Happy hump-day baseball fans! Be sure to stay up to date with our free MLB picks on this busy Wednesday of MLB action!
Look below to find our free MLB Picks for the five best games on today’s schedule!
St Louis Cardinals @ Chicago White Sox – 2.10PM ET
The Cardinals and White Sox will wrap up their midweek set at Guaranteed Rate Stadium on Wednesday afternoon, as Chicago are looking to complete a three game sweep at home.
As a result of the White Sox 8-3 victory on Tuesday, Chicago have taken a 2-0 series lead over St Louis in this series. Jose Abreu recorded one run from two hits with four RBIs in the five run victory, building on his solid form in May.
St Louis’ John Gant will make ninth start of the season on Wednesday afternoon. Gant has been in solid form recently, having allowed just four earned runs on 19 hits in 24.2 across his last five starts. The right hander is 3-3 this year with a 2.04 ERA and 1.56 WHIP.
Keep an eye on @Carlos_Rodon55 in 2021. pic.twitter.com/weAw72KgiN
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) May 21, 2021
With numbers like that, Gant would more often than not be the more in-form of the two starting pitchers. However, this will not be the case on Wednesday as Chicago are sending Carlos Rodon to the mound for his eighth start of the year. Rodon has been exceptional in 2021, boasting a 5-1 record, 1.27 ERA, 0.797 WHIP and a career-high 13.1 strikeouts average per nine innings.
Seeing as Chicago’s lineup has scored 13 runs against St Louis in the first two games of this series, while the Cardinals have scored four runs combined in games one and two, we like the White Sox to complete a three game series sweep at home. Especially when considering that Carlos Rodon has been almost un-hittable this year when coming up against much better lineups than what the Cardinals will offer on Wednesday.
MLB Pick – Chicago White Sox (-194)
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Seattle Mariners @ Oakland Athletics – 3.37PM ET
A pair of AL West rivals will conclude their three game series on Wednesday when the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics face off at O.co Coliseum.
Although they were licking their wounds after three consecutive losses to the Padres over the weekend, Seattle have responded with a pair of road wins against the division leading A’s.
Seattle won Monday’s series opener 4-2 before sealing a series victory on Tuesday with a 4-3 win.
As they currently have five of their Opening Day pitchers on the IL, Seattle has not named their starter for Wednesday’s matchup. The Mariners currently rank 23rd in the league for team ERA with a 4.58 average.
James Kaprielian will look to lead the A’s to a victory when he makes his third career start and fifth career appearance on Wednesday. Kaprielian is 1-0 with a 2.53 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in his two starts this year. He gave up just two runs on four hits in 5.2 innings on Friday, while also collecting a career-high nine strikeouts.
Seeing as Kapreilian has held opposing batters to just a .195 batting average this season and the Mariners are hitting at a league low .199 batting average as a team, we like the 27 year old right hander to return the A’s to the winners list at home on Wednesday. Especially when considering that Seattle’s 23rd ranked pitching are going to be having a bullpen day.
MLB Pick – Oakland Athletics (TBD)
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Philadelphia Phillies @ Miami Marlins – 6.40PM ET
A pair of NL East rivals will continue their four game series in Miami on Wednesday evening when the Phillies and Marlins face off for the third time this week.
Following Miami’s 9-6 victory from Monday’s series opener, Philadelphia tied things up at 1-1 heading into Wednesday’s match thanks to a 2-0 victory of their own on Tuesday.
Rhys Hoskins’ two run homer at the top of the fourth was the only noteworthy offensive play on Tuesday, while Vince Velasquez took the win with the ball after allowing just three hits in six scoreless innings at the mound.
the outfielders didn’t even turn around because Rhys Hoskins DESTROYED that baseball: pic.twitter.com/T1kjPMS04w
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) May 25, 2021
As for Miami, Tuesday was a rare recent occurrence that saw their offense let them down. Following Monday’s 9-6 victory, the Marlins had scored 5+ runs in three of their last four appearances.
The Marlins are yet to name their starting pitcher for Wednesday’s encounter, however it is worth mentioning that Miami are the seventh best pitching staff in baseball this year, currently boasting a 3.43 team ERA.
Phillies ace Aaron Nola will make his 11th start of the season on Wednesday. Nola is 3-4 with a 3.94 ERA, 1.129 WHIP, and 70 strikeouts over 59.1 innings of work this year. In his last start, Nola threw five innings and allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits with nine strikeouts in an 11-3 Phillies loss.
As a result of Tuesday’s game, the Marlins have won five of their last seven games, including two victories over the Phillies, while Philadelphia have won just two of their past seven. With that said, the pitching matchup in this contest clearly favors Philadelphia as Nola will give the Phillies an advantage at the mound. Although Miami have a solid rotation, we like the Phillies to take a 2-1 lead in this series on Wednesday, as the Marlins look to be having bullpen day.
MLB Pick – Philadelphia Phillies (TBD)
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Kansas City Royals @ Tampa Bay Rays – 7.10PM ET
The Royals and Rays are set to face off for the second match of their three game series in Tampa Bay on Wednesday night.
As a result of the Royals 2-1 victory on Tuesday, Kansas City took a 1-0 lead in the series and brought an end to Tampa Bay’s 11 game winning streak.
Although the Rays lineup were averaging a staggering 8.6 runs per game over their stretch of consecutive victories, Tampa Bay managed just one run on four hits against Brad Keller and the Royals on Tuesday. Keller struck-out seven Rays batters in seven scoreless innings with the ball.
Mike Minor will look to give Kansas City an unlikely series victory on the road when he makes his 10th start of the year. Minor has allowed 10 earned runs on 16 hits in his last 18 innings across three starts, blowing his ERA for the season out to 5.14.
As well as their drastic offensive advantage, the Rays will also have a strong edge at the mound in this matchup, with ace pitcher Tyler Glasnow making his 11th start of the season. Glasnow is 4-2 this year with a 2.90 ERA and 87 strikeouts (fourth most in the league), however the right hander is coming off his worst start of the year. Glasnow allowed five earned runs on nine hits in just 4.2 innings is his most recent outing.
With that being said, Tampa Bay have been one of the best offenses in the league during their recent run of wins and we like them to return to form against the struggling Mike Minor on Wednesday. Especially with Tyler Glasnow giving the Rays a substantial advantage at the mound.
MLB Pick – Tampa Bay Rays (-225)
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San Diego Padres @ Milwaukee Brewers – 7.40PM ET
With their four game series currently tied at 1-1, the San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers will face off in game three at Miller Park on Wednesday night.
Following the Brewers 5-3 victory from Monday’s series opener, the Padres tied things up at 1-1 with a 7-1 victory on Tuesday. As a result of Tuesday’s win, San Diego are a game clear of the Dodgers for the best record in the NL West and the National League.
The loss gives Milwaukee a 24-24, .500 record, which leaves them two and a half games behind the NL Central leading Cardinals and just a game and a half behind the second placed Cubs.
The @Padres have won 10 of their last 11 games 🔥 https://t.co/ZHS5UMcMma pic.twitter.com/fdZLvV9YPf
— MLB (@MLB) May 26, 2021
Eric Lauer will make his third start of the year for the Brewers on Wednesday. Lauer is 1-1 with a 2.81 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 16 strikeouts through 16 innings of work this season.
The more experienced Chris Paddack will make his ninth start of the season for San Diego. Paddack is 2-3 this year with a 3.96 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 34 strikeouts in 36.1 innings of work. The right hander will be supported by the league’s No. 1 ranked pitching staff on Wednesday, as the Padres 2.65 team ERA is the best in baseball.
Seeing as the Padres offense is scoring an average of 8.2 runs per game across their last five outings and Chris Paddack is showing signs of a turnaround in form after posting a 1.93 ERA over his last three starts, we like the Padres to win this matchup and take a 2-1 series lead on the road. Especially when coming up against a Brewers lineup that is hitting at the worst batting average in the National League.
MLB Pick – San Diego Padres (-118)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
