Our free MLB Picks are out for Sunday, August 15th, 2021! 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!
Cincinnati Reds @ Philadelphia Phillies – 1.05PM ET
Two games in this series so far, two 6-1 outcomes. Both the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies have won one game a piece and will duel it out in the rubber this afternoon. Both sides need a win to help their postseason chances, but who can actually come out on top?
Tim Newton
This is a really tight matchup. Not only because it is 1-1 so far in the series but both starting pitchers are quite good whilst both offensive lineups have shown that they can put enough runs on the board. Cincinnati has Sonny Gray starting for them and his record on the road speaks for itself. Since May, Gray has pitched in five games, all starts, and is 3-0 whilst giving up just six runs across those games. Meanwhile, the Phillies are giving the ball to Aaron Nola who has had 10 home games this season and has allowed two or fewer runs on seven occasions. That shows that this is a tightly contested game and while Philadelphia are the home team, Cincinnati has a positive road record, 32-28, this season and Gray is a big part of that. When taking it even further and looking at their spread record, the Reds are 35-24 ATS on the road and I am happy to take them as dogs with the runs in this.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Cincinnati Reds +1.5 (-160)
Mike Su
The 61 win Phillies take on the 63 win Reds in a crucial game for both teams. The Reds want to remain in the WildCard race while the Phillies look to maintain the top position in the NL East as they are now tied with the Atlanta Braves. Both teams are starting statistically similar pitchers, however the Phillies are starting Aaron Nola who is a bit of an enigma. He is tied for 10th in the league in strikeouts and could be an X-factor in this game. This is especially the case when you look at his 4-2 home record and 2.97 ERA this season as well as his particularly strong home record throughout his career. The key worry for the Phillies is that they are facing a top 5 batting unit at the Reds. The Reds are 4th in Hits per game, 5th in Home Runs per game and 6th in Runs per game. Although both teams have a lot to play for, it is hard to tell who has the edge. I’m leaning towards the overs in this matchup as 3 of the last 4 matchups between the 2 teams have gone for 12 runs or more.
Mike’s MLB Pick: Over 8.5 Total Runs (-112)
Cutch is back, bb!!!#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/NwmA2ctJ6p
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 14, 2021
Tampa Bay Rays @ Minnesota Twins – 2.10PM ET
The Giant Killers keep on killing. The Tampa Bay Rays own the best record in the American League but that doesn’t impact the Minnesota Twins and their attack on each game. After series wins over the Astros and White Sox, a 12-0 victory last night means the Twins could win another series over one of the biggest names in baseball.
Tim Newton
Could the Twins do it again? While Minnesota’s story has been fun over the last couple of weeks I think it may end here as their pitching choice has me worried. Charlie Barnes has pitched in just three games this season, with two being starts, and he is 0-2 with an ERA of 6.08. That is really worrying against a side that is third for runs this season and has a point to prove after their embarrassing performance yesterday. While Tampa’s pitching decision isn’t inspiring either, with Luis Patino being just 2-3 with a 4.64 ERA, I trust the Rays’ offense, fielding and closing bullpen better than I do for the Twins and that is enough to get them over line this afternoon.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Tampa Bay Rays (-190)
Mike Su
While last night’s game didn’t go to script, I am expecting things to go back to what is expected in this one. The Rays are starting the average Luis Patino in order to continue their hot streak winning seven of the last nine games. Prior to last night’s slip up, the Rays offense had been firing on all cylinders, scoring 8 or more runs in the prior 7 games, with their only loss coming from a white swan event with the Red Sox scoring 20 runs. The Rays are 6-2 in their last eight road games, while the Twins are 2-5 in their last seven against the AL East. The Twins are unpredictable and are a team that could very well provide a trap game for the Rays, especially following their performance last night. The Twins have been frustrating throughout the season as their batting and pitching units have rarely played in unison, unlike the 12-0 win last night, however can it last? The Twins strength is definitely their batting but this isn’t enough to beat the Rays twice in a row. I’m taking the Rays to win easily in this high scoring matchup.
Mike’s MLB Pick: Tampa Bay Rays -1.5 (-120)
Colorado Rockies @ San Francisco Giants – 4.05PM ET
The Colorado Rockies showed life last night, winning 4-1 to record their first win of this series, in its third game. This may have been an anomaly though as the San Francisco Giants still lead the run count in the series 13-8 and this was only the Rockies 14th win on the road this season, tying for the least in baseball.
Tim Newton
Another preview where there was a shock result last night and once again, I’m expecting the better side to bounce back and finish out on top. San Francisco are the best team in baseball and come in with much better form of late. The Giants are 8-2 in their last 10 while the Rockies are just 5-5 and over the last 15 days, the Giants have managed to score 10 more runs than Colorado has. Those are both telling signs of how both sides are going, with last night’s performance seeming more of an outlier. While Jon Gray, Colorado’s starter, has a better ERA than his counterpart for this game, San Francisco’s Alex Wood, their records are very different, 7-8 compared to 9-3 respectively. That is a massive sign that the Giants’ offensive lineup backs up their pitchers a lot better than the Rockies and that’ll happen again in this one.
Tim’s MLB Pick: San Francisco Giants -1.5 (-104)
Mike Su
The MLB best San Francisco Giants take on the woeful Rockies. The Rockies are out of the playoff running and are playing with no heart, having lost their last 4 games prior to last night’s upset. The Giants on the other hand are steaming toward the end of the season, looking to maintain the best record in the league and have won six of their last seven games. However, the Rockies are starting Jon Gray who is statistically better in all categories when compared to Giants pitcher Alex Wood, but not by much. The Giants batting lineup should be the difference here, especially the Giants home run hitting potential. The Giants have a 52 home run differential compared to the Rockies and are also playing at home where they excel, holding a 39-17 record. The Rockies on the other hand are woeful in away games with a measly 14-44 record. As hard as I look to try to find a substantial edge for the Rockies in any category I can’t find one. Giants take this game easily.
Mike’s MLB Pick: San Francisco Giants -1.5 (-104)
hi hi, it’s us.
wanted to let you know that C.J Cron has homered. tell all your friends!
💜 always,
atRockies pic.twitter.com/ooYqTPB84u— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) August 15, 2021
Houston Astros @ Los Angeles Angels – 4.07PM ET
The Houston Astros are on a roll, winning four straight games including the first two of this series. Meanwhile the Los Angeles Angels seem to be very out of form, only managing two wins from their last eight games, coming up against the likes of the Dodgers, Blue Jays and Astros.
Tim Newton
Simply put, the Astros just win this. They have won the first two games of this series, outscoring the Angels 12-3 over that stretch. The best bit about it is, they are now facing one of LA’s worst pitchers in the rotation, rookie Reid Detmers. I understand that he is a rookie and has pitched in just two games, but a 10.61 ERA is disastrous and has resulted in both starts being registered losses. Given Houston have scored the most runs this season and are already on fire in this series, I don’t see any reason why anything would change this afternoon. Especially with Lance McCullers Jr. starting for the Astros, who is 9-3 with a 3.22 ERA and this one could be over after four innings of action.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Houston Astros -1.5 / Over 9.5 (+190)
Mike Su
The Angels should hypothetically have no chance here as they can’t make the playoffs, they just dropped the first 2 games of the series and they’ve only won 3 of the 11 total games against the Astros this season. The Astros are also starting Lance McCuellers Jr., who is 5-0 on the road in his last 5 road starts. Things are looking dire for the Angels but we all know my favourite saying – NBASO, never bet against Shohei Ohtani. The MVP candidate and two way superstar has been responsible for every run in the past 2 games and has been the lone bright star for the Angels. If the team can rally around Ohtani, they can win any game. Unfortunately for the Angels, Ohtani is not pitching and instead they’re turning to Reid Detmers who is a rookie starting in his third career start. Detmers has been dreadful with a 0-2 win loss and an almost impossibly bad 10.61 ERA. Granted he is a rookie and this is only a 2 game sample size but I have never seen an ERA that bad. In 9.1 innings, Detmers has allowed 11 runs and 3 home runs. Therefore, I cannot bet on the Angels in good faith and am resorting to the overs, as I’m sure the Astros league best batting unit will have a field day against Detmers while Ohtani adds a few runs himself.
Mike’s MLB Pick: Over 10 total runs ( -110)
Los Angeles Dodgers @ New York Mets – 7.08PM ET
The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets round out their series in the primetime Sunday night slot. LA has claimed each of the first two games of the series by one run and has a comfortable cushion for a wild card slot in the National League, while the Mets need every win they can get in the race for the NL East crown.
Tim Newton
After two straight wins in this series and a very interesting pitching choice by both teams, I don’t see any way the Dodgers don’t win. Max Scherzer is one of the best pitchers in the league and has one of the best offenses backing him up on the other side of the ball. Going even deeper into that, New York is starting Carlos Carrasco, who has pitched just 9.1 innings across three games, failing to register a result whilst pitching an ERA of 6.75. Last time out, Carrasco gave up four runs in just one innings of work and if he puts up anything like that against LA, this one could get ugly.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 (+100)
Mike Su
The Dodgers and Mets are both fighting for a spot in the playoffs, however it is a tale of two sides. The 71-win Dodgers are 7-3 in their last 10 and have a ton of momentum going into their playoff campaign while the Mets have struggled, going 4-6 and now sit 1.5 games behind the NL East division leaders. The Mets aren’t looking like they are playing to win as they’re starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco who has pitched just 9.1 innings this year for a dreadful 6.75 ERA. On the other side, the Dodgers are starting Max Scherzer, who holds the 8th best ERA in the league and a 9-4 record. The Dodgers are statistically the best team in the league in both hitting and pitching, so I don’t see the Mets countering them successfully. The Dodgers look almost like a lock to win, so the question becomes whether or not we bet on the line. I’m looking to bet on the hot hand and the Dodgers are looking red hot with all the stars aligning for an easy win.
Mike’s MLB Pick: Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 (+100)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
