All 30 teams are back in action on another busy Tuesday night of MLB action!
Look below to find our free MLB Picks for the five best games on today’s schedule!
Milwaukee Brewers @ Pittsburgh Pirates – 7.05PM ET
A pair of NL Central rivals will kick off our Tuesday night MLB action when the last placed Pirates host the first placed Brewers at PNC Park for the first match of their three game series.
Jesse Livermore
It’s going to be a battle of the Anderson’s on the mound when Milwaukee’s Brett Anderson and Pittsburgh’s Tyler Anderson face off as the starting pitchers on Tuesday. Although the Brewers are the superior team in this matchup and the division leaders, I am going to take the Pirates to cover as underdogs at home for this encounter. Despite his reasonably successful career record against Pittsburgh, Brett Anderson is 1-4 with a 5.40 ERA on the road this season. As well as that, the Pirates are just quietly going along quite nicely at PNC Park, as they own a 21-26 record (not bad for a team that’s 23 games below .500), and they recently won two of their three home games against the league leading Giants over the weekend. Finally, Tyler Anderson will be looking to impress in this outing, as it may be his last chance to showcase his talents before the trade deadline.
Jesse’s MLB Pick: Pittsburgh Pirates +1.5 (-140)
Tim Newton
While Pittsburgh had two surprise wins over the Giants, in San Francisco, in their last series, they have still lost five of their last seven games. They now return home to host a Milwaukee side that not only just beat the AL Central-leading White Sox 2-1, but also beat the Pirates 3-1 when the sides met in Pittsburgh to start the month. There is a massive 19.5 game difference between the sides in the NL Central standings, however the pitching decisions may give the Pirates some life, at home. Brett Anderson is starting for Milwaukee and he is just 2-5 from his 14 starts this season. The Brewers have the third-best ERA as a team, 3.34, but Anderson’s is 4.26 and that could allow the struggling Pittsburgh offense to keep their team in the game. In saying that, the Pirates have Tyler Anderson starting themselves and he is just 5-8 with a 4.35 ERA from his 18 starts this season and the Brewers may just prove to be too good here.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Milwaukee Brewers (-142)
Katherine Mouradian
An NL Central top and bottom of the table clash between the Brewers and the Pirates. The Brewers have 20 more wins than the Pirates, but both teams have the same recent record of wins and losses, at 5-5. The Brewers are playing pretty well on the road as of late, and have won their previous four games, they have also won six out of their previous eight games after a day off. On the other hand, are also having a decent run as of late, they have won four out of their previous five games after a day off, and they have won five of their previous seven games at home. But the thing that I like here is the fact that the Brewers have won six out of their last seven meetings with Pirates.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Milwaukee Brewers (-142)
Series win secured.#RaiseIt pic.twitter.com/cXrLHoChcm
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) July 25, 2021
New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays – 7.10PM ET
The second and fourth placed teams in the AL East will begin their three game series at Tropicana Field on Tuesday night when the Tampa Bay Rays host the New York Yankees.
Jesse Livermore
With just nine wins from their past 30 games against Tampa Bay, there isn’t much evidence to suggest that New York are capable of an upset here, so I will be taking the Rays at home for this series opener. New York are 1-4 in their past five games on the road, while Tampa Bay have four wins from their past five games this year, scoring 5+ runs in each of their victories. As well as that, New York’s Jordan Montgomery has not been nearly as effective on the road as he has been at home this season, owning a 4.75 ERA outside of Yankee Stadium. Montgomery has also struggled in his career against Tampa Bay, posting a subpar 4.47 ERA. With the recently acquired Nelson Cruz slugging for the Rays, Tampa Bay should win this one comfortably.
Jesse’s MLB Pick: Tampa Bay Rays -1.5 (+134)
Tim Newton
Aaron Judge is back in the lineup for the Yankees, but will he give them the boost they need to turn their road woes around? New York is coming off a 3-1 series loss to the Red Sox, in Boston and has to stay on the road against a Tampa Bay side that is 5-1 in their last six games and is 30-18 at home for the season. In an effort to get things going for the Yankees, Jordan Montgomery will get the start and while he hasn’t registered a win at all in July, he has been pitching well. His last effort was a 5.2 innings shutout against the Red Sox and that sort of effort should be good enough as the Rays are at least 10 places worse than Boston in both OPS and hits so far this season. Tampa Bay is clearly a class outfit but with Judge back in the lineup, the offense can better support Montgomery and keep the Yankees in this.
Tim’s MLB Pick: New York Yankees +1.5 (-164)
Katherine Mouradian
The Rays have a decent recent record and they have won seven of their last 10 games. They have won four of their previous five games when it comes to the first game of the series, and they have won four out of their previous five games at home when playing a left handed starter. The Yankees have won 46 of their previous 67 games on a Tuesday, but they have won just five of their previous 17 when it comes to the first game of the series. The Yankees are struggling in a number of different areas especially when it comes to their bullpen, so I’ll be on the Rays for this game.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Tampa Bay Rays (-154)
Arizona Diamondbacks @ Texas Rangers – 8.05PM ET
Two of the worst teams in baseball will meet at Globe Life Field on Tuesday night for the first match of a short two game set between the 35-65 Texas Rangers and the 31-70 Arizona Diamondbacks.
Jesse Livermore
Although Texas will enter this series opener having lost their last 12 games, I cannot rationalise picking the Diamondbacks on the road for this matchup. Arizona’s 12-40 record on the road this season is only two wins better than the historically poor-travelling Rockies team in 2021. As well as that, Dane Dunning has actually been a solid performer on the mound for Texas this season, owning a 3-7 record and 4.30 ERA from 18 starts this year. There is rarely going to be much statistical support when selecting a team on a 12 game losing streak, however Arizona have been historically bad on the road this season and I believe they will continue that trend on Tuesday.
Jesse’s MLB Pick: Texas Rangers (-152)
Tim Newton
While this seems to be a lacklustre affair between two of the worst teams in baseball, there are draft picks on the line and it will be interesting to see which sides play into that. Texas has now lost 12 straight games but only played one team that is below 0.500 over that stretch and no one with as bad a record as Arizona. In saying that, the Diamondbacks have been slightly impressive of late, winning five of their last seven games. They will have Taylor Widener starting on the mound and that is a positive, given he is 1-0 from his seven starts with an ERA of 3.55. However the worry is that they are on the road, where they are 12-40 for the season, compared to Texas who are 22-25 at home. The worry for the Rangers is that Dane Dunning is starting with ball in hand. Dunning is 3-7 so far with a 4.30 ERA and may fall victim to an in-form Diamondbacks.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Arizona Diamondbacks +1.5 (-160)
Katherine Mouradian
Two teams that are at the bottom of their respective leagues / divisions, so this should be an interesting clash to see who can string together a better performance. The Rangers are on a whopping 12 games in row, whereas the Diamondbacks have won five out of their previous 10 games. The Diamondbacks have won just 12 out of their previous 54 games on the road and only 13 out of their previous 61 games overall. Whereas, the Rangers have won just 19 of their previous 62 games on a Tuesday and just 16 of their previous 51 interleague games. The thing that I’m concerned about is the current losing streak of the Rangers, so I’ll be on the Diamondbacks for this clash.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Arizona Diamondbacks (+128)
Fun Fact:
The Diamondbacks lost 24 straight games on the road, and dont even have the worst road record in their division.They are 11-38, and the Rockies are 9-34.
— Grant Liffmann (@GrantLiffmann) July 23, 2021
Chicago White Sox @ Kansas City Royals – 8.10PM ET
The Kansas City Royals will look to continue their unlikely six game winning streak on Tuesday night when they host the division leading White Sox for the second match of their four game series.
Jesse Livermore
Although the White Sox are 15-5 from their last 20 meetings against the Royals and 10-2 from their last 12 games in Kansas City, there is a lot to like about the Royals on Tuesday as they are a team in form. As well as being winners of their last six games, Kansas City’s lineup has scored an average of 5.83 runs per game in that time, only scoring below five runs one on occasion. Finally, the Royals will have Brad Keller on the mound on Tuesday. Keller has recorded three consecutive quality starts with a 2.61 ERA during that span. The bubble will burst for Kansas City at some point, but for now I am taking the Royals at home.
Jesse’s MLB Pick: Kansas City Royals (+124)
Tim Newton
Don’t look now but the 43-55 Royals have won six straight games, including the series opener against the AL Central-leading, 59-41 White Sox. The loss for Chicago now moves them to just 1-4 from their last five games and just 24-24 on the road this season. In an effort to right the ship, Chicago will hand the ball to Dylan Cease for tonight’s clash. Cease is 7-6 from 20 starts, with an ERA of 4.21, numbers which are ok but not great, especially against an in-form Royals side. Kansas City has scored at least four runs in each of their six wins but have also allowed a fair few and that may not change with Brad Keller on the mound to start the game. Keller is just 7-9 this season and allowed three runs in his last start. Kansas City is the form team in this matchup but Chicago is the better team and I like them to turn things around and get back to their winning ways.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Chicago White Sox (-146)
Katherine Mouradian
The Royals are ON FIRE! They are currently on a six game winning streak, which includes yesterday’s narrow win against the Chicago White Sox, 4-3. The White Sox are at the top of the AL Central so a lot of the stats support them getting a win here, and I don’t think you can keep a team like the White Sox down for long. The White Sox have won five of their previous six games on a Tuesday, and their previous five in game two of a series. On the flip side, the Royals have won just 37 of their previous 121 games at home when they are playing a team with a winning record.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Chicago White Sox -1.5 (+112)
Los Angeles Dodgers @ San Francisco Giants – 9.45PM ET
Arguably the two best sides in baseball will meet for their second series in less than one week on Tuesday night when the Giants host the Dodgers for the first match of their four game set in San Francisco.
Jesse Livermore
Although San Francisco won three of their four matches at Dodger Stadium when these two NL West rivals last met, it is important to remember that Los Angeles dominated and swept the Giants when the two teams last met in San Francisco. As well as that, San Francisco has lost two of their last three series meetings to the Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals, both of whom had losing records at the time. With all this in mind I would more often than not take the Dodgers on the road in this meeting. However, seeing as Mookie Betts recently joined the likes of Corey Seager, Cody Bellinger, Clayton Kershaw, Trevor Bauer and Dustin May on the IL with hip inflammation, I am going to take the Giants at home as underdogs. There is just too much talent on the IL for LA.
Jesse’s MLB Pick: San Francisco Giants (TBA)
Tim Newton
The NL West battle continues and the Dodgers have revenge on their mind. These sides just had a four game series in LA, which the Giants won 3-1, but their last two wins both came in ninth-innings thrillers. The Dodgers will want to rectify this, especially given that the Giants just dropped a home series to the Pirates, 2-1. Both starting pitchers, Julio Urias for LA and Logan Webb for SF, have performed well when these sides have played each other, meaning it will come down to offense. The Dodgers have averaged over 7 runs per game from their last five road games and given they have revenge in mind, like I mentioned, they may have the edge in this one.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Los Angeles Dodgers (TBA)
Katherine Mouradian
Nothing like a top of the table NL West clash to get you through your Tuesday! The Dodgers have one less win and three more losses than the Giants, so if they want top spot in the NL West, they are going to have to work for it. Looking at the Dodgers, they have won 38 of their previous 52 games on a Tuesday and more recently, they have won eight of their previous 11 games when playing a team with a winning record. The Giants have won 20 of their previous 27 in the first game of a series, and have won 15 of their previous 22 games on a Tuesday. This is a tricky one to go with, but I’ll be sticking with the Giants.
Dodgers put Mookie Betts on IL. He’s out for Giants series.
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) July 25, 2021
Katherine’s MLB Pick: San Francisco Giants (TBA)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel
