July 20, 2021
Boston Red Sox @ Toronto Blue Jays – 7.07PM ET
The Red Sox and Blue Jays will meet for the second match of their three game series on Tuesday night. Boston are currently on top of the AL East, six games ahead of Toronto, who are in third place.
Jesse Livermore
Boston’s lineup was back to their brutal best in game one of this series on Monday, clubbing 13 runs in a nine run victory. Seeing as Toronto is just one game above .500 at ‘home’ this season, while Boston are an impressive 29-19 on the road, I am going to pick the Red Sox for another big win on Tuesday. The Blue Jays will be sending Thomas Hatch to the mound for his first appearance of the season and just his second career start, and I believe that Boston’s lineup is capable of getting on top of the inexperienced right hander in this matchup.
Jesse’s MLB Pick: Boston Red Sox -1.5 (TBD)
Tim Newton
The Red Sox snapped their own two-game losing streak and the Blue Jays four-game winning streak with a massive 13-4 result on Monday. They have an interesting opportunity to win the series in just two games as Toronto are starting Thomas Hatch, who they just promoted from the minors in the last couple of days. He has had plenty of success there, but will it translate to the big leagues, against the best team in the division? Given Boston scored a massive 13 runs last night and have an impressive 29-19 road record this season, they should be able to roll on again tonight.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Boston Red Sox (TBD)
Katherine Mouradian
The Red Sox are 0-4 in their previous four second games of the series. On the other hand, the Blue Jays are 11-4 in their previous 15 second games of the series. They also have a pretty decent record recently with playing at home, they are 5-2 in their previous seven, when the total is set between 7-8.5. Both teams have had a little bit of a mixed bag of results recently, so I might steer clear of a team and instead go with the under. The under is 9-4 in the Red Sox previous 13 games on a Tuesday and is 7-3 in the Blue Jays previous 10 Tuesday games.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Under TBD (TBD)
New York Mets @ Cincinnati Reds – 7.10PM ET
After their 11 innings shootout of a series opener, the Mets and Reds will meet for the second match of their three game series in Cincinnati on Tuesday night. New York will be looking to wrap up a series victory on the road, while Cincinnati will be looking to snap a four game losing streak since returning from the All-Star break.
Jesse Livermore
Although they piled on a season high 15 runs on Monday, I am not convinced that the Mets offense has suddenly turned the corner, especially with Francisco Lindor on the IL. New York’s 357 runs are still the second fewest in baseball and I don’t think that their lineup is capable of hitting another winning score when coming up against Cincinnati’s Wade Miley. Miley owns a 2.80 ERA through 16 starts this season and he is coming off an eight innings, zero run, three hit performance in his last start. The Reds are 4-0 in Miley’s last four starts at home and with Nick Castellanos expected to return to their lineup, Cincinnati will bring the more dangerous offense into Tuesday’s match.
Jesse’s MLB Pick: Cincinnati Reds (TBD)
Tim Newton
An epic 11-innings 15-11 win for New York has given them their second straight win while handing the Reds their fourth straight loss. The defeat was somewhat surprising for Cincinnati, given the Mets were just 20-28 on the road heading in and the Reds need to win every game they can in the second half of the season, in order to secure a wildcard. Given that, I expect that the home side will bounce back and put the clamps on New York tonight. Wade Miley is being handed the start for Cincinnati and he was able to pitch an eight-innings shutout last start while also keeping the opposition to 2 runs or fewer in eight of his last night. That is a massive positive for the Reds and their offense should be able to capitalize on the headstart Miley gives them.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Cincinnati Reds (TBD)
Katherine Mouradian
The Mets are actually a team that doesn’t mind playing in Cincinnati, they are 15-6 in their previous 21 meetings, and looking overall they are 25-9 in their previous 34 clashes. The Reds are really lacking in confidence at the moment and have won five of their last 10 games. The Mets have also won five of their last 10 games, but I just can see how the Reds are going to win this game. I’ll be on the Mets.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: New York Mets (TBD)
METS HAVE GONE BACK-TO-BACK FOR THE 2ND TIME TONIGHT!
MICHAEL CONFORTO WITH THE METS’ 7TH HOMER OF THE EVENING pic.twitter.com/rVBcUCYK5X
— SNY (@SNYtv) July 20, 2021
San Diego Padres @ Atlanta Braves – 7.20PM ET
A pair of third placed teams in the National League will kick off their three game series in Atlanta on Tuesday night when the Braves host the Padres at SunTrust Park. San Diego will be looking to continue their good form with the bat after outsourcing Washington 41-19 over the weekend, while Atlanta will be looking to bounce back from a series loss to Tampa Bay.
Jesse Livermore
Although they are on the road and own a 22-22 record outside of San Diego this season, I am going to take the Padres over the Braves in this matchup. Firstly, San Diego’s bats are fresh off scoring 41 runs from their three game series against the Nationals in Washington, which included a franchise record 24 runs on Friday. Secondly, the Padres are giving ace Yu Darvish the ball for his 19th start of the season. Darvish owns a 7-3 record and 3.09 ERA with 125 strikeouts this season. And finally, Atlanta’s lineup is still trying to fill the void of Ronald Acuna Jr; who recently tore his ACL. All signs are pointing to the Padres on the road in this matchup.
Jesse’s MLB Pick: San Diego Padres (TBD)
Tim Newton
A washout on Monday means that tonight’s clash is the series opener and that gives the advantage to the Padres. Atlanta stayed at home between series while San Diego had to travel, giving them time to adjust, get set and ready to burst after a disappointing showing last time out, losing 7-8 to Washington. Prior to that, the Padres won back-to-back games by a combined 34-12, showing their offensive talent throughout the roster. They will be looking to reignite that flame against a shaky Braves bullpen. Touki Toussaint is getting his first start of the season and San Diego’s top 10 offense should be able to take advantage.
Tim’s MLB Pick: San Diego Padres / Over TBD (TBD)
Katherine Mouradian
If you are looking for an in form offensive team at the moment, then look no further than the Padres. The over has hit eight times in the Padres last 11 games overall, and not to be outdone, the over has also hit five times in the Braves last five games overall. The Padres are clearly not a fan of playing in Atlanta, as they are just 8-21 in their previous 29 meetings. I am looking to the overs to bring in some extra coin on this game.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Over TBD (TBD)
Chicago Cubs @ St Louis Cardinals – 8.15PM ET
A pair of NL Central rivals will close out our Tuesday night MLB schedule when the third placed Cardinals host the fourth placed Cubs at Busch Stadium. St Louis took a 1-0 lead in this four game series on Monday, defeating Chicago 8-3 thanks to four Cubs errors.
Jesse Livermore
With four fielding errors in their five run loss on Monday and a 4-15 record from their last 19 games, I can’t rationalise picking the Cubs for this matchup. However, St Louis are yet to name their starting pitcher which does not bode well for the Cardinals as their pitching staff has been ravaged by injuries. As both teams have been maddeningly inconsistent to this point in the 2021 MLB regular season, I am going to steer clear of a moneyline pick in this game and simply back the Under. 51.7% of the Cardinals games have resulted in the Under this year, while 58% of Chicago’s games have resulted in the Under.
Jesse’s MLB Pick: Under TBD (TBD)
Tim Newton
These middle of the road NL Central teams face off in the second of four games and the Cardinals, at home, will look to take a commanding 2-0 series lead, following their 8-3 win on Monday. That win was their third straight and got them to 0.500 for the season, while Chicago has dropped two straight and is completely out of form. This was the third straight and fifth from the last seven that Chicago has been kept to four runs and under, failing to have an offense good enough to seriously compete. For St Louis, this was their third straight game and fourth from their last five where they have kept their opponent to three runs or fewer. However, both starting pitchers are average-at-best and should keep this contest interesting. St Louis should take care of business at home in a lacklustre affair, but there is no confidence with any market for this one.
Tim’s MLB Pick: St Louis Cardinals (TBD)
Katherine Mouradian
It was a nice performance by the Cardinals at home last time out, and they will be hoping they can back it up again on Tuesday night. Looking at the Cubs, they are just 8-20 in their previous 28 games overall and, it gets worse, 2-10 in their previous 12 games played on the road. The Cardinals are 5-1 in their previous six games at home. I think there will be more pain for the Cubs tonight, and the Cardinals will get a comfortable win.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: St Louis Cardinals -1.5 (TBD)
Starting the week off right!#STLFLY pic.twitter.com/dDjN4alHbG
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) July 20, 2021
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel
