Free MLB Picks Today for Wednesday, September 8th, 2021

Free MLB Picks Today for Wednesday, September 8th, 2021
Wed 8th September 2021

Our free MLB Picks are out for Wednesday, September 8th, 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!

Seattle Mariners @ Houston Astros – 2.10PM ET

The Houston Astros needed some late-game heroics and a 10th innings to secure the 5-4 win over the Seattle Mariners and now hold a 2-0 lead in this AL West series. They face off one last time before changing opponents for the weekend with the Astros now extending their lead in the series to a massive 6.5 games. 

Tim Newton

The last time the Mariners and Astros played a three game series in Houston, the Astros won the first two before the Mariners pegged one back in the third. Can that happen again? I don’t think so. The Astros’ batting lineup seems to be back in some form and they are also starting the better pitcher in this clash. While he hasn’t been used as much as most other starting pitchers, just 15 games, Jose Urquidy has a rock solid record of 6-3 along with a 3.42 ERA. However, when pitching at home, Urquidy gets even better with a 4-1 record and a 2.92 ERA from seven games.

That should keep the Seattle offense, which has averaged just three runs per game in their last eight against the Astros, at bay long enough for the Houston batting lineup to put some runs on the board. Given they are at home, where they are 43-25 on the season, I think that Houston will be hard to chase down and should prevail once again.

Tim’s MLB Pick: Houston Astros (-210)

Katherine Mouradian

After getting smashed in the first game of the series, the Mariners put up more of a fight in the second game, but ended up still going down to the Astros, 5-4, in the 10th innings. After winning the series with the Astros late last month / early this month, the Mariners have now lost this series, with this game on Wednesday afternoon the final clash.

Let’s turn our attention to some stats now! The Mariners have won just five of their previous 17 games played on a Wednesday, and have won four of their previous five when it comes to the third game of a series. Looking over to the Astros now, they have won 39 of their previous 58 when playing a team in the AL West, and have won 11 of their previous 16 games on a Wednesday. The Mariners got really close last time out, and I think both starting pitchers are playing well as of late, so I think the Mariners do have a genuine chance of winning, just to be safe though, I’ll take the Mariners to cover the spread.

Katherine’s MLB Pick: Seattle Mariners +1.5 (-120)

Mike Su

The Houston Astros take on the Mariners once again and look to make it three wins in a row. Despite the Mariners seemingly closing the gap on the division-leading Astros, Houston has rallied, demolishing the Mariners in game one of this series before winning a tight one in game two. Now in game three, we will likely get another tight matchup. I am prone to lean towards the Astros due to their far superior batting lineup, which has scored 138 more runs this season than the Mariners.

When glancing at the pitching situation, the Mariners don’t seem to have an advantage there either. They will be starting Tyler Anderson who has only played 40 innings this year for a 3.38 ERA and 1-1 record. The Astros will be starting Jose Urquidy who has a slightly worse 3.42 ERA but has pitched double the innings as Anderson. Therefore, I have to lean on the Astros winning this matchup as Seattle don’t have the edge in pitching or batting and are no longer in form.

Mike’s MLB Pick: Houston Astros (-210)

San Francisco Giants @ Colorado Rockies – 3.10PM ET

The San Francisco Giants followed up their 10-5 win in the opener with a 12-3 victory last night, comfortably taking care of the Colorado Rockies so far in this series. These results now put a 26 game gap between the two NL West teams but more importantly keeps the Giants one game ahead of the Dodgers in the race for the division title. 

Tim Newton

Given how well the Giants are hitting the ball at the moment, I can’t see how this result changes from what we have seen already. San Francisco have scored at least five runs in each of their five games in Coors Field this season and their recent play shows that they won’t be slowing down any time soon. Add in the fact that Jon Gray is starting for the Rockies and this one could get ugly.

Gray has gone 1-4 with a 5.40 in his last seven games and gave up three runs on a massive seven hits in just 4.1 innings of work last time he faced the Giants. On the other side of the ball, San Francisco is starting Anthony DeSclafani who is coming off a game against the Dodgers where he pitched six innings and allowed no runs. That is a big disparity in starting pitchers and this one should be another boilover. 

Tim’s MLB Pick: San Francisco Giants -1.5 / Over 11.5 (+240)

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Katherine Mouradian

As to be expected, the Giants are dominating this series so far, and show no signs of slowing down. They won the first game of this series, 10-5, and took out the second game of this series in a more dominant fashion, 12-3. The Giants have now won three games in a row, whereas the Rockies have lost three games in a row.

When looking into the stats, the Giants have won four of their previous five games overall and have won 17 of their previous 23 when it comes to the third game of a series. The Rockies have won none of their previous five games when Gray is the starter, and have won just one of their previous five games when playing against a starter that has a WHIP below 1.15. Another easy pick here, the Giants to cover the spread.

Katherine’s MLB Pick: San Francisco Giants -1.5 (+105)

Mike Su

The Giants look to broaden the gap between them and the Dodgers, who are just one game behind, for the lead of the NL West. The Giants have destroyed the Rockies in back to back games with a margin of nine runs in the last game and five runs in the game before that. San Francisco looks to dominate again as they start Anthony DeSclafani who has a great 3.24 ERA and 1.09 WHIP putting him among the top 16 pitchers in the league.

DeSclafani has also been in good form with no runs allowed in his last game against the Dodgers’ top 5 batting unit. In three games against the Rockies this season, DeSclafani has been phenomenal with 21 strikeouts and just two runs allowed in 20 innings. There isn’t much hope for this Rockies team, which struggles against good pitchers. DeSclafani and the dominant Giants should have a field day against the weak Rockies.

Mike’s MLB Pick: San Francisco Giants -1.5 (+105)

Toronto Blue Jays @ New York Yankees – 7.05PM ET

The Toronto Blue Jays have claimed the first two games of this series in Yankee Stadium and are now just 2.5 games behind their AL East rivals, the New York Yankees, in the standings. While New York is still the highest ranked Wild Card in the American League, they have lost four in a row while the Blue Jays are riding a six game winning streak and are coming for a postseason berth.

Tim Newton

I really don’t know what to make of this series so far other than the Blue Jays are in red-hot form and the Yankees are ice cold. Will that carry over to tonight’s game? I thought it would stop yesterday given Gerrit Cole was starting for New York but he lasted just 3.2 innings in a game that they lost 1-5. However, I am going to side with the Yankees again though and hope that they can turn it around.

Luis Gil is starting for the home team and while it is just his fourth game of the season, he is still yet to allow a run through 15.2 innings of work. That is incredible, especially when considering he has gone up against the explosive Boston lineup. Toronto’s is even better and more consistent than theirs though, meaning that the New York batting crew have to step up to the plate, considering they have managed just one run through the first two games. I think they can do this though, against Alek Manoah, the Blue Jays’ starter. Manoah’s last game saw him give up six runs in five innings of work and if he pitches like that in this one then New York should bounce back with a win. 

Tim’s MLB Pick: New York Yankees (-120)

Katherine Mouradian

The Yankees season seems to be stagnating, just at the very moment they need to get a move on. They have now lost four games in a row, which puts them nine and a half games behind the AL East leading Rays. It couldn’t be any different for the Blue Jays, they have won six games in a row! This impressive string on runs has helped but themselves is real contention for a wild card spot. The Blue Jays have won all six of their previous clashes against a team with a right handed starter, and they have won four of their previous five games played on a Wednesday.

Looking at the Yankees now, they have won just two of their previous nine games as the favourite, and they have won 40 of their previous 69 games this season at home. Where I’ll be putting my money on for this game is the under. The under has hit 14 out of the Blue Jays previous 18 meetings overall, has hit in seven of the previous eight meetings between these two teams in New York, and has hit in 10 of the previous 14 meetings between these two teams overall.

Katherine’s MLB Pick: Under 9.5 (-102)

Mike Su

The Blue Jays continue to pester the Yankees with a second dominant win in a 5-1 matchup. Toronto are on a six-game winning streak and seem to be fighting for their chance of making the playoffs. They have been in great form beating the Yankees twice in a row, the Orioles once and the 74-win Athletics three times in their last six games. Pitching wise, the Blue Jays are putting their best foot forward starting Alek Manoah to win this important game. Manoah has a 3.63 ERA and 1.10 WHIP with a 5-2 record in his starts.

Manoah will be going up against Luis Gil, who has had very little playing time this year with just 15 innings pitched. In those 15 innings, Gil was phenomenal, holding opponents to 0 runs while delivering 18 strikeouts. If Gil can continue this form, the Yankees may win this game. However, he is a wildcard and is facing a top three batting unit. Thus, I am once again trusting the Blue Jays to win again.

Mike’s MLB Pick: Toronto Blue Jays (+108)

Tampa Bay Rays @ Boston Red Sox – 7.10PM ET

The Tampa Bay Rays continued their offensive onslaught with a 12-7 win over the Boston Red Sox last night. They have now scored 23 runs through the first two games of this series and have pushed 9.5 games clear on top of the AL East, which is widely regarded as the toughest division in baseball. 

Tim Newton

I often like picking the moneyline or run line in these predictions but the over looks to be incredible value in this matchup. The first two games have seen totals of 21 and 19 runs and the total is just 9.5 for this clash. I’m either missing something or this is a big opportunity to launch into some value. Tampa’s last four games have all gone over this total Boston have had three straight and four of their last five go over.

Looking at the season as a whole, Tampa is the second best over team in the league and have a 40-23-2 O/U record on the road. Boston actually has a negative O/U record for the season but are 35-33-2 at home. Both starting pitchers gave up at least three runs in their last start and given how both sides are hitting the ball, I’m expecting more of the same.

Tim’s MLB Pick: Over 9.5 (-114)

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Katherine Mouradian

The Red Sox have now lost two games in this series to the Rays, and are currently on a three game losing streak. This is the opposite of what they need as they are now 10 games behind the AL East leading Rays. The Rays continue to open up the gap between them and the rest of the teams in the AL East, especially thanks to the four game losing streak of the Yankees, and the already mentioned three game losing streak of the Red Sox. Now it’s stats time! The Rays have won 39 of their previous 54 when it comes to the third game of the series, and they have won 18 of their previous 23 games on the road.

When it comes to the Red Sox, they have won nine of their previous 13 games at home, and have won four of their previous 10 games overall. The over is where I’m looking for this clash, it has hit 19 out of the Rays previous 29 games overall, and hit in eight of the Red Sox previous nine games at home. Also, I’m thinking the Rays will take the win here, they have won 16 out of their previous 21 clashes in Boston.

Katherine’s MLB Pick: Tampa Bay Rays / Over 9.5 (+240)

Mike Su

After losing two in a row to the Rays, the Red Sox look to win at least one game against last year’s champions. In an embarrassing loss, where the Red Sox lost by five runs at home due to 41-year-old Nelson Cruz hitting two home runs, Boston now needs to redeem themselves. Things don’t look too good for them though as they have struggled to contain the Rays in the last two games allowing a total of 23 runs. In fact in their last three total games the Red Sox have allowed a staggering 34 runs. This is not the mark for a playoff team, let alone a team looking to win a championship.

The Red Sox will need pitcher Nathan Eovaldi to step up in this game. Eovaldi has not been playing well recently and his form has been sliding. He also doesn’t have a great record against the Rays with eight allowed runs in three starts. Although this isn’t amazing, this has certainly been better than what we have been seeing on the field for the Red Sox lately. I think the Red Sox regress to the mean and pull out a tight win behind decent pitching from Eovaldi.

Mike’s MLB Pick: Boston Red Sox (-116)

Philadelphia Phillies @ Milwaukee Brewers – 7.40PM ET

What a series this has been. The Philadelphia Phillies claimed the opener 12-0 before the Milwaukee Brewers fought back last night to win 10-0. That now brings us to the rubber tonight with the Brewers going in as -164 favorites. 

Tim Newton

I’m siding with the Brewers to get the job done at home in this one. Their last two series they have been blown out of the water in the opener and they won both of the next two last time out. Given they won last night, I’m expecting that they can win again. I like them even more given they have Freddy Peralta starting on the mound. His 9-4 record and 2.70 ERA are both above average and improve to 4-2 and 2.47 when pitching at home.

He is actually coming off a bit of a poor performance last time out, but I think that gives him more of an incentive to come out with purpose in this one. Last time he allowed 4+ runs, his next start saw him pitch seven innings without giving up a run and while it may be too hopeful to expect that to happen in this one, it shows he has some pride about him. Kyle Gibson, Philadelphia’s starter, is no slouch, with a 10-6 record and 3.30 ERA but is 3-4 with a 4.23 ERA on the road and that could be the difference.

Tim’s MLB Pick: Milwaukee Brewers (-164)

Katherine Mouradian

Well, well, well! What a turn around from the first game of the series. In the first game, it was the Phillies that kept the Brewers scoreless, and piled on 12 runs themselves. In the second game, it was the Brewers that were able to keep the Phillies scoreless, while they piled on 10 runs themselves. Let’s dig into some of the key data for this game now! The Phillies have won all four of their previous clashes when it comes to the third game of a series, and have won six of their previous eight games on the road.

The Brewers have won 40 of their previous 58 games starting as a favorite, and have won all six of their previous games on a Wednesday. With such topsy-turvy games in the first two, I’ll be steering clear of backing an outright winner, instead I’m looking towards the over. The over has hit nine out of the Phillies previous 12 games overall and has hit in four of the Brewers previous five games when they start as the favorite. 

Katherine’s MLB Pick: Over 8 (-110)

Mike Su

The Brewers come off of a 10-0 beatdown of the Phillies and look to make it two wins in a row. The in-season series between these teams has been interesting with the Brewers destroying the Phillies last game and the Phillies destroying the Brewers 12-0 in the first. I think this matchup will be a more balanced affair. Milwaukee will be leaning on one of the league’s best pitchers this season, Freddy Peralta who has a 2.70 ERA and 0.96 WHIP. More importantly, Peralta has 168 strikeouts in just 123 innings.

However, in his last game against the Phillies, Peralta allowed five runs in four innings, which is worrying. Peralta is certainly a wild card in this game as he could provide us with a pitching master class or allow the Phillies to score a lot of runs. On the other side, the Phillies will be starting the very average Kyle Gibson against a top 10 batting unit. Gibson has a 4.46 ERA and has only played 42 innings. Despite the question marks around Peralta, they aren’t enough for me to put Gibson and the Phillies above the Brewers in this game.

Mike’s MLB Pick: Milwaukee Brewers (-164)

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

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