Our free MLB Picks are out for Thursday, August 26th, 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!
Chicago White Sox @ Toronto Blue Jays – 3.07PM ET
The Toronto Blue Jays hold a 2-1 series lead over the Chicago White Sox and will look to claim a 3-1 series victory this afternoon. Can the home team deliver in front of their fans or will Chicago find an extra gear and level the series?
Tim Newton
This series has been a cracker so far, with the home team having the edge despite entering with much worse form. Toronto have played themselves out of playoff contention over the last few weeks while the White Sox have the AL Central all but locked up. In saying that, there is only a 4.5 game difference between the sides and Toronto has a top level offensive unit, which has kept them in, and won them, games. The other side of the ball is where these games have been won though, with the winning team restricting their opponents to two runs or less through the first three games of this series. Both sides are starting pitchers with positive records and above average ERAs, meaning this will be another defensive contest. I think the White Sox should be able to bounce back in this one, however it looks to be another low scoring nail-biter.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Chicago White Sox / Under 8.5 (+230)
Robbie Ray is the first @BlueJays lefty pitcher ever to reach 14 Ks in a game. pic.twitter.com/wxNxF8nYIY
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) August 26, 2021
Katherine Mouradian
The Blue Jays won the game against the White Sox last time out, and now lead the series 2-1, with the White Sox needing to win the game to tie the series. Looking at some key stats now, the White Sox have won 37 of their previous 51 games when playing a left handed starter, but they have won just 17 of their previous 53 games when they are the underdog. The Blue Jays have won four of their previous five when it comes to the fourth game of a series, and they have won five of their previous seven when playing a team with a winning record. Defense seems to be the order of the day in this series so far, with just 14 runs scored in total in the first three games. There is a lot on the line in this clash, and I think there will be more of the same strong defence by both teams again in this match. I’ll be on the unders.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Under 8.5 (-120)
San Francisco Giants @ New York Mets – 7.10PM ET
The MLB-best San Francisco Giants have taken the first two games of this three game series against the New York Mets, with the finale to be held tonight. Last time they met, the exact same thing happened with the Mets winning the third. Can they do the same, this time at Citi Field?
Tim Newton
While the Mets have gotten in the habit of stealing the last game of the series, having lost all other games before that, I don’t think that will happen in this one. New York is starting Carlos Carrasco in this one and he has been disastrous for them since returning from a torn hamstring. In his five games he has pitched just 12.1 innings and allowed 15 runs of 20 hits. His ERA of 8.82 for the season has ballooned of late, sitting at 10.95 through four games in August. That should be more than enough for the Giants, who have a top five batting lineup, to score enough runs to get a comfortable lead early. They also have a top five bullpen and should be able to restrict runs throughout, especially late, and get a comfortable win in this one.
Tim’s MLB Pick: San Francisco Giants -1.5 (+136)
Katherine Mouradian
The Giants have won both of the games in this series so far, but at least the Mets put up more of a fight last time out, only losing by one run, compared to the first game of the series where the Giants put on eight unanswered runs. The Mets have won just eight of their previous 28 clashes when they are the underdog, and they have won just two of their previous 11 games overall. Looking at the Giants now, they have won all four of their previous games on a Thursday, and have won seven of their previous eight games against a team in the NL East. The pressure is really mounting for both teams, the Giants have to defend against a rising Dodgers team for first place in the NL West, and the Mets just need to keep winning if they want a chance to make the postseason. I think the Giants are just too good of a team and they care a great deal about keeping the top spot in the NL West.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: San Francisco Giants (-126)
Minnesota Twins @ Boston Red Sox – 7.10PM ET
This mid-week series at Fenway Park sits at 1-1 after the Minnesota Twins scored a 9-6 victory last night. That follows the 11-9 victory to the Boston Red Sox in the opener, setting up the rubber to be a tightly contested clash.
Tim Newton
I’m taking the Red Sox to win this clash, and the series. Over the last 15 days Boston has had the best OPS and scored the second most runs, highlighting their offensive firepower. They have scored at least six runs in four of their last five games and seven of their last eight at home. The issue is, as it was last night, their bullpen can’t restrict runs and it costs them games. However, Chris Sale is starting with the ball and I like the selection for this clash. He has pitched just two games this year and registered the win in both. He has lasted five innings in both games and given up just two runs across those 10 innings. Those are very impressive numbers and I think it will complement the batting lineup perfectly, as it did in his first two games, both comfortable wins.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Boston Red Sox -1.5 (-144)
Outta the park.
No, really.
😱😱😱#LetItSano | #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/2rYiCRSG8Q
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) August 26, 2021
Katherine Mouradian
The Red Sox lost last time out to the Twins, in the 10th innings, which means that this third game of the series is the deciding clash. This win for the Twins snapped a four game losing streak, while the recent form of the Red Sox has been patchy at best, winning five of their previous 10 games. The Twins have won 11 of their previous 39 games when playing a left handed starter, and have won just one of their previous seven games on the road. Looking at the Red Sox have won six out of their previous seven games when playing a team with a losing record and they have won six of their previous eight games when they are starting as the favorite. I’m going to stick with the Red Sox here, the Twins offense just isn’t consistent enough and the Red Sox will get the win they need.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Boston Red Sox (-310)
New York Yankees @ Oakland Athletics – 9.40PM ET
This American League showdown between two second placed teams kicks off in O.co Coliseum tonight. The Oakland Athletics will host the New York Yankees for a four game series that has massive Wild Card ramifications.
Tim Newton
Given the Yankees have now won 11 straight, it is hard to bet against them. Especially considering Oakland have dropped four straight, all at home, and have just two wins from their last 10 games, which includes a loss to the lowly Rangers. Over this 10 game stretch, the A’s have averaged just 2.7 runs per game while the Yankees are averaging 5.45 over their current winning streak. This is a massive difference in batting form and should be on display in this one. Both Jameson Taillon and James Kaprielian are quality starting pitchers, with Oakland’s Kaprielian having a slight edge despite being in just his first year in the majors, but this batting lineup for New York is on a different level to anything he has faced recently. I wouldn’t be surprised if the A’s made this a tight one but I am sticking with the Yankees to keep their winning going.
Tim’s MLB Pick: New York Yankees (-120)
Katherine Mouradian
The Athletics got the month off to a great start, but have since really struggled, they have won just two of their previous 10 games. Whereas, the Yankees have been on fire as of late and have won 11 games in a row. Now, let’s dig into some stats. The Yankees have won all four of their previous games after they have had a day off, and they have also won their previous four games on the road. The Athletics have won 13 of their previous 17 games after a day off, and they have won none of their previous four games at home. When it comes to games when the Athletics play the Yankees, the Yankees have won just seven of their previous 28 clashes in Oakland, but they have won four of their previous five clashes overall. Really can’t knock the form of the Yankees at the moment, and I think they will get another win here!
Katherine’s MLB Pick: New York Yankees (-120)
Kansas City Royals @ Seattle Mariners – 10.10PM ET
The Seattle Mariners are coming off three straight wins against divisional rivals that are above them in the standings and now host the Kansas City Royals for a four game series. However, the Royals won’t be an easy beat considering they have gone 7-3 over their last 10 games, including 4-3 against the Astros.
Tim Newton
While the Royals have found some form of late, so have the Mariners and their home-field advantage should play a big role in the outcome of this game. Seattle, who are 37-25 at home, have played eight straight on the road just 6 of 22 games at home so far in August, so they will relish the opportunity to get back home, especially with a day off between games. Neither starting pitcher has inspired me and both sides have been pretty equal over the last 15 days, scoring the same amount of runs whilst allowing just one difference, so it literally comes down to Seattle being back in T-Mobile Park. The Royals are 24-39 on the road and also just 29-46 against teams above 0.500 this season so the Mariners have the edge.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Seattle Mariners (-168)
Ty France leads the American League in hits and is 3rd in batting average since the All-Star break 🔥@Mariners | #SeaUsRise pic.twitter.com/MhvlPUvPAT
— ROOT SPORTS™ | NW (@ROOTSPORTS_NW) August 25, 2021
Katherine Mouradian
The Royals are coming off a tough series loss to the Astros, 1-2, in the last game they lost in the 10th innings, they were so close to a series victory against the Astros! The Mariners are coming off a series win against the Athletics (2-0) and they have now won three games in a row. The Royals have won 11 of their previous 15 games when playing a left handed starter, but they have won only 17 of their previous 52 games on the road. On the flip side, the Mariners have won all five of their previous games as the favorite, and they have won 37 of their previous 62 games at home. I think that despite the Royals showing some glimmers of hope as of late, I think the Mariners are too good of a team and will get the job done.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Seattle Mariners (-168)
If you need more news, information and predictions, head over to our MLB hub page for all your baseball needs!
*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
