Free MLB Picks Today for Thursday, July 20th, 2023

Our free MLB picks are out for Thursday, July 20th, 2023! 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!

San Francisco Giants @ Cincinnati Reds – 12:35PM ET

Tony Battalio

The San Francisco Giants come into the finale of this four-game series on Thursday afternoon looking to take three out of four games from the Cincinnati Reds on the road. After picking up two consecutive victories in the opening two games of the series, San Francisco couldn’t get the job done on Wednesday night as they lost extra innings. However, as the first two games of the series showed, San Francisco is still very capable of grabbing a convincing victory over the Cincinnati Reds here in Thursday’s finale. The Giants had been one of the hottest teams in the league before their loss on Wednesday as they have picked up eight victories in their last 10 games of the year. 

The Cincinnati Reds had a sluggish start to the season but they have turned things on as the calendar has moved deeper into the summer. They currently find themselves in second place in the National League Central division and chasing the Milwaukee Brewers for a potential playoff appearance this season. They picked up a much-needed victory in the third game of the series on Wednesday night, and they will be looking to split this four-game series with another victory here on Thursday. This one should be a solid back-and-forth game, but in the end, I have Cincinnati grabbing the victory to even up the series.

Chicago White Sox @ New York Mets – 1:10PM ET

Tony Battalio

The Chicago White Sox had high hopes coming into the season, but they have been a complete disappointment while playing in the worst division in baseball. They will be looking to turn their fortunes around in the finale of this series against the New York Mets on Thursday afternoon at Citi Field. They come into this game 17 games below .500 with a record of 40-57 through their first 97 games of the 2023 Major League Baseball season. Despite their poor record, they were only 10 games out of first place due to the relative weakness of the American League Central division this season. However, they are trending down at the moment, as they have only picked up two victories in their last 10 games of the year.

The New York Mets are another team that has been a complete disappointment this season as they have one of the highest payrolls in baseball, and they are on a collision course to miss the playoffs. They come into the finale of this series with a better record than Chicago but they are sixteen and a half games out of first place in the National League East division. They come into the finale of this series with a little bit of momentum as they have already picked up victories in the first two games earlier this week. They are currently on a three-game winning streak and they have won six out of their last 10 games on the season as well. I expect them to pick up their fourth consecutive victory in the finale of this series and sweep the Chicago White Sox here on Thursday afternoon.

Baltimore Orioles @ Tampa Bay Rays – 6:40PM ET

Tony Battalio

The Baltimore Orioles are having a tremendous season, and they come into the opening game of this four-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays. Looking to grab a victory on Thursday evening. Baltimore is coming off of a series with the Los Angeles Dodgers and they had a less than successful series as they lost the first two games before winning the finale to avoid a three-game sweep. Despite losing the series against the Dodgers, Baltimore still finds themselves in a tremendous position to make a playoff run at the end of the season. They are tied for first place in the American League East division and they are the top team in the American League wild-card race as well.

Tampa Bay comes into this series with the best record in the American League. This series will be massive down the stretch as these are the top two teams within the American League East division, and they are separated by only a pair of games in the loss column. Tampa Bay is coming off of a rough series where they lost three consecutive games to the Texas Rangers to cap off their seven-game road trip. Overall, it was a rough road trip as they lost four out of six games and they will be hoping that playing within the friendly confines of Tropicana Field will get them going throughout the weekend. This game between Baltimore and Tampa Bay should be a solid one as it features a decent starting pitching matchup with Kyle Gibson, and Tyler Glasnow. I have Tampa Bay, grabbing the victory in game number one behind a solid performance from Glasnow on the mound. 

St.Louis Cardinals @ Chicago Cubs – 8:05PM ET

Tony Battalio

It has been a disappointing season for the St. Louis Cardinals after they came into the year with such high hopes of competing for a National League Central division title. They find themselves well under .500 at the moment, but they have been turning things around as of late as they have been one of the hottest teams in the league throughout the past two weeks. However, their worst starting pitcher will be taking the mound for them in this one as Steven Matz gets the ball in the opening game of the series against the Chicago Cubs. The Cardinals will be hoping they have enough momentum to still be able to grab a victory over Chicago here on Thursday night on the road.

Marcus Stroman will be taking the mound for the Chicago Cubs in the opening game of the series against their fiercest rivals on Thursday night. Stroman’s start gives Chicago the advantage of the pitching matchup in this one even though they are coming in with a little bit less momentum than St.Louis. It has been a less-than-impressive season for Chicago, as well, as they find themselves under .500 and in third place in the division. However, they are currently on a two-game winning streak coming into the opening game of the series and I expect them to grab a victory here on Thursday night as I look for their offense to have its way with Steven Matz throughout the game.

Houston Astros @ Oakland Athletics – 9:40PM ET

Tony Battalio

The defending World Series champions are starting to get hot at the right time, and they will be looking to capitalize on their momentum when they open up this four-game series against the Oakland Athletics. Houston has picked up 53 victories in their first 96 games of the season and they are four and a half games out of first place in the American League West division. They have picked up five victories in their last 10 games on the year and they come into the opening game of this series on a one-game winning streak. They are coming off of a series victory against the Colorado Rockies, and they will be looking to beat up on the sisters of the poor even more in the series against the Oakland Athletics.

There’s not much to be said about the Oakland Athletics other than the fact that they are having a miserable season. They are having many problems both on and off the field and they are currently on pace to go down as the worst single-season team in the history of Major League Baseball. They come into this game with 71 losses in their first 98 games of the 2023 season and they are well on their way to losing over 100 games or more this year. They do come into this game on a two-game winning streak, but they have lost eight out of their last 10 on the year as well. They will be hoping to use the momentum from their series victory over Boston here in the opening game of the series. However, I don’t see that happening as I have the Astros grabbing the victory here in game one on Thursday night on the road. 

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