We’ve got some tasty matchups today for what will be a great Sunday and of course we have the best MLB picks and predictions! Our tipsters have handpicked the best games and best picks to ensure that you end your weekend as a winner!
Look below to find our free MLB Picks for the five best games on today’s schedule!
Atlanta Braves @ Philadelphia Phillies – 1.05PM ET
This Sunday afternoon clash between the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies will be the fourth and final game of this series. In the first game, the Braves managed to get a win on the board away from home, winning 7-2. In the second game, the Phillies were good enough to strike back, winning 5-1. In the third game, the Brave put in a dominant performance, winning 15-3.
Jesse Livermore
Seeing as Aaron Nola is taking the mound for the Phillies, I am going to take the Braves on the road for the final game of this series. Atlanta owns an 0-6 record from Nola’s last six starts against division rivals, while Braves starter Touki Toussaint held the Padres star studded lineup to just one run in 6.2 innings at the mound in his last start. The Braves are 8-2 in the young right handers last 10 starts, 7-3 from their last 10 games against NL East opponents and I like them to continue their good form in Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon.
Jesse’s MLB Pick: Atlanta Braves (+154)
Tim Newton
The Braves are on fire! A massive 17 hit, 15 run night saw them dominate the Phillies from the jump and their offense seems too powerful in this matchup. The total score through the first three games of this series is 23-10 in favor of the road team and with Aaron Nola starting with the ball for Philadelphia, the gap between the sides could widen. Nola gave up four runs, including two homers, in just 5.1 innings in his last start and given what the Braves have been able to do of late, that isn’t a good sign for the home team.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Atlanta Braves / Over 9.5 (+370)
RECAP: #Braves score 15 in win vs. Phillies.#ForTheA: https://t.co/Poslid13p0 pic.twitter.com/CIOsTzzIH4
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 25, 2021
Katherine Mouradian
Oh wow, what a show the Braves put on last night! It was an offensive feast for the eyes. As we start to draw close to the end of the season, there are more games that have huge impacts on the leagues and divisions, and this is certainly one of them. I’m liking the Braves to get another win here, for a number of different reasons. Firstly, they have won seven of their last 10 games against a team in the NL East. Secondly, they have won four of their last five games when it comes to the fourth game of a series. The Braves will have all the confidence in the world coming into this clash.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Atlanta Braves (+154)
Tampa Bay Rays @ Cleveland Indians – 1.10PM ET
This Sunday afternoon clash between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cleveland Indians will be the fourth and final game of this series. In the first game, the Rays managed to get a win on the board away from home, winning 5-4, in a game that needed to be taken to 10 innings. In the second game, the Rays were too good again, winning more convincingly this time, 10-5. In the third game, the Rays made it three from three, winning 8-2.
Jesse Livermore
Cleveland has ultimately struggled when Triston McKenzie takes the mound in 2021 and we like Tampa Bay to capitalize on that advantage on Sunday. McKenzie is 1-4 with a 5.91 ERA this year and the Indians are just 1-5 in his last six starts against teams with winning records. As well as that, the Rays are 5-0 when facing a pitcher with a WHIP that exceeds 1.30, as McKenzie’s does. Tampa Bay have also been heavily reliant on their pitching staff throughout the first half of the season, however acquiring Nelson Cruz was a big boost for the lineup, and I like the slugger to continue his good form in Tampa Bay this weekend.
Jesse’s MLB Pick: Tampa Bay Rays (-164)
Tim Newton
Tampa Bay has picked up three straight wins against Cleveland and five straight overall, and I don’t see a reason why that should change this afternoon. Especially with Triston McKenzie starting with the ball for Cleveland. He has gone just 1-4 so far this season in 13 appearances, 12 of which were starts. In his last start, against the Astros, McKenzie gave up eight hits and a walk that resulted in five runs across just four innings. Compare that to Ryan Yarbrough, the starter for Tampa Bay, who has a 6-4 record in 19 appearances, 14 of which were starts. That is a big disparity in record and given the Rays have a much better offense, which they have shown in this series, this could be another lopsided result.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Tampa Bay Rays -1.5 (-102)
Katherine Mouradian
The Rays are running HOT! They have won five in a row now, and all three of the games against the Indians in this series so far. The Rays are also on par with the Red Sox, at the top of the AL East, thanks to the Red Sox going down to the Yankees yesterday. The Indians are struggling as of late and other teams in the AL Central are closing in. The Indians have not won a single game out of their previous six home games when they are playing a team that has a winning road record. I like the look of the Rays to take their winning streak to six.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Tampa Bay Rays (-164)
Los Angeles Angels @ Minnesota Twins – 2.10PM ET
This Sunday afternoon clash between the Los Angeles Angels and the Minnesota Twins will be the fourth and final game of this series. In the first game, the Angels managed to get a win on the board away from home, narrowly winning 3-2. In the second game, the Twins were good enough to strike back in another close contest, winning 5-4. In the third game, the Angels won in a low scoring affair, 2-1.
Jesse Livermore
Although their hopes of making an appearance in the upcoming postseason are looking bleak, Los Angeles will certainly have more urgency than Minnesota to secure a win on Sunday and keep their playoff aspirations alive. Seeing as the Angels are 11-2 from their last 13 games against teams with losing records and 7-2 from their last nine games against AL Central opponents, I am going to take Los Angeles on the road for the final game of this weekend series. Especially when considering that the Twins have just one win from their last five games against below .500 teams.
Jesse’s MLB Pick: Los Angeles Angels (+100)
Tim Newton
This series has gone Angels, Twins, Angels through the first three games. Does that mean the Twins win the series finale this afternoon? Well at the time of writing there was still no information regarding who would be starting on the mound for either side, making it difficult to know which way to lean. However, the Twins bullpen has been far from ideal this season and their slim pickings may cause them to drop this one and lose the series. The Angels are now 22-8 against teams below 0.500, seeming to pick on the weaker teams to keep them close to wildcard contention, which is slowly slipping away. They need to win this if they are serious about making a dent in the second half of the series and I like them to do so.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Los Angeles Angels (+100)
Got ’em!
All 13 strikeouts from Sandy’s stellar Saturday ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/agFD4V0byI
— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) July 25, 2021
Katherine Mouradian
This series has been a bit of up and down for both teams, with no real consistency being made. The Angels managed to get the win last time out, in a fairly low scoring affair. Now, let’s look at some of the key stats. The Angels have won 11 of their previous 13 games when playing a team with a losing record, and they have won seven of their previous nine games when playing a team in the AL Central. Looking at the Twins, they have won just one of their previous five games when playing a team with a losing record. I’m like the Angels to get the win here.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Los Angeles Angels (+100)
Pittsburgh Pirates @ San Francisco Giants – 4.05PM ET
This Sunday afternoon clash between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Francisco Giants will be the third and final game of this series. In the first game, the Pirates managed to get a win on the board away from home, winning 6-4. In the second game, the Pirates made it two from two, with a pretty convincing win, 10-2.
Jesse Livermore
Although Pittsburgh won game one of this series in San Francisco on Friday, I feel as if this match has the potential to be one of the most lopsided results on today’s MLB schedule in favor of the Giants. In the pitching matchup, San Francisco has won five of Alex Wood’s last six starts, while Pittsburgh has lost 11 of the last 12 road games started by J.T Brubaker. As well as that, the Giants entered game two of this series with an MLB best 61-36 record, the third best MLB run differential in the league (+123), and an impressive 30-14 record at home.
Jesse’s MLB Pick: San Francisco Giants (-188)
Tim Newton
The best team in baseball, who just came off a 3-1 series against the Dodgers, the second best team in baseball, have just dropped two straight home games to the Pirates, who are last in the NL Central. San Francisco will be extremely frustrated with themselves, especially losing 10-2 last night. They have decided to start Alex Wood in this one, who is 8-3 so far this season and should be able to help them turn things around. Heading into this series the Giants were 30-13 at home and 41-22 against teams below 0.500, so they have to return to that form eventually and tonight seems like the night. This is a mismatch on paper and Pittsburgh have done well to steal the first two, but that will change in this one.
Tim’s MLB Pick: San Francisco Giants -1.5 (+114)
Katherine Mouradian
If you were surprised with the Pirates win in the first game of this series, then you were in for a total shock yesterday when the Pirates won 10-2. Other than these two brilliant games from the Pirates, the rest of their season has been a bit lackluster. They have won just three of their previous 10 games on a Sunday, and have won 23 out of their last 86 games on the road. While momentum isn’t on the Giants side, they are a good enough team to get it back, they have won 38 of their previous 56 games at home. Although, the Pirates have won four out of the last five games in San Francisco, and they have won five out of the last seven meetings between the two teams. I’m going to take a punt on the Pirates to get another win here.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Pittsburgh Pirates (+158)
Oakland Athletics @ Seattle Mariners – 4.10PM ET
This Sunday afternoon clash between the Oakland Athletics and the Seattle Mariners will be the fourth and final game of this series. In the first game, the Mariners managed to get a win on the board at home, winning 4-1. In the second game, the Athletics were good enough to strike back, winning 4-3. In the third game, the Mariners used the home field to their advantage and won 5-4.
Jesse Livermore
Although they will enter game two of this series on Saturday with a six game above .500 record, Seattle are not putting up good numbers with the bat, nor with the ball, as is reflected by their -54 run differential in 2021. Even though they are at home, I can’t see the Mariners winning this one as they are coming up against a team with realistic playoff expectations in the A’s. As well as that, Oakland will have the advantage in this pitching matchup as they are sending Cole Irvin to the mound. Irvin threw seven scoreless innings against the Angels in his last start, giving him two shutout starts of at least seven innings in his last four outings. The A’s are 7-1 in Irvin’s last eight starts and I believe that they will improve on that record on Sunday.
Jesse’s MLB Pick: Oakland Athletics (-130)
Tim Newton
Oakland took the first game of the series but Seattle fought back to take the next two and this afternoon’s series final looms large for both the series outcome and the Wild Card seedings. While Seattle has the momentum, Oakland are the better team and should prove too strong here. While there is just 2.5 games difference in the standings, the A’s are +40 in run differential while Seattle, who are 3.5 games above 0.500, are -53. Looking ahead to the pitching matchup, Oakland’s starter Cole Irvin threw a seven innings shutout against the Angels in his last start and should put the clamps on a lacklustre Seattle offense. Marco Gonzales is starting for Seattle and has been quite restrictive himself, allowing three or fewer runs in each of his last five starts. Given the quality of starting pitchers and lack of quality in the batting lineups, this game should definitely be unders, with Oakland having the slight edge.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Under 8.5 (-102)
Chaos Ball is BACK! #SeaUsRise pic.twitter.com/CFHJMV0hOs
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) July 25, 2021
Katherine Mouradian
The final game in this series is a must watch! The Athletics and the Mariners have been trading blows in this series so far, and it will be interesting to see if the Athletics can draw the series, or if the Mariners can win the series outright. Looking at the teams, the Athletics definitely have the better offensive players, so that’s who I’ll be backing. The Athletics have more to play for if they want to make the playoffs.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Oakland Athletics (-130)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
