Our free MLB Picks are out for Tuesday, September 7th, 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!
Toronto Blue Jays @ New York Yankees – 7.05PM ET
The Toronto Blue Jays made a statement yesterday, beating the New York Yankees 8-0 in Yankee Stadium. This was Toronto’s fifth straight win whilst also handing New York their third consecutive loss, making tonight’s clash even more important, with just 3.5 games separating the sides in the standings.
Tim Newton
I can’t believe what I am seeing with the Yankees but I think they will be able to rectify their poor play with a win tonight. While their batting lineup couldn’t get a look in, they also allowed eight runs which is far too many. With that in mind, they are starting Gerrit Cole for tonight’s clash. Cole is 14-6 with a 2.73 ERA so far this season but his recent play is even better. Since the start of August, Cole has started in four games, pitching 24.2 innings across those games and giving up just two runs. That’s right, two runs!
Adding to that, he has secured 39 strikeouts in those four games including a massive 15 against the Angels last week. While the two teams are trending in opposite directions at the moment, New York are still 3.5 games better in the standings, are at home and have one of the best starters in baseball with the ball first up, so I think they should be able to turn things around.
Tim’s MLB Pick: New York Yankees (-215)
HR No. 40 on the season for Vladdy Jr. 😤 @BRWalkoff
Youngest player in Blue Jays history to hit 40
(via @MLB)pic.twitter.com/PMBc7KlcEd
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 6, 2021
Katherine Mouradian
The Blue Jays managed to keep the Yankees scoreless in the first game of this series, while piling on eight runs themselves, and they have won five games in a row. The Yankees seem to be falling apart just when they need to string a run of wins together, they have lost three games in a row, two of which were to the Orioles! Looking at some important stats for this game now. The Blue Jays have won nine of their previous 13 when it comes to the second game of the series, and they have won just one of their previous five games played on a Tuesday.
Now to the Yankees, they have won 24 of their previous 33 games when they started as the favorite, and have won 51 of their previous 74 games on a Tuesday. I can’t really choose between the Yankees and the Blue Jays, so I’m going to go with the under for this one. The under has hit in 12 of the Blue Jays previous 16 clashes overall, and has hit in nine of the Yankees previous 14 games played at home.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Under 8.5 (-102)
Mike Su
The Yankees fell asleep at the wheel and let the Blue Jays drive all over them in a 8-0 beatdown. The Blue Jays Were carried by the superb pitching of Hyun Jin Ryu who had six strikeouts and allowed no runs in six innings. Now Toronto are starting Steven Matz to try and win their sixth game in a row. Matz has been decent this season and is statistically similar to Ryu. Matz sports a 3.80 ERA and 1.34 WHIP, respectable figures but nothing special. In his last game against the Yankees, Matz had 10 strikeouts and allowed just one run in a six-inning masterclass.
The Yankees are starting Gerrit Cole, who is a top 10 pitcher with a 2.73 ERA and the most strikeouts in the league. He should present a formidable opponent for the Blue Jays third ranked batting unit. If the Blue Jays don’t win, they should make this a close matchup, however I’m leaning towards the unders due to the pitching situation.
Mike’s MLB Pick: Under 8.5 (-102)
Tampa Bay Rays @ Boston Red Sox – 7.10PM ET
While they needed an extra innings, the Tampa Bay Rays drew first blood against the Boston Red Sox, winning 11-10. Boston scored a massive six runs in the first innings but slowly allowed Tampa back into the ball game and eventually gave up the series opener. Can the Rays continue their AL East dominance tonight or will the Red Sox bounce back in Fenway Park?
Tim Newton
While I picked the Red Sox to come out on top last night and fell just short, I am sticking with them in this one. Eduardo Rodriguez is starting for Boston and while his figures of 11-7 and a 4.88 ERA aren’t impressive, he did face the Rays last week and keep them scoreless in his six innings of work. Boston went on to win that game 4-0 and the big positive is that they are now at home for this clash. They showed last night that their batting lineup can score in bunches, but they need to be able to restrict runs and Rodriguez has shown that he can do that, especially against this lineup.
Drew Rasmussen is rarely used as a starter for Tampa but when he has, he has been very serviceable. He has allowed just six runs from six games, where he pitched 22 innings, but in his start against the Red Sox last week, Tampa ended up losing the game 2-3. It will be close and maybe taking the Red Sox with the runs is the safer play, but I think they should bounce back and win at home.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Boston Red Sox (-106)
Katherine Mouradian
Well, wasn’t it a high scoring, close affair in the first clash, with the Rays just scraping through to get the victory, 11-10, in the 11th innings. The two teams played each other only a few games ago, and that series ended in a tie 2-2. The Rays have won 51 of their previous 67 games after they have had a win, and they have won 18 of their previous 23 games on the road.
Looking at the Red Sox now, they have won nine of their previous 13 games at home and have won four of their previous five games overall. This will be another close game I think, but I just can’t see the Red Sox losing two in a row at the moment at home. I’ll be on the Red Sox to at least cover the spread.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Boston Red Sox +1.5 (-170)
Mike Su
The Rays look to win again in the second game of this three game series against the Red Sox. The Rays won in a nail biter which saw them make a six run comeback to win it in the 10th innings. In this 11-10 shootout, both teams showed why they are top 5 batting units. I expect more of the same high scoring antics in this matchup as both teams have questionable starters in at pitcher. The Red Sox are going with Eduardo Rodriguez, who is a wildcard as he has a bad 4.88 ERA but a decent 156 strikeouts in 132 innings this season.
For the Rays, Drew Rasmussen is starting again after picking up his first career win as starter last time out. Rasmussen has been good in limited time with a 3.00 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. However, neither of these pitchers are a safe bet and are enigmas in this matchup. The vulnerabilities both teams have at pitcher make me lean toward the overs in this matchup. The top five batting units possessed by both sides are way too good for the pitchers being presented to them.
Mike’s MLB Pick: Over 9.5 (-114)
Washington Nationals @ Atlanta Braves – 7.20PM ET
The Washington Nationals used two ninth innings runs to beat the Mets yesterday but now have to get on the road and face division rivals, the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves. There is a 15.5 game difference between the two sides, which are on opposite ends of the division table, with Atlanta needing wins more, to cement their postseason spot.
Tim Newton
I’m all over the Braves in this NL East showdown. While Atlanta is just 33-32 at home this season, everything else seems to be working in their favor for this matchup. They are 36-20 against teams below 0.500 while Washington are just 36-65 against teams above 0.500 this season. Adding to that, the Nationals are just 24-41 on the road and are starting Paolo Espino, who has a massive 5.70 ERA over his last seven games.
In fact, Espino faced the Braves just a few weeks ago and gave up five runs in just four innings of work, in a game that Atlanta went on to win 6-5, in Washington. That three game series saw Atlanta sweep the Nationals and I see now reason why they shouldn’t continue on with that sort of play. Especially considering they are starting Max Fried in this clash, who had two games against the Nations in August and gave up just three runs from 12 innings of work while registering the win in both. All things lead towards the Braves coming out and cruising in this one.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Atlanta Braves -1.5 (-125)
Mr. Carter FTW@carterkieboom // #NATITUDE pic.twitter.com/hlSRKLDAch
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 6, 2021
Katherine Mouradian
The Braves and the Nationals face off against each other for a three game series. The Braves are coming off a series tie with the Rockies and most of the games were pretty close in the scoreline. The Nationals are coming off a series loss to the Mets, 2-3. The Nationals have won 14 of their previous 51 games in total, and they have won just six of their previous 26 games on the road.
Looking at the Braves now, they have won all five of their previous clashes after they have had a day off, and they have won five of their previous seven games on a Tuesday. This should be an easy one, the Braves to get a convincing win here.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Atlanta Braves -1.5 (-125)
Mike Su
The Braves look to maintain their lead in the NL East with the Phillies just 1.5 games behind them in the standings. The Braves recently split a four game series with the Rockies, and had tough matchups against the Giants, Dodgers and Yankees prior to that. This has resulted in them recording just 4 wins in their last 10 games. The Braves take on division rivals, the Nationals, who have been downright bad recently with just two wins in their last 10 games.
Atlanta do have a slight edge at pitcher with Max Fried starting. Fried has a 3.51 ERA and 131 strikeouts in 130 innings with a 11-7 record in games started. The Nationals will be turning to Paolo Espino who has a 4.08 ERA and 4-4 record. Espino inspires little confidence for me to bet on the Nationals, especially when considering the Braves eighth ranked batting unit. The Braves batters, led by Austin Riley, should have an easy time disposing of Espino in a game that is crucial for the Braves’ playoff chances.
Mike’s MLB Pick: Atlanta Braves -1.5 (-125)
San Francisco Giants @ Colorado Rockies – 8.40PM ET
The San Francisco Giants dominated the series opener against the Colorado Rockies, winning 10-5 on the back of a massive 15 hits to the Rockies’ 7. The sides now face off for the second of three contests tonight, with the Giants needing every win they can get, given they are just one game ahead of the Dodgers for top of the NL West.
Tim Newton
The Giants were dominant last night and I think they can do more of the same again in this one. After scoring 10 runs last night, San Francisco will now face Chi Chi Gonzalez who has given up 20 runs across his last five starts and hasn’t lasted more than five innings in each of those. He has shown that he is loose with his pitching and the Giants only need the slightest of advantages to make you pay.
Add in the fact that they are starting Logan Webb themselves, who hasn’t given up more than two runs in a game since the beginning of May. Comparing his last five games to the last five of Gonzalez, Webb has allowed just four runs, instead of 20. While the Rockies have an explosive offense, particularly at home, they are no match on either side of the ball for this San Francisco lineup.
Tim’s MLB Pick: San Francisco Giants -1.5 (-126)
Katherine Mouradian
The Giants were too good for the Rockies in the first game of this series, winning 10-5. The Giants have won four out of their previous five clashes overall, whereas the Rockies have won just two out of their previous five clashes in total. The Giants have won six of their previous eight games when playing on the road, and have won 19 of their previous 28 games on a Tuesday.
Whereas, the Rockies have won just 20 of their previous 62 games against a team that has a winning percentage of .600 or over, but they have won 45 of their previous 70 games at home. This one should be another easy victory for the Giants, I’ll be taking them to cover the spread.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: San Francisco Giants -1.5 (-126)
Mike Su
The Giants are coming off of a 10-5 blowout win over the Rockies and look to repeat this in the second game of this in-season series. Despite the poor competition, this is still an important game for the Giants. Although San Francisco beat the Dodgers in their last series, the Dodgers sit just one game back in the standings so the Giants must continue to win games or risk losing the division lead again.
To help with that, they will be turning to one of their best pitchers, Logan Webb, to beat the division-rival Rockies. Webb has been a freak this year with a 2.56 ERA and 121 strikeouts in 112 innings played. Webb should have no trouble against the Rockies’ 12th ranked batting unit who is also 24th in the league for home runs. On the other side the Rockies will start Chi Chi Gonzales who has been downright bad this year against a team that is second in the league in home runs. In his last game, Gonzales allowed three runs in just three innings and had only one strikeout, which tells me he isn’t in form. The Giants should destroy the Rockies and Gonzales in another blowout.
Mike’s MLB Pick: San Francisco Giants -1.5 (-126)
Chicago White Sox @ Oakland Athletics – 9.40PM ET
Both the Oakland Athletics and Chicago White Sox had Monday off after a disappointing weekend and will both be looking to bounce back in tonight’s clash. The A’s dropped all three games in Toronto while the White Sox only managed one win from their three games in Kansas City, with both sides failing to score on Sunday in blowout losses.
Tim Newton
Tough one to pick to close out the night. Neither side impressed on the weekend and come into this with the wrong form for this clash. Despite being well and truly clear on top of the AL Central, Chicago is just 33-34 on the road and 29-33 against teams above 0.500 this season. Meanwhile, the A’s are 37-31 at home and are a measly 30-45 against teams above 0.500. That is really uninspiring for this clash, and it gets worse with the pitching decisions by both sides.
Oakland has James Kaprielian starting and he has given up 10 runs across his last two starts while Chicago is starting Jimmy Lambert, who has been seen just three times this season with only one of those being as a starter. Across the year, he has given up eight runs from eight innings of work, and may be found out on the road, against a team that is chasing a Wild Card slot.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Oakland Athletics / Over 9.5 (+300)
In good company. pic.twitter.com/TI07vUMqqu
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) September 7, 2021
Katherine Mouradian
This will be the first game the White Sox and Athletics play in this three game series. These two teams played each other in the middle of last month, and the White Sox got the best of the Athletics, winning the series, 3-0. The White Sox are coming off a 1-2 series loss to the Royals, and the Athletics are also coming off a series loss, to the Blue Jays, 0-3. The White Sox have won nine of their previous 11 when it comes to the first game in the series, and they have won eight of their previous nine games on a Tuesday.
Looking at the Athletics now, they have won 14 of their previous 19 games after a day off and they have won only two of their previous eight games at home. Despite the White Sox getting the better of the Athletics in their previous series, if you look back a little further, the White Sox have won just 24 of their previous 77 clashes in Oakland, and only eight of their previous 26 meetings in total. I’ll be on the Athletics for this opening night clash.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Oakland Athletics (-134)
Mike Su
The Oakland A’s are fighting for their playoff chances after losing three in a row. The Athletics hold just an 8% chance of making the playoffs and need every single win. They have not been playing like it recently though with only four wins in their last 10 games. This includes a 8-0 loss in their last game to the Blue Jays. However, they play a Chicago team which has only been slightly better. The White Sox are sitting comfortably on top of the AL Central division and will only be playing for playoff seeding.
They certainly won’t have the same intensity as the Athletics. The A’s are starting James Kaprielian who has a 3.87 ERA and 99 strikeouts in 97 innings. Kaprielian is also right handed, and the White Sox’ batting unit has fared poorly against right handers lately with a 1-5 record in their last 6 games against right handed pitchers. Things get worse for the White Sox as they are starting Jimmy Lambert who has 9.00 ERA and 2.13 WHIP in just 9 innings played. The Athletics should win this game and keep their playoff hopes alive.
Mike’s MLB Pick: Oakland Athletics (-134)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
