Look below to find our free MLB Picks for the five best games on today’s schedule!
Baltimore Orioles @ Detroit Tigers 7.10PM ET
The Orioles and Tigers will kick off our Friday evening MLB schedule with the second match of their four game weekend series in Detroit.
Jesse Livermore
Although Matt Harvey has thrown 12 scoreless innings in his last two starts, the law of averages would suggest that he is due to get clubbed on Friday, as the veteran right hader still owns a lowly 6.65 ERA. Contrastingly, Detroit’s Tarik Skubal has allowed two or fewer runs in three out of his last four home starts and the Tigers are 4-0 in his last four outings. Seeing as the Tigers are at home and averaging 6.9 runs in their last 10 games, I like them to win this matchup. Especially with Skubal giving them an advantage at the mound.
Jesse’s MLB Pick: Detroit Tigers (-144)
Tim Newton
The Tigers have won three straight games and I like them to win a fourth. Detroit has won 10 straight at Comerica Park while the Orioles have dropped three straight on the road and sit at 18-35 when travelling overall. The one thing that could undo this is the fact that Matt Harvey, Baltimore’s starter for this clash, hasn’t allowed a run in his last 12 innings, seeming to find a groove of late. However, he is still just 5-10 for the season and has a massive ERA of 6.65. Given he is on the road against a team that thrives on their home field, I like Detroit to follow on from their 6-2 win in the series opener and take this clash.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Detroit Tigers (-144)
Katherine Mouradian
The Tigers are now on a three game winning streak, after beating the Orioles in the first game of this series. Looking over the more long term results, the Orioles have won just 80 out of their previous 259 games on the road and just 20 out of their previous 68 when playing a team in the AL Central. When it comes to the Tigers, they have won just 15 out of their previous 60 games on Friday and have won 35 of their previous 109 games at home when playing a right handed starter. Both teams are struggling this season, but the Tigers have some sort of momentum, so I’ll be on them.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Detroit Tigers (-144)
Pretty good night for Detroit sports, eh? pic.twitter.com/oEa1NGwLLe
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) July 30, 2021
Seattle Mariners @ Texas Rangers – 8.05PM ET
The Seattle Mariners will look to make up some ground in the AL West when they face the division last placed Rangers in Texas on Friday. This will be the first match of a three game weekend series between the division rivals.
Jesse Livermore
Seeing as Kolby Allard will be making his 11th start (21st appearance) for the Rangers in Texas on Friday, I am going to take the Mariners on the road for this matchup. The southpaw is 2-8 with a 4.71 ERA in 2021 and the Rangers are 0-4 in his last four outings and 1-13 in their last 14 games overall. Seattle on the other hand are well and truly alive in the playoff race and they have won the last 10 games that Logan Gilbert has started for them. As well as that, the Mariners are 4-1 against left handed pitchers on the road and I like them to improve on that record with a win against Allard on Friday.
Jesse’s MLB Pick: Seattle Mariners (TBD)
Tim Newton
While the Mariners have dropped two straight, both at home, and now get on the road for this matchup, it is against the lowly Rangers. While Texas did snap their 12 game streak with a surprise win over Arizona on Tuesday, they lost the second of the two matchups and now face a much better team in this series, Seattle. The Mariners have traded away Kendall Graveman, who was 4-0 with a .082 ERA and 10 saves from 30 games this season, but still have the cattle to get the job done. Logan Gilbert is starting for Seattle and is 4-2 from his 12 starts this season while Texas has Kolby Allard starting who is just 2-8 from 20 games, including 10 starts.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Seattle Mariners -1.5 (TBD)
Katherine Mouradian
The Rangers were FINALLY able to get a win on the board a couple of games ago, but they take on the Mariners, who have a percentage of .534, in this opening game clash. Looking more closely at the stats, the Mariners have won all six of their previous six games on Friday, and they have won eight of their previous 11 series opening clases. The Rangers have won just 17 of their previous 58 series opening games and have won just five of their previous 20 games on a Friday. I’ll be on the Mariners plus the over, because the over has hit four out of the last five times when the Mariners have played a division game, and it has hit seven of the Rangers previous nine games following a day off.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Seattle Mariners / Over TBD (TBD)
Cleveland Indians @ Chicago White Sox – 8.10PM ET
It’s a top of the table clash in the AL Central with the first placed White Sox hosting the second placed Indians at Guaranteed Rate Field, for what will be the first match of their three game series.
Jesse Livermore
Although this is a clash between the two top teams in the AL Central, the White Sox are at home and eight games clear of the Indians in the division standings. With that in mind, I will take the White Sox to win and cover in this game. In the pitching matchup, Cleveland will be sending their weakest starting arm to the mound in J.C Mejia, while Chicago will be starting arguably their best pitcher in Lance Lynn. The Indians have lost their last four games that Mejia has started and the right hander owns a 1-6 record and 7.52 ERA. While Lance Lynn owns a 10-3 record in 2021 to go along with a 1.91 ERA. As well as that, Cleveland recently traded one of their best offensive weapons to Chicago in Cesar Hernandez, further strengthening the White Sox lineup and further depleting the Indians offense.
Jesse’s MLB Pick: Chicago White Sox -1.5 (-105)
Tim Newton
Would you believe that the AL Central leading White Sox just lost a series 1-3 to the 45-56 Royals? Well that happened and they have now lost five of their last seven games, which is a worrying sign given they now play a good ball club, the Indians. However, Chicago returns home where they are 8-3 from their last 11 games and will have Lance Lynn starting on the mound. Both of those are massive positives, especially given that in 15 of his 18 starts, Lynn has restricted opposition offenses to two runs or fewer. Given that Cleveland has only scored more than four runs three times since the All Star break, in 12 games, I can see the White Sox really putting on the clamps.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Chicago White Sox -1.5 (-105)
Katherine Mouradian
The White Sox and the Indians are at the top of the AL Central, although the White Sox are an impressive 10 wins ahead of the Indians. The Indians are not really a fan of playing on the road or even on a Friday, they have won just three of their previous 11 games on the road, and have won just two of their previous 12 games on a Friday. The White Sox have been pretty impressive this season at home and have won 51 of their previous 72 games at home, and they have won 26 of their previous 38 games when playing a team in the AL Central. The White Sox should be able to get the win quite comfortably here.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Chicago White Sox -1.5 (-105)
Lance Lynn is doing it all.
That’s his first hit in almost four years. 😳 pic.twitter.com/xNmKcWJMQB
— MLB (@MLB) July 25, 2021
Oakland Athletics @ Los Angeles Angels – 9.38PM ET
Next up we have the Angels hosting the Athletics in Los Angeles for the second match of a four game series between these two AL West rivals.
Jesse Livermore
Although the Angels have a 4-2 record from their past five games, I am going to take the Athletics on the road with Chris Bassitt on the mound. Bassitt is 10-3 with a 3.46 ERA so far this season and he is 6-0 on the road this year. As well as that, Bassitt will give Oakland an advantage in the pitching matchup with Los Angeles sending Patrick Sandoval to the mound for this matchup. Sandoval has struggled at home this season, owning a 1-3 record and 3.79 ERA from eight starts at Angels Stadium and an 0-7 record from his last seven starts against division rivals.
Jesse’s MLB Pick: Oakland Athletics (-120)
Tim Newton
The Angels have now been outscored by 12 runs over their last three games, including a 0-4 loss in the series opener here. Things don’t look to be getting any easier for LA in this one given Oakland has Chris Bassitt starting, who is 10-3 from 21 starts this season, including an ERA of just 3.46. For the Angels, Patrick Sandoval is starting with ball in hand and he is just 3-4 with a save this season. However, in his last start, Sandoval pitched for 8.2 innings and allowed just one run in a game that LA won 2-1. That is a massive positive for the home team but I’m unsure if it is enough for them to turn things around.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Under 8.5 (-120)
Katherine Mouradian
This is the second game of the series, and the Athletics will be going into it with a lot of confidence, seeing that they were able to get the victory in the first game. The Angels’ season has been plagued with inconsistency, and the perfect reflection of this is that they have a 5-5 record for their previous 10 games. The Athletics have slightly struggled after the mid season break, and the race for the wildcard spot has really tightened up, but I think they are good enough to get the win again over the Angels tonight.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Oakland Athletics (-120)
Houston Astros @ San Francisco Giants – 9.45PM ET
Two of the top teams in baseball will close out our Friday night baseball schedule when the San Francisco Giants host the Houston Astros in an interleague series at Oracle Park. This will be the first match of a three game series between these two division leaders.
Jesse Livermore
Although Houston’s 5.45 runs per game average is quite convincingly the best in baseball, I am going to take the San Francisco Giants at home with Kevin Gausman on the mound. Entering Friday’s matchup, Houston’s batters are hitting at a .166 batting average against Gausman this year and the veteran right hander owns a 9-4 record and 2.21 ERA in 2021, despite a poor showing in his last start. As well as that, San Francisco’s bullpen boasts the sixth lowest ERA since the All-Star break, while Houston’s bullpen owns the 13th highest. Houston are 10-18 from their last 28 games in San Francisco and I can’t see them improving on that record on Friday with Gausman on the mound for the Giants.
Jesse’s MLB Pick: San Francisco Giants (-120)
Tim Newton
The leader of the NL West hosts the leader of the AL West in a showdown between the top two sides in baseball. Both the Giants and the Astros come in having won three of their last four games, however, Houston are 5-1 from their last six while San Francisco are just 3-3. This is a tough clash to pick as both starting pitchers are going exceptionally well this season. Kevin Gausman, the Giants’ starter, has a very impressive record of 9-4 with a 2.21 ERA, while Framber Valdez, the Astros’ starter, is equally as good with a 6-2 record and an ERA of 2.97. This will be a very intriguing clash given both starters are of very high caliber while both team’s offenses are top 10 in the league. I’m going to take the value with Houston, given they are 4-1 in their last five series openers on the road, but would suggest a low stake compared to other games in this preview.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Houston Astros (+100)
Katherine Mouradian
This is the game I have been waiting for! The Astros (63-40) take on the Giants (64-38). Both teams have a lot of awesome stats, no matter how you look at it. This game could really go either way, but looking when these two teams play each other, the Astros have won seven of the previous eight clashes. I also like the look of the over. The over has hit in six of the previous eight Astros games, and is 24-11-1 in the Giants previous 36 interleague games.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Houston Astros / Over 7.5 (+270)
Big win for the @SFGiants, who take the series with LA and lead by 3 games in the NL West. pic.twitter.com/IQomvqAc2j
— MLB (@MLB) July 29, 2021
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel
