Although there are only 18 teams in action on this quieter Thursday of Major League Baseball, our tipsters have still got five free picks for your midweek baseball action!
Look below to find our free MLB Picks for the five best games on today’s schedule!
Texas Rangers @ Detroit Tigers – 1.10PM ET
The Rangers and Tigers will kick off our Thursday night MLB schedule when the two below .500 American League teams face off for the final match of their four game series at Comerica Park.
Jesse Livermore
I haven’t seen anything from Texas in their three previous games in Detroit to suggest that they are capable of avoiding a four game series sweep on the road on Thursday night. Not only have the Tigers outscored the Rangers 22-3 across the first three games of this set, but they are also 6-0 in their first six games following the All-Star break. As well as that, Detroit should have an advantage at the mound on Thursday as Texas will be giving Mike Foltynewicz the ball for this series finale. Foltynewicz has a 2-9 record and 5.91 ERA from 19 starts this season and he is coming off an outing that saw him give up 10 runs in just 1.2 innings against Toronto. Seeing as the Tigers have averaged 5.83 runs per game in their six games since returning from the break, I am going to take Detroit to complete the series sweep at home on Thursday.
Jesse’s MLB Pick: Detroit Tigers / Over 9 (+248)
Tim Newton
The Detroit Tigers have won six straight games, all at home and three of which have been against the Rangers. Detroit have dominated the first three games of this series, winning by a combined 22-3 and have the opportunity for the sweep this afternoon. Mike Foltynewicz is starting on the mound for Texas and last time out, against the Blue Jays, he gave up 10 runs on 8 hits in just 1.2 innings pitched. Those are some absurd numbers and that alone is enough to be on the Tigers with confidence.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Detroit Tigers -1.5 (+158)
Katherine Mouradian
The Tigers have started the second half of the second pretty well, considering their overall record this season, they have won six of their last 10 games. The Rangers on the other hand, are really struggling after the mid-season break, and have won just one of their last 10. The Rangers are also not good on the road or on a Thursday, they are 16-54 in their previous 70 road games, and 1-5 in their previous six games on a Thursday. The Tigers feel like the lesser of two evils here.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Detroit Tigers (-126)
Walker Buehler retired his final 13 batters tonight
— Eric Stephen (@ericstephen) July 18, 2021
Atlanta Braves @ Philadelphia Phillies – 7.05PM ET
A pair of NL East rivals will kick off their four game series on Thursday night when the second placed Phillies host the third placed Braves at Citizens Bank Park.
Jesse Livermore
Only one and a half games separates these two teams in the NL West standings as we prepare to enter this series in Philadelphia. Seeing as they are 10 games above .500 at home this season and they own a 5-1 record against Atlanta from their last six games in Philadelphia, I am going to take the Phillies at home on Thursday night. Charlie Morton will undoubtedly give the Braves an advantage at the mound over Phillies starter Matt Moore, however the Phillies lineup is starting to come together at the right time of the year with Bryce Harper, Jean Segura, and Didi Gregorius all back from the IL. As well as that, Atlanta are just 2-4 (all at home) since losing Ronald Acuna Jr. to an ACL injury.
Jesse’s MLB Pick: Philadelphia Phillies (+114)
Tim Newton
The Phillies and Braves, with just one game separating them in the standings, kick off a four game series in Philadelphia and the home side should have the edge in this one. While the Braves have won three of their last four on the road, they are still adjusting to the loss of Ronald Acuna Jr and haven’t travelled since then. Combine that with the fact that they are 20-23 when travelling while the Phillies are 27-17 at home and the value with Philadelphia is too good to pass on. While Atlanta has a slight edge in starting pitchers for this one, Philadelphia’s offensive lineup should prove to be too good at home and to be getting a run is a bit of a treat.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Philadelphia Phillies +1.5 (-140)
Katherine Mouradian
The Braves have won six of their last eight playing a team in the NL East. Meanwhile, the Phillies are 5-2 in their previous seven home games and 5-2 in their previous seven overall. The Braves have struggled particularly in Philadelphia, and have only won one of their previous six meetings. It is a tricky one to pick, so I’ll be looking at the total markets. The over is 5-2 in the Braves previous seven games overall and is 10-2 in the Phillies previous 12 games overall.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Over 9 (-110)
New York Yankees @ Boston Red Sox – 7.10PM ET
Two of the fiercest adversaries in sport will continue their rivalry at Fenway Park on Thursday night when the Boston Red Sox host the New York Yankees for the first match of a four game set between the two AL East franchises.
Jesse Livermore
Although New York claimed a 2-1 series victory over Boston in their recent series following the All-Star break, the Red Sox still own a 7-2 record over their arch rivals this season and I like them to improve on that Thursday night at Fenway Park. Tanner Houck has a 1-0 record from two career starts against New York after allowing just one unearned run on two hits in nine innings of work, and he owns a career ERA of just 1.78. As well as that, Boston’s lineup is averaging 5.2 runs per game following the All-Star break and I believe that they are going to get the better of New York’s Jordan Montgomery on Thursday night at home, where they own a 9-2 record from their last 11 games. Montgomery has a career ERA of 5.95 at Fenway park and the southpaw has allowed nine earned runs, including three homers, across his last three starts.
Jesse’s MLB Pick: Boston Red Sox -1.5 (+146)
Tim Newton
The Red Sox completed their five-game post-All Star break road trip with two massive wins over the Blue Jays and I believe they will be able to carry that momentum into tonight’s clash. The Yankees may have won the last three-game series between the sides, which was just last weekend, 2-1, but that was in New York, giving advantage to the Red Sox at home tonight. Jordan Montogomery is starting for the Yankees and in his last start, against the Red Sox last Friday, he gave up three runs in four innings, in a game Boston won 4-0. That isn’t a promising sign at the start of this series for New York and I am happy to base my bet around that.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Boston Red Sox / Under 10 (TBD)
Katherine Mouradian
The Yankees are loving life after the mid-season break, and have won seven of their last 10 games, and are currently on a three game winning streak. The Red Sox have won just four of their last 10, but have been gaining momentum and have won two in a row. The Red Sox have also won nine out of their last 11 games at home, while the Yankees are just 5-11 in their last 16 series-opening games. So, while the Yankees have better recent form, when looking at the stats that count, I’ll be backing the Red Sox.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Boston Red Sox (-130)
Series swept 🧹
🔗: https://t.co/heBMxWI6F4 pic.twitter.com/zMOEd3xX62
— Red Sox (@RedSox) July 22, 2021
Los Angeles Angels @ Minnesota Twins – 8.10PM ET
The Minnesota Twins will look to avoid slipping into last place in the AL Central when they host the Los Angeles Angels for a four game series that starts on Thursday night. As for the Angels, they will be looking to make up ground in the AL wildcard race when coming up against the below .500 Twins.
Jesse Livermore
As much as Los Angeles has been the stronger team throughout the first half of the regular season, I am going to take the Twins at home for this series opener. Although he has been ultimately disappointing following his runner up Cy Young 2020 season, Kenta Maeda has strung together some solid performances recently, allowing just three earned runs in 16 innings with 25 strikeouts across his last three starts. It is hard to mount a case for Los Angeles on the road in this one as their lineup has scored five runs across their last three starts and Thursday’s starter Andrew Heaney has conceded 14 earned runs in 12.1 innings across his last three appearances. I don’t like to pre-empt a bounce back performance when making my picks, so I will take the in-form Maeda to lead Minnesota to a win on Thursday.
Jesse’s MLB Pick: Minnesota Twins (-144)
Tim Newton
The Angels come into this clash having lost three straight games, including two on the road, and face a Minnesota team that has some surprisingly good form behind them. The Twins just split a four-game series with the AL Central leading White Sox, in Chicago, and return home where they have a much better, albeit still negative, record. To add to the positivity for Minnesota, Andrew Heaney is starting for LA and last time out he gave up six hits for four runs in just four innings against Seattle, whose lineup is far worse than Minnesota’s. However, this seems like a bit of a trap game. Yes, the Angels are out of form, but their losses have all been against divisional rivals that are above 0.500. LA has a 20-7 record against teams below .500 and they provide some nice value in the opener tonight.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Los Angeles Angels (+124)
Katherine Mouradian
Both teams have had a mixed bag of results since the mid-season break, and both teams are sitting in fourth place in their respective leagues / divisions. The Angels seem to be struggling in Thursday games, they are 2-5 in their previous seven, they are also 2-5 in their previous seven when it comes to the first game of a series. The Twins are 4-0 in their previous four games when playing a team in the AL West, but they are 4-11 in their previous 15 at home versus a left-handed starter. Tough to pick, but I’ll be sticking with the Twins.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Minnesota Twins (-144)
San Francisco Giants @ Los Angeles Dodgers – 10.10PM ET
The two top teams in the NL West and MLB will wrap up their four game series in Los Angeles on Thursday night. As a result of their ___ victory on Wednesday, the ___ currently leads the series 2-1 and they now hold a __ game lead over the __ in their division.
Jesse Livermore
As far as non-ace matchups go, they don’t come much better than Anthony DeSclafani vs Walker Buehler at the mound for the final match of a four game series between the two best teams in baseball. Although he owns a tidy 10-4 record and 2.78 ERA for the season, DeSclafani 0-2 with a horrible 10.95 ERA in his previous three encounters against the reigning champs. On the other hand, Buehler is 10-1 with a 2.37 ERA this year and he owns an impressive career 6-0 record and 2.17 ERA against San Francisco. Offensively, the Giants are hitting at a collective .177 batting average against Buehler this season, while the Dodgers batters are hitting at .430 against DeSclafani. Given their advantage at the mound and superior lineup, I am going to take the reigning champs at home on Thursday night.
Jesse’s MLB Pick: Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 (+120)
Tim Newton
Another three-run ninth innings saw the game turned on its head, with the Giants being the victors last night. Facing a 2-1 deficit heading into the final frame, San Francisco, thanks to a 2-run homer from Wilmer Flores, was able to escape with a 4-1 win, pushing their NL West lead back out to two games. However, I am expecting their lead to be cut back to one game with a Dodgers win tonight. Anthony DeSclafani is starting for the road team and he has been awful against LA in his four previous matchups with the Dodgers. He is just 0-2 with an ERA of 10.95 against Los Angeles this season and there will be a heap of pressure on him tonight. Walker Buehler, LA’s starter, on the other hand is having himself a season, not only overall but against San Francisco too. He is 10-1 for the season and 2-0 against the league-leading Giants and should give his team the best opportunity to succeed.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Los Angeles Dodgers (-170)
Katherine Mouradian
I can’t wait to see how this final game between two competition heavy weights shapes out. It was a low scoring affair on Wednesday night, with the Giants winning 4-2, this means that the Dodgers need to win this game at home if they want to level this set. As well as the incentive to level this series 2-2, all the stats point to Los Angeles for this game! San Francisco are 5-10 in their previous 15 games against the Dodgers. While Los Angeles are 16-7 in their previous 23 games overall, and they have won eight of their last 11 games played at home. I think the Dodgers will be able to get another win here against the Giants on Thursday night, which would tie this series between the NL West rivals at 2-2.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Los Angeles Dodgers (-170)
The hottest team in baseball? The @Tigers!
They haven’t lost since the All-Star break. 🔥https://t.co/fqdGYG9X33 pic.twitter.com/JD4fgAfpPx
— MLB (@MLB) July 22, 2021
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel
