Our free MLB Picks are out for Thursday, August 12th, 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!
Oakland Athletics @ Cleveland Indians – 1.10PM ET
The Oakland Athletics will look to get a road sweep this afternoon after taking the first two games from the Cleveland Indians. While both were come from behind wins, it has helped the A’s winning streak extend to six games and they sit just two games behind the Astros in the AL West.
JED L.
(THE L STANDS FOR LEGEND) pic.twitter.com/LsTrXLhdkY— Oakland A’s (@Athletics) August 12, 2021
Tim Newton
I’m backing the A’s to close out the series with another win this afternoon. Not only have they won six in a row, they have won six of their last seven road games and are seriously in the hunt for playoff contention in the stacked American League. Chris Bassitt will start with the ball for Oakland and that is a massive positive. Bassitt is 11-3 with a 3.19 ERA from his 23 starts this season and allowed just one run from seven innings in his last start. Compare that to Eli Morgan, The Tribe’s starting pitcher, who is just 1-4 with a 6.09 ERA from nine starts during his rookie campaign. Those pitching decisions mean that Oakland should be playing from the front in this one, rather than playing catch up, and should win comfortably.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Oakland Athletics -1.5 (-102)
Katherine Mouradian
The final game of this series wraps up on Thursday afternoon, but the Athletics have already got the series in the bag, winning the first two games. The Athletics have now won six games in a row and are just two games behind the AL West leaders, the Astros, on the other hand the Indians have lost two games in a row and are now 10.5 games behind the AL Central leaders, the White Sox. The Athletics have won four of their previous five games played on a Thursday and in their previous 11 game three of a series, they have won eight games. The Indivans have won just three out of their previous 12 when playing a team in the AL West, and only won eight games out of their previous 28 when playing a team with a winning record. I think the Athletics will wrap this series up with a clean sweep.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Oakland Athletics (-164)
Mike Su
The Oakland A’s look very likely to make this a sweep of their three game series against the Indians. Although the A’s batting has been decent this series so far, it is their pitching that has stood out, holding the Indians to just 3 runs in both of their last two matchups. This should continue with Chris Bassitt taking the mound for the A’s. Bassitt sports a 3.19 ERA, which is top 15 in baseball, while the Indians are starting rookie pitcher Eli Morgan. He has been pretty good in his last 2 outings but his season average 6.09 ERA is not pretty. The A’s have the edge in this series and are just 4 games back from the number 1 seed. Oakland should win this comfortably, which is why I’m taking the line.
Mike’s MLB Pick: Oakland Athletics -1.5 (-102)
Milwaukee Brewers @ Chicago Cubs – 2.30PM ET
This NL Central showdown couldn’t end soon enough for the Chicago Cubs, dropping the first three games against the Milwaukee Brewers. Those losses mean that the Cubs have now lost seven straight while the Brewers are eight games clear on top of the division whilst boasting the third best record in all of baseball. Talk about polar opposites.
Tim Newton
Milwaukee and Corbin Burnes had their way with the Cubs last night. Burnes threw 10 strikeouts in a row, just the third pitcher in MLB history to do so, while Milwaukee scored seven runs in the first innings and never looked like losing. They are now 12-3 against Chicago this season, including eight in a row, and this afternoon’s clash will almost certainly be a ninth. While the Cubs have Kyle Hendricks starting, who is an impressive 13-4 with a 3.68 ERA from 23 starts, he is just 6-3 with a 4.25 ERA at home and is no match for the offensive onslaught we saw last night. Adding to that is the fact that Brandon Woodruff starting for the Brewers. While Woodruff’s record is just 7-6, he has a 2.23 ERA, which is second best in the league and should do more than enough to keep Chicago’s score down and the Brewers’ noses in front.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Milwaukee Brewers (-220)
Katherine Mouradian
Didn’t the Brewers wipe the floor with the Cubs yesterday, winning 10-0! Now, the Brewers have won all three of the games in this series, with just one more to be played on Thursday afternoon. The Brewers have won 25 of their previous 33 games on the road and when it comes to Thursday games, they have won six out of their previous seven. Looking at the Cubs now, they have lost all four of their previous Thursday games and also lost all four of their previous meetings with the Brewers when playing at home. The Brewers have to go into this one as the favorites, considering the type of performances they have put on in the previous three games, and I’ll be on the Brewers.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Milwaukee Brewers (-220)
Mike Su
The Cubs are on a woeful seven game losing streak, and have won just 2 of their last 15 games. While they comfortably lead the NL Central, the Brewers are just four games back from the number one seed of the National League, so they still have a lot to play for. The only shining light here for the Cubs is that they are starting Kyle Hendricks at Pitcher who is 13-4 on the season with a 3.68 ERA. And while the Brewers are starting Brandon Woodruff who is a pedestrian 7-6 on the season, he does have an elite 2.23 ERA. So with all of this in consideration, I’m taking the Brewers to win this one in a tight low scoring matchup.
Mike’s MLB Pick: Milwaukee Brewers (-220)
Texas Rangers @ Seattle Mariners – 4.10PM ET
While the Seattle Mariners are the far better team in this matchup, the Texas Rangers managed to steal the first game of the series and have the total runs tied through two games. With Seattle sitting nine games back in the division and six games back from the wild card, games like this, at home, can’t be wasted.
Tim Newton
As mentioned above, the Mariners have so much more to play for in this series but that isn’t how they have performed through two games. Seattle gave up five runs in the first game, a loss, and then only managed two runs in the next game, a win. That isn’t solid form to be backing but they can’t drop a series to the Rangers, can they? Mike Foltynewicz is starting for Texas and that should help Seattle out, given his 22 starts have dished up a return of a 2-10 record and 5.77 ERA. However Marco Gonzales is starting for the Mariners and he is only marginally better, putting up a 3-5 record with an ERA of 4.73. Neither of those pitching choices are inspiring for this matchup but given Seattle are at home, I’ll have to back them to the hills. Texas is just 14-43 on the road this season while Seattle is 33-24 at home and should be too good this afternoon.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Seattle Mariners (-210)
Katherine Mouradian
This series is now level at one game a piece leading into the final game on Thursday, the first two games were both close, with each team winning by one run, so expect another fascinating game to wrap up the series. Looking at some stats now, the Rangers have the equal worst record in the league (shared with the Diamondbacks) when it comes to their away record this season, sitting at just 14-43. The Mariners have only won four out of their previous 10 games, but when coming up against a team like the Rangers, who are playing on the road, they should have more confidence to get another win on the board. The Mariners are nine games behind AL West leading Astros, and need to get all the wins they can if they want to cause a major upset on the ladder. I’ll be backing the Mariners tonight.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Seattle Mariners (-210)
Ending the night with positive vibes 😎 pic.twitter.com/rgW6i5FvIg
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) August 12, 2021
Mike Su
The Texas Rangers do not look in good shape for this matchup. Sitting at just 40 wins and having the 3rd worst record in the MLB, the Rangers don’t look like a chance here. This is especially clear when you realize that Mike Foltynewicz is starting. Foltynewicz is 2-10 this season and has lost his last four road starts. The Mariners on the other hand are playing at home and are starting Marco Gonzales. Gonzales isn’t someone who inspires a lot of confidence with his 4.73 ERA and 3-5 record when starting, but he is a step above Foltynewicz. Both teams are bottom 10 in the league for runs allowed per game, and when combined with the below average pitching we are likely to get from the 2 starters, I see this being a high scoring affair. I’m taking the overs here.
Mike’s MLB Pick: Over 8.5 Total Runs (-118)
New York Yankees @ Chicago White Sox – 7.00PM ET
The New York Yankees managed to bounce back against the Royals last night and will be hoping to take momentum from that win into this series, and tonight’s opener, against the AL Central-leading Chicago White Sox. While Chicago has the division locked up, leading by 10.5 games, New York is just two games back from a wild card slot and has everything to play for.
Tim Newton
The Yankees continue their road trip, this time stopping in Chicago for a matchup with the White Sox. They may have caught Chicago at a good time, considering the White Sox just dropped two straight to the Twins and only managed to score three runs across those two games. However, Chicago returns home for this clash, where they are 38-20 this season, and now have a point to prove after some disappointing performances. A key indicator of this is the fact that they have decided to start Lance Lynn. Not only does Lynn sport the league’s best ERA, 2.04, he is 10-3 on the season, gave up just one run from six innings in his last start and has only lost one home game over the last four months, winning five over that time.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Chicago White Sox (-174)
Katherine Mouradian
This game marks the first of a three game series between the Yankees and the White Sox. The Yankees are coming off a series win against the Royals, and the White Sox are coming off a surprising series loss to the Twins. The Yankees are performing pretty well when it comes to the first game of a series, they have won four of their previous five, and they have also won 36 of their previous 52 games when playing a team in the AL Central. Looking at the Red Sox now, they have won all four of their previous games when it comes to the first game of a series, and also won all five of their previous games when playing a team in the AL East. The Yankees lineup is looking a bit bare, so I think the White Sox will be able to get the job done.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Chicago White Sox (-174)
Mike Su
After back to back losses against the lowly Twins, the White Sox are looking to return to form Yankees in this heavyweight matchup. The White Sox are starting Lance Lynn who is 10-3 this season with a league leading 2.04 ERA. The injury-plagued Yankees are countering with Andrew Heaney who is 7-8 and has a below average 5.45 ERA. Despite this, the Yankees have won every game so far this season against the White Sox, and are in slightly better form. This season the Yankees have held the White Sox to an average of 1.67 runs per game. This game is a tossup so I’m going to trust that the Yankees continue their defensive prowess against the White Sox, and that Lynn can hold the Yankees off as well with his pitching. I’m taking the unders in this game.
Mike’s MLB Pick: Under 9.5 Total Runs (-118)
Colorado Rockies @ San Francisco Giants – 9.45PM ET
We have an NL West clash tonight, which marks the first of a four game series between the San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies at Oracle Park. The Giants come into this one having won four straight games while the Rockies just dropped two straight to Houston and couldn’t buy a run if they tried.
Tim Newton
The Giants have been very impressive of late, winning two straight against a very good Brewers side, in Milwaukee, before returning home and taking care of business against Arizona. Giving up seven runs in the first game of that series is a bit worrying, but their 7-2 win yesterday was a refreshing sight. They now turn their attention to the Rockies, who just lost two games in Houston by a combined 10-1. This is extremely surprising given Colorado dropped 34 runs in just three games against Miami, while Houston lost three of four games to Minnesota in their prior series. That must say a lot about how Colorado is going at the moment and is dangerous heading into a matchup against a team with the best record in baseball, in their home field. While the Giants are just 6-6 with a run differential of just +6 from their last 12 series openers, the Rockies are just 13-42 on the road this season and won’t be good enough in this.
Tim’s MLB Pick: San Francisco Giants (-184)
Splash Hit: 9️⃣0️⃣ pic.twitter.com/So4ucGO77Y
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) August 12, 2021
Katherine Mouradian
The Rockies lost both games to the Astros, in their previous series, and also only managed to score one run in total, whereas the Giants just seem to be getting better and better, and have won four games in a row. The Rockies are playing fairly well on Thursdays, winning four of their previous five games, but have won only three of their previous 10 when it comes to the first game of a series. The Giants have won five out of their previous six games on a Thursday, and have won 21 of their previous 28 games when playing a team in the NL West. I think the Giants will be able to get a comfortable win here.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: San Francisco Giants -1.5 (+114)
Mike Su
The Giants, who hold the best record in baseball, take on the Rockies, who are likely out of playoff contention. This game seems like a no-brainer, especially since the Giants are in red hot form, winning three straight and 8 of their last 10 games. Both teams are starting pretty good pitchers here with German Marquez who sports a 3.42 ERA, and the Giants starting Logan Webb who has a 3.19 ERA, so neither team necessarily has the edge in that area. With that in mind I’m looking at the batting, where the Giants are 8th in runs per game and 1st in home runs per game. The Giants are a no-brainer here and there is a reason they are the best team in the league.
Mike’s MLB Pick: San Francisco Giants (-184)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
