Our free MLB Picks are out for Friday, September 24th, 2021! We have hand-picked today’s five best games, so make sure you check our MLB Picks before the action kicks off.
Look below to find our free MLB Picks for today!
New York Yankees @ Boston Red Sox – 7.10PM EDT
One of the biggest rivalries in baseball is the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. We now get the pleasure of viewing them face off in a three game series, with the first of those games tonight.
Tim Newton
While the Yankees come in off the back of three straight wins to start the week, they only beat the Rangers and now have to get on the road for this AL East matchup with the Red Sox, who have won seven straight themselves. Boston is two games better off in the standings and playing much better baseball on both sides of the ball at the moment, so I am with them to win the opener, at home.
While Gerrit Cole is starting for New York, he was booed off the field by his own fans last time out, giving up seven runs on 10 hits in 5.2 innings of work. If brings a performance anywhere close to that, Boston will licking their lips, considering their batting lineup is much better than Cleveland’s. Adding to that, last time he faced the Red Sox in Boston he gave up three runs from just five innings in a game he was tagged with the loss as New York fell short, losing 2-6. Boston is in-form, at home and I like them to get the job done here.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Boston Red Sox (+100)
Katherine Mouradian
The Yankees and the Reds Sox are the current two teams claiming the two Wild Card spots in the AL. With teams like the Blue Jays, Mariners and Athletics, half a game, two games and four games, behind respectively, these games are of the utmost importance. The Yankees are coming off a 3-0 series win against the Rangers, and the Red Sox are coming off a 2-0 series win against the Mets.
We know it’s not Wednesday but… pic.twitter.com/5h5ZPpxfnl
— Red Sox (@RedSox) September 23, 2021
The Yankees have won all six of their previous games after they have had a day off, and they have won six of their previous seven games on a Friday. The Sox have won all four of their previous games against a team in the AL East, and they have won 18 of their previous 22 games on a Friday. Well, the Red Sox are on a roll at the moment, and they have won seven games in a row. Eovaldi is the starting pitcher for the Red Sox, and he has been one of the major reasons for the recent success. I’ll be backing the Red Sox.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Boston Red Sox (+100)
Mike Su
The Yankees and Red Sox begin a crucial series that may determine which 2 teams are the Wild Cards in the American League. The Yankees sit 2 games behind the Red Sox for the first Wild Card Spot. They also have a 1 game gap between themselves and the Blue Jays. If either team slips, that paves the way for the Blue Jays to kick one of them out of the playoffs entirely. In this crucial game the Yankees will be starting Gerritt Cole at pitcher.
Cole has been good this year with a 3.03 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 231 strikeouts in 169 innings. The Red Sox will be starting Nathan Eovaldi who has a slightly worse 3.58 ERA and 1.17 WHIP this season. Although the Yankees have the slight edge with the pitching, the Red Sox are a far better batting team. On top of that the Red Sox have been a lot better lately with 8 wins in their last 10 games. Therefore, I am going with the Red Sox in a close one.
Mike’s MLB Pick: Boston Red Sox (+100)
San Francisco Giants @ Colorado Rockies – 8.10PM EDT
The Colorado Rockies and San Francisco Giants stay in division, facing off for the last time this season. There is a 27.5 game difference between the sides in the standings with the Rockies looking to the offseason while the Giants are playing to keep their spot on top of the NL West.
Tim Newton
While the Rockies lost their last series to the Dodgers 1-2, they actually outscored LA by two runs across the three games. Their batting lineup grows another leg when playing at home, evidenced by their 46-29 record at home, compared to being just 25-52 on the road. While that indicates that they could surprise the league-leading Giants in this one, I don’t think that will be the case.
Colorado are starting Peter Lambert in this clash who has only pitched in 19 games so far in his career, and they were all in 2019. That isn’t a good sign against a top three batting unit, especially when his ERA in those games was a massive 7.25. On the other hand, San Francisco is starting Alex Wood, who has a 10-4 record this season and has only allowed six runs in his last four games, across 20 innings of work.
The Rockies may put up a fight, but the Giants are too good and should win this comfortably.
Tim’s MLB Pick: San Francisco Giants -1.5 / Over 12.5 (+240)
Katherine Mouradian
The Giants suffered a surprising 10th innings loss to the Padres last time out, but if they can get the win tonight they will be the first team this season to reach 100 wins! The Giants ended up winning their previous series with the Padres, 2-1. The Rockies, who are out of playoff contention, lost in their previous series 1-2 to the Dodgers, and now they are facing the Giants, talk about a tough draw!
The Giants have won 35 of their previous 51 when it comes to the first game of the series, and they have won 12 of their previous 17 games played on a Friday. The Rockies have won all five of their previous games on a Friday, but they have won just one of their previous six games at home. Not the best pitching line up of all time, but I have to say that Wood is a better pitcher for the Giants compared to Lambert for the Rockies, so I’m expecting a Giants win. For more value, I’ll be backing the Giants to cover the spread.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: San Francisco Giants -1.5 (-128)
Mike Su
The Giants look to pull away from the Dodgers as they attempt to defend their first seed in the National League and the top spot in the NL West division. The Giants sit just 1 game ahead of the Dodgers and need wins against the lowly Rockies to cement their spot atop the National League.
In the past 4 games where the 2 teams have met, the Giants have beaten the Rockies by an average score of 5 runs and will likely continue this form down the stretch. In this game the Giants will be starting Alex Wood, who has been decent this year with a 3.99 ERA and 1.2 WHIP, leading to a 10-4 record. Wood should have an easy time disposing of the Rockies as the Giants will look to tune up their play before the playoffs as well as keep the Dodgers off their backs.
Mike’s MLB Pick: San Francisco Giants (-200)
New York Mets @ Milwaukee Brewers – 8.10PM EDT
The NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers are coming off a 0-4 sweep at the hands of the Cardinals and now have to front up against the New York Mets tonight. This is the first of three games across the weekend and presents as an opportunity for Milwaukee to play themselves back into form.
Tim Newton
Milwaukee have now lost five straight games, but I am happy to scrap the last four against St Louis. The Cardinals are on some sort of hot-streak at the moment and Milwaukee are a better team than that, and better than the Mets as well. New York were once the clear top team from the NL East but now find themselves 7.5 games back from the lead and out of playoff contention.
Eric Lauer may have figures of just 6-5 and an ERA of 3.03 for the season but when looking at his last seven games he is 2-1 with a rock solid 2.15 ERA. He hasn’t allowed more than one run in a game from four games in September, which even includes a matchup with the league-leading Giants. He is clearly in exceptional form and should give a New York side that is 29-46 on the road this season a world of pain.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Milwaukee Brewers (-152)
Katherine Mouradian
The Mets have certainly been on struggle street in recent games, but then again so have the Brewers. The Mets have lost eight of their previous 10 games, and the Brewers have lost five games in a row. Brewers fans are starting to get more concerned about their team’s performance before the postseason. The Brewers have booked their spot in the playoffs, but if they don’t get back that winning feeling, it could be a short lived postseason. The Mets are out of postseason contention, and are looking to next season.
Final. pic.twitter.com/LUcg0YLmHq
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) September 23, 2021
The Mets have won two of their previous eight games played on a Friday, and they have won five of their previous 17 when it comes to the first game of a series. The Brewers have won 41 of their previous 60 when playing against a right handed starter, and they have won four of their previous five when playing a team in the NL East. I’m going to put my money on the Brewers to finally bounce back leading into the playoffs. Lauer is the starter for the Brewers and he has put in some pretty great performances as of late, in his previous three games, over 17.2 innings, he has posted just two earned on eight hits and five walks. Back the Brewers here.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Milwaukee Brewers (-152)
Mike Su
The Brewers play against the Mets in a game that likely won’t have too many implications going forward. With the Brewers locked in as the likely 2nd seed in the National League and the Mets all but out of the running to make the playoffs, this game could go either way. If the Brewers come into this matchup with a poor attitude or are resting their best player for the playoffs, the Mets may score themselves an easy win. However, what is more likely is that the Brewers treat this as a tune up game to ensure their best players are in form before the playoffs in a couple weeks time.
This looks like it may be the case as the Brewers start Corbin Burnes at pitcher. Burnes has been one of the best in the league this year with a 2.34 ERA and 0.94 WHIP as well as 221 strikeouts in 158 innings. Although he is making the start, I wouldn’t expect Burnes to pitch more than 6 innings. That may mean the Brewers come out to an early lead and potentially slow down as the ball game progresses. However, this early lead should be enough to ensure the Brewers win this one easily.
Mike’s MLB Pick: Milwaukee Brewers (-152)
Houston Astros @ Oakland Athletics – 9.40PM EDT
The Oakland Athletics are coming off a 0-4 sweep, at home, at the hands of the Mariners and now have to face another AL West rival. The division-leading Houston Astros come into town, following a tough series win over the Angels.
Tim Newton
The A’s have shot themselves in the foot. They haven’t been able to beat the Mariners in the back end of the season and now face the Astros, who are on top of the division. Looking at the history between the sides, Houston have won three out of the four series this season, which means they’ve claimed nine of the 13 games so far. Houston have also claimed three of the four series openers, which bodes well for this clash.
I have to go with the Astros for this clash. They have scored the most runs in baseball and are just one of two teams that have eclipsed 800 runs for the season. They have an extremely explosive batting lineup and should get the better of Frankie Montas, who has given up 3+ runs in half of his starts in September. This could be a high-scoring affair, but I think Houston will still end up on top.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Houston Astros (+102)
Katherine Mouradian
While not being officially confirmed, the Astros are still sitting pretty atop of the AL West, seven and a half games clear. The Astros had a solid run of a four game winning streak that came to an end last time out against the Angels. The Athletics on the other hand have lost four games in a row, and that puts them four games behind claiming the second Wild Card spot in the AL.
The Astros have won their previous five games on the road, but they have won only one of their previous five games on the road when playing a team with a winning record. The Athletics have lost all five of their previous games playing at home, and they have won 37 of their previous 54 games played on a Friday. With the way the two teams have been performing as of late, I have much more confidence in the Astros to get the job done. Their offense has been on fire all season long, and it doesn’t look like letting up for this clash.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Houston Astros (+102)
Mike Su
The Astros take on the Athletics in an inter-division matchup that will make or break the Athletics’ odds of making the playoffs as a Wild Card. The As currently sit 4 games behind the Yankees for the final Wild Card spot and hold just a 0.3% chance of making the playoffs. These are not great odds by any measure. On the other side, the Astros sit on 91 wins and will likely be the 2nd seed in the American League. Although the White Sox could take that from them, this is unlikely with the Astros holding a 5 game cushion.
In this matchup the Astros will be starting Zack Greinke who has been average this year with a 4.11 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. Grienke is solid with his 11-6 record, but isn’t a game changer as evident by his 117 strikeouts in 168 innings. The As will be starting Frankie Montas who is slightly better than Greinke. Montas has a 3.57 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 192 strikeouts in 174 innings. However, Montas will be facing one of the very best batting teams in the league and could struggle. I think this game is a tossup, and the As provide great value here as they are playing at home against a team that has very little to play for at the moment.
Mike’s MLB Pick: Oakland Athletics (-120)
Atlanta Braves @ San Diego Padres – 10.10PM EDT
The Atlanta Braves continue their NL West road trip, this time facing the San Diego Padres for a three game series. Atlanta did just beat the lowly Diamondbacks 3-1, but lost the last game, while San Diego just knocked off the league-leading Giants last night.
Tim Newton
While ‘you are only as good as your last game’, the Braves are the better side in this matchup. They may have lost to Arizona last night, who are tied for the worst record in baseball, while the Padres beat the Giants, who have the best record in baseball, but Atlanta have a much better overall record and much better recent form.
The Padres are yet to name their starter for this clash, but Atlanta are sending out Max Fried, which is a positive for them. For the season he is 12-7 with a 3.31 ERA but has turned it on lately, putting up a 3-0 record and incredible 1.96 ERA in his last seven games. In his nine games since the start of August, he has seven where he has allowed two runs or fewer and should give the road team a very good advantage to start this game. Given Atlanta has to win to stay on top of the NL East, I am backing them to bounce back from their shock loss.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Atlanta Braves (-142)
Katherine Mouradian
The Braves, who are atop of the NL East, by two and a half games, are still yet to have their spot in the postseason officially confirmed, and could be in serious trouble if the Phillies mount a comeback and steal top spot away from the Braves. The Padres finally got a win in the books last time out, snapping a five game winning streak, but it’s too little, too late, and their season is all but over. The Braves have won 19 of their previous 26 games on the road and they have won five of their previous seven games played on a Friday.
When the walkoff’s more like a runoff. #PadresWin pic.twitter.com/XvmHKQ2Qvl
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) September 24, 2021
The Padres have won three of their previous 11 games played at home, and they have won just five of their previous 22 games against a team with a winning record. There is a lot of pressure on the Braves, if they don’t keep winning, and the Phillies do, the Phillies will steal top spot in the NL East, and this will knock the Braves out. Can’t get any more pressurized than that! To put it simply, the Padres aren’t a good team at the moment, and the Braves are playing well and have a lot more to play for. So, I’ll be on the Braves for this game.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Atlanta Braves (-142)
Mike Su
The NL East division leaders take on the Padres, who are fresh off a beatdown from the Giants. The Braves have a 2 game lead over the Phillies and will be fighting them off for the lead in the NL East. If the Braves can’t fight the Phillies off, they will find themselves out of the playoffs entirely. The Braves will be pulling out the big guns to beat the Padres as they start Max Fried at pitcher. Fried has been good this season with a 3.31 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 12-7 record this season.
Fried has been playing well lately with 3 straight wins including a shut out of the Giants and their top 5 batting unit. Fried should be more than enough against a tired Padres team. Also I think the fact that the Braves have so much more to play for compared to the Padres who are likely out of the playoffs due to the fact they trail the Cardinals for the final Wild Card spot by 4 games. I think the Braves win big here as they tune up for the playoffs and try to secure their division lead from the Phillies.
Mike’s MLB Pick: Atlanta Braves -1.5 (+120)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
