It’s the end of the week, but the games are still as hot as ever! The final game of many series’ will be played today, and with so much on the line, as we enter the second half of the season, who will rise to the top and who will crumble under the pressure? We all can’t wait to find out.
Look below to find our free MLB Picks for the five best games on today’s schedule!
New York Mets @ Pittsburgh Pirates – 1.05PM ET
The New York Mets will take on the Pittsburgh Pirates who are playing at home. This Sunday afternoon clash will be the third and final game of this series. The Pirates managed to draw first blood, winning 4-1 in game one. In the second game, Pirates got another win, 9-7.
Jesse Livermore
Seeing as Pittsburgh will be starting J.T Brubaker on Sunday, I am going to take New York in the third and final match of this series. Brubaker has given up 11 runs and five homers in his last two appearances, including six runs and two homers against the Mets last weekend. As well as that, the Pirates are the lowest-scoring team in baseball and we can’t see them hitting a winning score against the in-form Taijuan Walker in this matchup. Walker has allowed just five runs in his last three starts, throwing 15.2 innings in that time.
Jesse’s MLB Pick: New York Mets (-156)
Benches clear during the Mets-Pirates game 👀
(via @SNYtv) pic.twitter.com/6CaM3BCYFx
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 17, 2021
Tim Newton
The Pirates seem to have the better of the Mets at the moment, winning four of the last six matches between the sides, all of which have happened within the last two weeks. Since the All Star break, Pittsburgh have won both games between the sides and have momentum fully on their side. However, J.T. Brubaker is on the mound for the Pirates and last time out, against the Mets, he gave up six runs over five innings, which Pittsburgh ended up losing. Taijuan Walker, the Mets’ starting pitcher, is the superior option out of the two and should be able to help his side get the win.
Tim’s MLB Pick: New York Mets (-156)
Katherine Mouradian
The Pirates have won the first two games in this series already, and have won six out of their last 10 games. This is very surprising, considering the Pirates are at the bottom of the NL Central, and the Mets are at the top of the NL East! The recent record of the Mets suggest they aren’t fans of playing on Sunday (1-5 in their previous six) or playing on the road (3-7 in their previous 10). The Pirates are having a good run of it lately when it comes to playing at home, winning four out of their last five. But what I like the most heere is the under, it is 17-5-4 in the Pirates previous 26 games played on Sunday.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Under 8 (-118)
Baltimore Orioles @ Kansas City Royals – 2.10PM ET
The Baltimore Orioles will take on the Kansas City Royals who are playing at home. This Sunday afternoon clash will be the third and final game of this series. The Royals managed to draw first blood, winning 9-2 in game one. In the second game, the Orioles were able to strike back 8-4.
Jesse Livermore
With the series currently tied at 1-1, I am going to take the Royals at home in this matchup. Kansas City’s lineup has had a solid start to the second half of the MLB season, scoring 13 runs across their last two games against Baltimore. When coming up against Matt Harvey on Sunday, I like the Royals to continue their upward trending offensive production. Harvey has a 3-10 record and 7.70 ERA from 18 starts for Baltimore this season.
Jesse’s MLB Pick: Kansas City Royals (-142)
Tim Newton
We have the rubber between the Orioles and the Royals, after Baltimore claimed the 8-4 win last night. In saying that, Baltimore had lost five previous to that while Kansas City has scored 19 runs over their last three games. The Royals are in much better form at the moment, have a better record and are at home, where they are 22-23, compared to Baltimore’s 16-32 road record. This is a lacklustre affair between two sides on the bottom of their respective divisions but the home side should pull away.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Kansas City Royals (-142)
Katherine Mouradian
This series is on the line when the Orioles and the Royals face up against each other on Sunday afternoon. Inconsistency is probably the one word that can describe the Royals season so far and their percentage is just .411. The Orioles are not doing any better (in fact they are worse) with a .311 win percentage. The Orioles can’t even get the wins against teams who don’t have a winning percentage, only five of the 15 games they have won. I think their victory on Saturday was a bit of a fluke and expect the Royals to get the win today.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Kansas City Royals (-142)
Seattle Mariners @ Los Angeles Angels – 2.15PM ET
The Seattle Mariners will take on the Los Angeles Angels who are playing at home. This Sunday afternoon clash will be the third and final game of this series. The Mariners managed to draw first blood, in a very narrow affair, winning 6-5 in game one. In the second game, the Angels were good enough to strike back, winning 9-4.
Jesse Livermore
Although Seattle is on the road for the fourth and final game of this series between a pair of AL West rivals, I am going to take the third placed Mariners to tie this set at 2-2 with a win against the fourth placed Angels on Sunday. Despite his 3-2 record, Seattle are 8-0 in Logan Gilbert’s last eight starts. The right hander has a 3.51 ERA from 48.2 innings of action this year. As well as that, the Mariners lineup has been in solid form recently, scoring 20 runs across their last five games, all of which have been against the Angels, and we like them to hit another winning score on Sunday, especially with Gilbert giving them an advantage in the pitching matchup.
Jesse’s MLB Pick: Seattle Mariners (+112)
HIT A BOMB JACK AND DON’T YA LOOK BACK💣#WeBelieve I @Angels pic.twitter.com/p5abMulwSD
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) July 18, 2021
Tim Newton
The Mariners and Angels have faced each other for five straight games, two since the break, and the Mariners are currently leading 3-2, 2-1 since the break. The rubber for this series in LA is this afternoon and it is interesting to see that Seattle has gone with rookie pitcher, Logan Gilbert, to start for them in this one. In his last start, against the Yankees, he threw a seven-innings shutout. If he can bring that effort into tonight’s game, that will take Seattle a long way to winning this one. With the sides separated by just two games in the standings, and plenty to play for, LA will put up a fight at home but they may not be able to score enough with Gilbert on the mound, however it will be close.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Seattle Mariners +1.5 (-182)
Katherine Mouradian
The fight is on for both teams to claim an AL wild card spot, but the Angels are particularly up against it, so it’s a good thing they won on Saturday night. The equation is simple for both teams, they just need to keep winning. The Mariners do seem to know what it takes to beat the Angels at home, they won two of the three games just before the All Star break. I think the Mariners will be able to bounce back for a win here on Sunday.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Seattle Mariners (+112)
Los Angeles Dodgers @ Colorado Rockies – 3.10PM ET
The Los Angeles Dodgers will take on the Colorado Rockies who are playing at home. This Sunday afternoon clash will be the third and final game of this series. The Dodgers managed to draw first blood, winning 10-4 in game one. In the second game, the Dodgers got another win, 9-2.
Jesse Livermore
Although they are currently staring down the barrel of a three game sweep at home, I am going to take the Rockies in Colorado on Sunday. Despite their two recent losses, Colorado still owns an impressive 31-19 record at Coors Field and they will have an advantage over Los Angeles in the pitching matchup. Jon Gray will be making his 17th start of the season for the Rockies on Sunday and he currently boasts an impressive 5-2 record and 3.22 ERA when pitching at home this year. The Dodgers will be starting David Price, who has not thrown more than three innings in any of his outings this season.
Jesse’s MLB Pick: Colorado Rockies (+150)
Tim Newton
Well, the Dodgers have well and truly stamped their authority all over this series. After two games, LA have already won the series following Friday’s 10-4 win and last night’s 9-2 triumph. In saying that, the Rockies have everything to play for in the back half of the season, needing to make up plenty of ground. They may be able to do so this afternoon given that David Price is on the mound for the road side. He has been awful this season and should allow the Rockies to have a bit more of a leash than they have through the first two games. Jon Gray, on the other hand, has been very serviceable for Colorado and should allow them to keep close, at a minimum.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Colorado Rockies +1.5 (+102)
Katherine Mouradian
The Dodgers can sweep the series against the Rockies with another win on Sunday. The Dodgers are a very comfortable 17 wins ahead of the Rockies, and it doesn’t seem like playing at home is giving the Rockies any real advantage. Although, overall the Rockies have actually won 63% of their home games this season. The Dodgers are going with David Price for the starter pitcher, and his form is questionable at best. The Dodgers are clearly the better team, but I think the Rockies will be able to give them a run for their money!
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Colorado Rockies +1.5 (+102)
Chicago Cubs @ Arizona Diamondbacks – 4.10PM ET
The Chicago Cubs will take on the Arizona Diamondbacks who are playing at home. This Sunday afternoon clash will be the third and final game of this series. The Cubs managed to draw first blood, winning 5-1 in game one. In the second game, the Cubs were able to get the win again, 4-2.
Jesse Livermore
As tough as it may be to rationalise, I am going to take the Diamondbacks at home in this series finale. Merrill Kelly has been a solid performer at the mound for Arizona this season, owning a 5-7 record and 4.46 ERA from 19 starts. Kelly has allowed just six earned runs across his last three starts, throwing 17.2 innings in that time. As well as that, Chicago are a lowly 11 games below .500 on the road this season, and their offense has recently been streaky. The Cubs have been held to a score of one or less in three of their past five games.
Jesse’s MLB Pick: Arizona Diamondbacks (+100)
Tim Newton
Despite being on the road, Chicago have taken the first two games of the series and have the opportunity to sweep this afternoon. Those two wins have taken the Cubs to 0.500 for the season, sitting at 46-46, while Arizona is just 26-68. Chicago seems to beat up on the bad teams, being 24-15 against teams below 0.500 and should like their chances again today. The Cubs have all of the momentum while the Diamondbacks have the equal-worst OPS so far this season and may have trouble scoring, especially given they have just three runs through the first two games. I’m throwing a spanner in the works with my pick given what my colleagues are saying, but the value here is screaming out at me.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Chicago Cubs / Under 9.5 (+270)
Cubs rally in the ninth, Kimbrel hits another milestone to secure the W!#CubTogether @Vegas pic.twitter.com/JheUHPReSi
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 18, 2021
Katherine Mouradian
The Cubs offense can be a little hit and miss as of late, but they were certainly good enough to get the job done in the first two games against the Diamondbacks. This is certainly a series that the Cubs are expected to win, with the Diamondbacks sitting on a measly 0.280 win percentage. The Diamondbacks are only 6-21 in their previous 27 games playing at home. While I think the Cubs will win, the pick I am going with is the over, it has hit 5-2 in the previous seven overall Cubs games, and 4-1 in the Diamondbacks previous five Sunday games.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Over 9 (-115)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
