Free MLB Picks Today for Monday, August 9th, 2021

Free MLB Picks Today for Monday, August 9th, 2021
Mon 9th August 2021

Our free MLB Picks are out for Monday, August 9th, 2021! Make sure you check our MLB Picks before the action kicks off.

Look below to find our free MLB Picks for tonight’s five game schedule!

Cincinnati Reds @ Cleveland Indians – 6.10PM ET

The Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians are playing a make-up game to kick off the night, finishing their three game series from May, which was tied 1-1. With both Central division teams, Cincinnati in the NL and Cleveland in the AL, sitting in second place in their division but out of the respective wild card slots, this game means everything for the standings. 

Tim Newton

While the Reds are on a five-game winning streak, their pitching decision has me really uninspired. Luis Castillo is just 6-10 this season with a 4.09 ERA and allowed four earned runs, six total, from just four innings when these sides last met, back on May 8th. However, Cleveland seems to have given up on the second half of the season, going 12-24 from their last 36 games and became sellers at the trade deadline. Adding to that, they have selected Sam Hentges to start with the ball and he has had a season to forget. A 1-4 record and 7.86 ERA should be more than enough for the Reds to get an early edge, especially after they just scored 31 runs across four games against the Pirates. 

Tim’s MLB Pick: Cincinnati Reds (-164)

Katherine Mouradian

The Reds are on a five game winning streak, which is good in theory, but four of those wins were against the Pirates, so that certainly would have been expected to win those games. The Indians are coming off a series win against the Tigers, so both teams will be going into this clash with some confidence. The Reds are having a pretty good run on Monday’s as of late, in their last 15 Monday games, they have won 11. Also, the Reds have won five out of their previous seven interleague games on the road, when playing a right handed starter. When it comes to the Indians they have won their previous four, out of the last five, interleague games at home. They have also won five of their previous seven games on a Monday. Given that Castillo has been performing very well as of late, I’ll be on the Reds.

Katherine’s MLB Pick: Cincinnati Reds (-164)

Mike Su

The Cincinnati Reds are on a roll right now after sweeping the Pirates! Currently on a five win streak, the Reds are looking like they are hitting their stride! The Indians on the other hand appear shaky losing 4 of their last 6 games. When looking back at past matchups with these two teams this season, the Reds have the edge, winning 3 of the 5 total matchups so far. The Reds’ top 5 offensive unit look to take advantage of Indians expected starter at pitcher Jean Carlos Mejia, who is 0-7 in his last 7 starts against teams with winning records. On top of that the Reds are 5-0 in their last 5 road games against right handed starting pitchers like Mejia. The odds are certainly stacked against the Indians who are coming off a home win against the Tigers. With the red-hot form of the Reds, I’m picking the Reds to take the game by at least 2 runs.

Mike’s MLB Pick: Cincinnati Reds -1.5 (-104)

Milwaukee Brewers @ Chicago Cubs – 8.05PM ET

The Chicago Cubs stay at home but things don’t get any easier, hosting another division leader in the Milwaukee Brewers. Both sides are coming off tough matchups, against the White Sox and Giants respectively, but who can bounce back in the opener of this four game series. 

Tim Newton

After dropping a three-game home series to the Giants, I think Milwaukee will come in with a point to prove against the reeling Cubs. Chicago just got swept by the White Sox, getting outscored 21-9 in just three games, and now has to face the Brewers, who have an even better bull-pen. Milwaukee’s pitching unit has the fourth best WHIP, second best ERA and best average so far this season and are starting the pick of the bunch, Freddy Peralta. With an 8-3 record and an ERA of 2.21, Peralta has been a big reason why the Brewers are top of the NL Central and I expect tonight to be no different. 

Tim’s MLB Pick: Milwaukee Brewers -1.5 (-125)

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Katherine Mouradian

A clash between two NL Central teams, with the Cubs 14.5 games behind the ladder leading Brewers. The Brewers have won 23 of their previous 31 games on the road, and also won eight of their previous nine division games. Looking at the Cubs now, they have won just 10 of their previous 37 games overall, and only three of their previous 16 division games. I’m hoping that the Brewers will put on a clinical performance and get the victory on Monday night.

Katherine’s MLB Pick: Milwaukee Brewers -1.5 (-125)

Mike Su

These NL Central Rivals are both looking to bounce back. After dropping the last 2 games against the Giants, the Brewers come up against the Cubs who were just swept by the White Sox. While the Brewers are vying for a world championship, the Cubs are just looking to see what pieces they should carry into next season. The Brewers are starting Freddy Peralta at Pitcher which bodes extremely poorly for the Cubs. Peralta is 4-0 when pitching against the Cubs with an average margin of victory of 4.5 runs. On top of that, the Brewers are extremely good on the road, winning 6 of their last 6 away games, and are 34-19 this season in away games. The Cubs on the other hand are 0-6 in their last 6 home games and are 1-6 in their last 7 Monday games.  Although I’d love for the Cubs to upset the Brewers here, it’s hard to see the Cubs taking this victory away from the Brewers. 

Mike’s MLB Pick: Milwaukee Brewers (-210)

Chicago White Sox @ Minnesota Twins – 8.10PM ET

The bottom of the AL Central hosts the top of the AL Central as the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox face off in the first of three games this evening. While this seems like a mismatch, the Twins just took three of four games from the Astros and have momentum on their side. 

Tim Newton

After sweeping the Cubs, Chicago come in with a lot of momentum but the Twins seem to be kryptonite for division leaders right now. The Astros didn’t look like themselves in three of the four games against Minnesota, and the Twins were on the road. They now get home for a massive matchup with the White Sox and will be looking to spoil the party yet again. That may have been made easier by Chicago’s pitching choice, given Lucas Giolito is starting. While he has been alright, with a 3.98 ERA, Giolito is just 8-8 from 22 starts and gave up six runs from just four innings against the lowly Royals. However, Beau Burrows is starting for the Twins and that is a disastrous decision. He has pitched in just five games this season, none of which were starts, and hasn’t pitched more than three innings in a game so far. He actually faced the White Sox when he was on Detroit’s roster, before being waived, and gave up four runs in just 1.2 innings. That is terrible.

Tim’s MLB Pick: Chicago White Sox -1.5 / Over 9.5 (+210)

Katherine Mouradian

The top of the AL Central White Sox will play the bottom of the AL Central Twins on Monday night, and this is going to be an interesting matchup! The White Sox have actually been struggling on Monday’s and they have won just one of their previous six games to start the working week, whereas the Twins have actually won four out of their previous five Monday games. The stat that I like the most is the White Sox have won 13 of their previous 17 meetings with the Twins. I’ll be on the White Sox to get the job done on Monday.

Katherine’s MLB Pick: Chicago White Sox -1.5 (-118)

Mike Su

Coming off their sweep of the Chicago Cubs, the powerhouse White Sox go on the road to take on the Minnesota Twins. The White Sox have dominated the AL Central Division while the Twins sit at the bottom of the division. The Twins are ranked 28th for Opponent Runs Allowed in the league while the White Sox have the 6th ranked batting unit. To make matters worse for the Twins they are starting Beau Burrows in his first career start, against the White Sox batting lineup, which is one of the best in the league. With greater goals in mind, namely the quest for the number one seed, the White Sox have everything to play for, so it is no surprise that I am taking the White Sox to cruise comfortably by the Twins. The Twins are 49-69-0 against the spread so I’m taking the White Sox spread here.

Mike’s MLB Pick: Chicago White Sox -1.5 (-118)

New York Yankees @ Kansas City Royals – 8.10PM ET

The Kansas City Royals will be hoping that returning home from their nine game road trip will help turn things around, given they went 3-6. However, they host an in-form New York Yankees side that is making a late season playoff push and needs wins now more than ever. 

Tim Newton

This is an interesting clash as the Yankees have four top level players on the COVID-19 injury list, including new acquisition Anthony Rizzo. However, they still managed to win three of four games against the Mariners and should still be the class team in this matchup. In saying that, Kansas City has been holding their own against the top teams lately, going 7-2 across three different series against both the Brewers and White Sox. Those are impressive numbers against two division leaders and they’ll be hoping that Carlos Hernandez, who is 3-1 in just his second season in the league, will be able to take advantage of a Yankees lineup that isn’t at full strength. He should be able to make this one close, but I still like New York to get the job done in this one, especially given they have a wild-card slot to play for while the Royals’ postseason aspirations are long gone.

Tim’s MLB Pick: New York Yankees (-172)

Katherine Mouradian

The Royals are coming off a series loss to the Cardinals, whereas the Yankees are coming off a series win with the Mariners. The Yankees recent form on a Monday has been terrible, winning none of their previous five games on a Monday, but looking at their previous 28 games overall, they have won 20 of them. The Royals have also been struggling on a Monday, winning just 16 of their previous 53 games to start the working week, they have also won just 28 of their previous 93 when playing a team in the AL East. Seeing though ​​Taillon has been playing pretty well as of late, I’ll be on the Yankees.

Katherine’s MLB Pick: New York Yankees (-172)

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Mike Su

The 61-win Yankees are currently on a strong run, going 8-2 in their last 10 games, while the Brewers are a very pedestrian 4-6 in their last 10. Although the Yankees are favoured here and hold the edge in both batting and pitching, this could end up being a trap game for them. Despite having just a 48-62 record, the Royals could be a chance given they are starting Carlos Hernandez at pitcher, who has been playing well. Hernandez contributed heavily to the Royals 2 recent wins against the 66-win White Sox, pitching 6 and 5 innings in those two wins. The Yankees have had close calls in their past few games and have also had a bad run the past 5 Mondays, losing their last 5 Monday Games. The Yankees are also only 50-60-0 against the spread despite their record, so I’m taking a flyer on the Royals to cover the spread.

Mike’s MLB Pick: Kansas City Royals +1.5 (-113)

Miami Marlins @ San Diego Padres – 10.10PM ET

The Miami Marlins and San Diego Padres just faced each other a few weeks ago, splitting a four-game series, but that series was in South Beach and we are in Petco Park for this clash. Given the series that Miami just had defensively, they will be hoping a change of scenery does them wonders or this could get messy.

Tim Newton

Despite Fernando Tatis Jr. still being on the injury list, I am still all over the Padres in this one. Miami comes in off a three game series against the lowly Rockies, who had a -50 run differential entering the series, where they gave up a massive 34 runs. That’s right, 34 runs in just three games. On the other hand, San Diego is coming off back to back wins over Arizona where they gave up just two runs over that stretch, and have Joe Musgrove starting, who allowed just one run from six innings in his last start and has only allowed three runs from his last 19 innings pitched. While I am expecting a bit of a fight back from the Marlins, I think the Padres will be far too good at home. 

Tim’s MLB Pick: San Diego Padres -1.5 (-114)

Katherine Mouradian

The Marlins are coming off a series loss to the Rockies, whereas the Padres are coming off a series win against the Diamondbacks. The Marlins have won just 16 of their previous 52 games on the road, and only three of their previous 10 games overall. On the flip side, the Padres have won four of their previous five when it comes to the first game of a series, and they have won 29 of their previous 42 games at home. This should be an easy victory for the Padres here, considering the Marlins recent form, as well as their form for the entire season.

Katherine’s MLB Pick: San Diego Padres -1.5 (-114)

Mike Su

Despite their poor record, the Marlins have won their past 2 games against the Padres and have a decent bullpen which could subdue the Padres above-average batting. When looking at this matchup more deeply, the Padres starting pitcher  Zach Thompson doesn’t exactly inspire confidence either, having just a 7-7 record when starting. The Marlins definitely feel like they could be the value pick here. In spite of this, the Marlins take on the 64-win Padres who are trying to maintain their 2.5 game cushion for the 2nd NL Wild Card spot, so it definitely feels like the Padres have a lot more to play for. I’m cautiously taking the Padres moneyline here rather than the spread as the Marlins could make this a close one.

Mike’s MLB Pick: San Diego Padres (-250)

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

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