Free MLB Picks Today for Friday, August 11th, 2023

Our free MLB picks are out for Friday, August 11th, 2023! Make sure you check our MLB picks before the action kicks off.

Look below to find our free MLB picks for the five best games on today’s schedule!

New York Yankees @ Miami Marlins – 6:40PM ET

Tony Battalio

The New York Yankees come into this game with a record of 59-56 through their first 115 games of the 2023 Major League Baseball season. They are currently in last place of the American League East division and they are still looking to make a late season playoff push but they will have to catch fire rather quickly. New York was having a respectable season until the injuries started piling up for them going into and coming out of the all star break. They will be looking to grab a series opening victory against another struggling team here on Friday night on the road in Miami. New York is coming into this game as losers of six out of their last ten on the year and they will have to get things turned out if they want to remain within striking distance of playoff contention. 

The Miami Marlins had a solid first half of the season, but ever since coming out of the All-Star break they have been struggling. As it took them a solid week and a half to pick up their first victory since coming out of the break, and they have fallen all the way out of the playoff picture in the National League at the moment. The Miami Marlins come into this game with a record of 60-56 through their first 116 games of the 2023 Major League Baseball season. They come into the opening game of the series on a two game winning streak, but they have lost seven out of their last 10 on the season. I don’t expect it to get much better for them in this one as I have the Yankees picking up the victory here on Friday night.

Cleveland Guardians @ Tampa Bay Rays – 6:40PM ET

Tony Battalio

The Cleveland Guardians picked up a solid victory in the finale of their four-game series on Thursday afternoon against the Toronto Blue Jays. Now they will open up a three game weekend series against another American League East division team as they head south to Tropicana Field to face off with the Tampa Bay Rays. Cleveland will be looking to take the momentum. They gain from their victories over Toronto and use it to grab some much-needed wins over Tampa Bay this weekend. Cleveland is slowly clawing their way back into the American League Central division title race as they are now only three and a half games out of first place. 

Tampa Bay started off the season on a historic pace but they have slowed down a bit as the season has progressed. They will be looking to grab a victory in the opening game of the series against Cleveland as they look to gain ground on the Baltimore Orioles and take back first place in the American League East division. Former Cleveland Guardian, Aaron Civale will be on the mound for Tampa Bay in this one and he will be looking to make this second start as a member of the Rays a lot better than his debut start last week. However, I don’t see that happening as I have Cleveland picking up the victory here on Friday night on the road.

Cincinnati Reds @ Pittsburgh Pirates – 7:05PM ET

Tony Battalio

It was a rough start to the season for the Cincinnati Reds, but they came on strong heading towards the All-Star break. However, things haven’t been so great for them since coming out of the All-Star break, and I have fallen all the way to third place in the National League Central division after leading the division for about a week earlier in the year. They will be looking to bounce back and get themselves back on track in the opening game of the series against the Pittsburgh Pirates here on Friday night at PNC Park. Cincinnati is a young team that is arguably exceeding their expectations at the moment as many people thought they would be rebuilding this season. However, if they can catch fire quickly and get things turned around, they have a legitimate chance to make a postseason appearance this year.

The Pittsburgh Pirates had an incredible start to the season but after winning 22 out of the first 30 games on the year, they fell off in a big way. They now find themselves closer to last place in the National League Central division then they are to first place. At this point in the year, they will be looking to just avoid going on a mass of losing streak, and really wreck their season as they still have the potential to record a winning season for the first time in ages. However, I don’t expect them to win the opening game of the series on Friday as I’m going with Cincinnati to pick up the victory.

Minnesota Twins @ Philadelphia Phillies – 7:05PM ET

Tony Battalio

The Minnesota Twins are in a bit of a slump right now and their lead in the American League Central division is quickly evaporating with each passing loss. Cleveland has gained some ground on them over the past couple of days in Minnesota. Will be looking to snap out of their funk and pick up a victory over Philadelphia here in the opening game of the series on Friday night. Minnesota comes into this game with a record of 60-57 through the first 117 games of the 2023 Major League Baseball season. They come into this game on a three game losing streak that they will be looking to snap here against Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia had plenty of expectations coming into the season as many people looked for them to repeat as National League pennant winners. Trea Turner was also a potential MVP candidate his season got off to a rough start after his electric performance in the world baseball classic prior to the regular season starting. Philadelphia still has a solid shot at making the playoffs as they currently are within striking distance of taking one of the three wild card spots in the National League but a big win here over Minnesota in the opening game of the series would give them plenty of momentum. That is exactly what I expect as I have Philadelphia grabbing the victory in this game.

Chicago Cubs @ Toronto Blue Jays – 7:07PM ET

Tony Battalio

The Chicago Cubs have been playing solid baseball over the last couple weeks of the season and they have put themselves back into the playoff race in the National League Central division as well. The Cubs will be looking to have a strong performance in the opening game of the series against the Toronto Blue Jays when they head north of the border to Canada on Friday night. Chicago comes into the opening game of this series with a record of 59-56 through their first 115 games of the 2023 Major League Baseball season. They are currently in second place of the division and only two and a half games out of first place in the division as well. 

The Toronto Blue Jays are coming off of a four-game series split with the Cleveland Guardians and they will be looking to pick up a victory in the opening game of the series on Friday night as they return home. No pun intended but Toronto has flown under the radar this season and as long as they remain healthy and consistent they are a team that has a legitimate shot at making a deep playoff run. They come into this game with a record of 65-52 through their first 117 games of the 2023 Major League Baseball season. I expect them to pick up a victory in the opening game of this series as well.

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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.