Caleb Wilfinger
The 2nd half of the 2025 MLB season continues rolling along today, and Saturday features a full slate of action for us to enjoy. I’m 57-37 on my MLB best bets this year and the Pickswise MLB handicapping team as a whole is 112-82-7 in this article series this season! Let’s keep it going as we get into today’s top predictions on Saturday, August 2. You can also find out our MLB picks for EVERY GAME today.
MLB best bet: Chicago Cubs -1.5 over Baltimore Orioles (+105)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to -105.
For my first MLB best bet for today, we’ll focus on an interleague matchup between the Orioles and Cubs. Chicago is going with a reliable starter in Matthew Boyd on the mound, and the left-hander’s metrics (2.47 xERA) suggest that he should keep things rolling against a weak Orioles offense at home. Conversely, Baltimore will counter with Tomoyuki Sugano, and his extremely poor expected metrics (5.81 xERA, .302 xBA, bottom 5% strikeout rate) appear to be catching up with him based on his recent outings, as he’s allowed 20 runs over his last 25.1 innings pitched. The Cubs offense is one of the best in baseball by any metrics, so I’ll gladly take the better starter and better overall team to win by multiple runs on Saturday.
MLB best bet: Atlanta Braves vs Cincinnati Reds Over 8.5 (-110)
Odds available at BetMGM Sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to -120.
Our 2nd MLB best bet today takes us to Bristol Motor Speedway, where we’ll be looking to back both offenses in this clash between a pair of teams trending in different directions. Bristol Motor Speedway is obviously a unique location, and both offenses should have an edge in this matchup over a pair of streaker pitchers in this unfamiliar environment. Reds rookie starter Chase Burns is still finding his footing at the MLB level, as he currently holds a 6.26 ERA and 1.54 WHIP on the season. On one hand, he’s got tremendous stuff and the potential is there, but the lack of consistency has resulted in a boom-or-bust start to his career. Atlanta’s offense hasn’t been great, but the Braves have a lineup full of veteran hitters that should be able to give the young right-hander some issues.
On the other side, Spencer Strider is getting the start for Atlanta, and I’m not convinced that he’ll be successful on Saturday. Strider has been strong at home to this point, but that number jumps to 4.42 when pitching away from Truist Park this season. The bullpen behind him isn’t all that great either, as the Braves rank 22nd across baseball with a bullpen ERA of 4.29. Cincinnati’s offense has been executing at a high level, with the Reds averaging nearly 5 runs per game since the All-Star break. Ultimately, let’s take the over and roll with these offenses in this contest.
Don’t miss our Braves vs Reds prediction
