Free MLB Picks Today for Thursday, August 18th, 2022

Our free MLB picks are out for Thursday, August 18th, 2022! 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 @ Texas Rangers – 2:05PM ET

The Oakland Athletics and Texas Rangers will be playing the fourth and final game of their four game series in this one. Through two games both teams grabbed a victory and in game three it was the Athletics who got the win. Now they will be looking to clinch the series win in the finale.

Tony Battalio

The Texas Rangers are coming into this divisional series with a record of 52-65 Through the first 117 games of the 2022 Major League Baseball season. The Rangers got off to a horrible start and it has cost them all year long as they have yet to go above the .500 mark this year. Now they’re in danger of losing this four-game series to the Oakland Athletics as they have lost the last two games in a row and find themselves down two games to one heading into Thursday’s finale. The Athletics have been a thorn in the Rangers side all season long as they have lost seven games to Oakland this year. 

The Oakland Athletics come into this game with a huge opportunity to win this four game series by taking the final three games of the series after their wins on Tuesday and Wednesday. However, don’t let that distract you from the fact that they are having a very rough season. As they come into the finale of this four game series with a record of 43-75 through their first 118 games of the 2022 Major League Baseball season. However, I think the Oakland Athletics will get the win in the series finale.

Marko Nadin

The Texas Rangers are third in the AL West with a 52-65 record. They have won 3 of the last 5 games but have lost the last two against the Athletics. The Rangers are 15th in the league scoring 4.46 runs per game and are ranked 20th in the league allowing 4.55 runs per game. The Rangers will start Danne Dunning who is 2-6 for the season with a 4.12 ERA. Texas has lost 11 of the last 16 home games and 43 of the last 60 fourth games of a series.

The Oakland Athletics are at the bottom of the AL West with a 43-75 record. After losing 9 straight games, the Athletics have won the last two against the Rangers. The Athletics are second to last in the league scoring 3.48 runs per game and are 23rd in the league allowing 4.59 runs per game. Oakland will start Zach Logue tonight who is 3-6 for the season with 5.49 ERA. The Athletics have won 33 of the last 49 fourth games of a series and have lost 6 of the last 8 games against teams with a losing record.

Chicago Cubs @ Baltimore Orioles – 3:05PM ET

The Chicago Cubs and Baltimore Orioles will be playing the first game of their quick one game series in this one. These two teams met twice earlier this season and the Baltimore Orioles won all three of the games they played against each other. 

Tony Battalio

The Chicago Cubs are in the middle of a rough season and are far removed from their 2016 World Series winning team as their roster looks entirely different at this point. They come into this game 18 games below the 500 mark with a record of 49-67 through the first 116 games of the 2022 Major League Baseball season. Chicago has picked up six victories in their last 10 games on the year and will come into this quick one game series on a two game winning streak as they look to cool off the red hot Baltimore Orioles. 

The Baltimore Orioles were expected to have another rebuilding year this season but they have surprised a lot of people as they are now fighting for a playoff spot. They come into this game five games above the .500 mark and in fourth place of the American League East division. What is more important for the Orioles is the fact that they are one and a half games out of the third wild card spot. They come into this one with a record of 61-56 through the first 117 games of the 2022 Major League Baseball season.

Marko Nadin

The Baltimore Orioles are fourth in the AL East with a 61-56 record. They have lost 3 of the last 5 games and are coming off a 2-1 series win over the Toronto Blue Jays. The Orioles are 18th in the league scoring 4.31 runs per game and are ranked 13th in the league allowing 4.26 runs per game. Baltimore will start Spencer Watkins tonight who is 4-2 for the season with a 4.23 ERA. The Orioles have won 10 of the last 11 home games against teams with a losing record and 4 of the last 5 games after scoring 2 runs or less in their previous game.

The Chicago Cubs are third in the NL Central with a 49-67 record. The Cubs have won 3 of the last 5 games and are coming off a 2-1 series win over the Washington Nationals. The Cubs are 21th in the league scoring 4.21 runs per game and are ranked 25th allowing 4.82 runs per game. The Cubs will start Adrian Sampson tonight who is 0-3 for the season with a 3.88 ERA. The Cubs have won 12 of the last 17 games when their opponent allowed 5 runs or more in their previous game and have lost 7 of the last 10 road games against teams with a winning record.

Boston Red Sox @ Pittsburgh Pirates – 7:05PM ET

The Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates will be playing the third and final game of their three game series in this one. In game number one the Boston Red Sox got the win and in game two it was the Red Sox who got the win. Now they will be looking to clinch the series sweep in the finale.

Tony Battalio

The Boston Red Sox have been a mixed bag all season long and it is likely going to cost them when it comes to qualifying for the playoffs at the end of the season. They come into this game through their first 118 games of the 2022 Major League Baseball season with 59 victories and 59 losses. They are in last place of the American League East division as they trail the New York Yankees by 14 games at the moment. They have picked up five wins in their last 10 games on the year and will come into this game on a three game winning streak. They do seem like they’re turning it around as they are coming off a weekend where they took two out of three from the Yankees and took the first two from the Pirates as they will be looking for the sweep in this one.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are having an absolutely miserable season but it’s par for the course for them at this point as they are used to losing seasons and staying at home during October. The Pittsburgh Pirates come into this game 27 games below the .500 mark they have a record of 45-72 through their first 117 games of the 2022 Major League Baseball season. They have lost eight out of their last 10 games on the season and will come into this game on a six game losing streak.

Marko Nadin

The Pittsburgh Pirates are at the bottom of the NL Central with a 45-72 record. They have lost the last 6 games and are currently 0-2 down in the series against the Red Sox. The Pirates are 28th in the league scoring 3.69 runs per game and 26th allowing 5.17 runs per game. They will start JT Brubaker tonight who is 2-10 for the season with a 4.45 ERA. The Pirates have lost 40 of the last 52 games after losing the first two games of a series and 4 of the last 5 games played on Thursday.

The Boston Red Sox are on the bottom of the AL East with a 59-59 record. They have won 5 of the last 6 games and are coming off a 8-3 win over the Pirates last night. The Red Sox are 14th in the league scoring 4.52 runs per game and are ranked 24th in the league allowing 4.73 runs per game. Boston will start Josh Winckowski tonight who is 5-5 for the season with a 4.69 ERA. The Red Sox have won 7 of the last 9 games after a day off and 7 of the last 10 interleague games against teams with a winning record.5 of the last 58 interleague road games and 5 of the last 6 games against right-handed starter.

New York Mets @ Atlanta Braves – 7:20PM ET

The New York Mets and Atlanta Braves will be playing the fourth and final game of their four game series in this one. The Atlanta Braves have won the first two games of this series. In game three the Mets got the win to keep the hope of a series split alive for the finale on Thursday. 

Tony Battalio

The New York Mets come into this game looking to grab a four game series split with their National League East divisional rivals. Despite the two losses in this series the Mets are still in a great position as they have been one of the best teams in Major League Baseball this season. They come into this game with a record of 76-42 through their first 118 games of the 2022 Major League Baseball season. They have won seven out of their last ten games on the season. 

The Atlanta Braves are coming into this game with a record of 72-47 through their first 119 games of the 2022 Major League Baseball season. They are currently in second place in the National League East division. They have won eight out of their last ten games on the season and are currently four and a half games out of first place. However, they are currently on a one game losing streak. 

Marko Nadin

The Atlanta Braves are second in the NL East with a 72-47 record. Last night’s loss to the Mets put an end to the Braves’ 8-game winning streak. The Braves are 3rd in the league scoring 4.92 runs per game and are ranked 7th in the league allowing 3.97 runs per game. The Braves will start Max Fried tonight who is 10-4 for the season with a 2.60 ERA. Atlanta has won 5 of the last 6 games after scoring 5 runs or more in their previous game and 4 of the last 5 third games of a series.

The New York Mets are on top of the NL East with a 76-42 record. They have won 3 of the last 5 games and are coming off a 9-7 win over the Braves last night. The Mets are 4th in the league scoring 4.80 runs per game and are ranked 4th in the league allowing 3.80 runs per game. Jacob deGrom will start for the Mets tonight who is 2-0 for the season with a 1.62 ERA. The Mets have won 7 of the last 9 games following a win and have not allowed a single run in 2 of the last 5 games.

Washington Nationals @ San Diego Padres – 9:40PM ET

The Washington Nationals and San Diego Padres will be playing the first game of their four game weekend series in this one. These two National League teams will be meeting for the second time this season after meeting last weekend. The San Diego Padres lead the season series two games to one. 

Tony Battalio

The Washington Nationals are in the middle of a terrible season as they have been one of the worst teams in Major League Baseball all season long. They come into this game well below the .500 mark as they currently have a record of 39-80 through their first 119 games of the 2022 Major League Baseball season. They are in last place of the National League East division at the moment as Washington is 37 and a half games out of first place. They have lost seven out of their last ten games on the year and come into this game on a two game losing streak. 

The San Diego Padres are coming into this game with a record of 66-54 through their first 120 games of the 2022 Major League Baseball season. They are currently in second place of the National League West division but they trail the Los Angeles Dodgers by 17 games. They have won five out of their last ten games on the season and come into this game a one game winning streak. 

Marko Nadin

The San Diego Padres are second in the NL West with a 66-54 record. They have lost 3 of the last 5 games and are coming off a 1-2 series loss to the Miami Marlins. The Padres are 13th in the league scoring 4.53 runs per game and are 10th in the league allowing 4.08 runs per game. San Diego will start Yu Darvish tonight who is 10-6 for the season with a 3.40 ERA. The Padres have won 7 of the last 8 games against right-handed starters and 13 of the last 18 games against teams with a losing record under 40%.

The Washington Nationals are at the bottom of the NL East with a 39-80 record. They have lost 3 of the last 5 games and are coming off a 1-2 series loss to the Chicago Cubs. The Nationals are 26th in the league scoring 3.89 runs per game and are 30th in the league allowing 5.72 runs per game. Washington will start Anibal Sanchez tonight who is 0-5 for the season with a 7.20 ERA. The Nationals have lost 66 of the last 98 road games and 45 of the last 65 games when their opponent scores 5 runs or more in their previous game.

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