Ricky Dimon
The week in Major League Baseball continues with a minuscule 4-game slate on Thursday. It’s this quartet and this quartet only: Athletics vs Nationals, White Sox vs Mariners, Reds vs Pirates and Marlins vs Braves. We’re currently on a 6-0 run with our MLB best bets, so let’s keep the momentum going with another pair of top picks for today, August 7. Let’s dive in, while you can also find out our MLB picks for every game on Thursday.
MLB best bet: Cincinnati Reds vs Pittsburgh Pirates Under 7.5 (-122)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing
Whenever it’s a Paul Skenes day, your first inclination usually has to be the Under. Today’s matchup with Cincinnati is no exception. If you don’t count Coors Field, Skenes has not allowed a single run in 4 of his last 5 starts. The right-hander comes into this contest with a 2.02 ERA and 0.94 WHIP.
The Reds are countering with Brady Singer. He has faced the Pirates twice this season and those 2 games have combined for 12 runs in total. In his last 2 appearances, Singer has given up a mere 1 run in 13.1 innings of work. He now faces a Pittsburgh squad that crossed the plate only 3 times in its last 2 contests of a series against visiting San Francisco earlier this week. Meanwhile, Cincy has played 5 straight games that haven’t reached the 7-run mark. Expect that trend to continue.
Read our full Reds vs Pirates prediction, featuring a 3-star best bet!
MLB best bet: Miami Marlins ML over Atlanta Braves (-118)
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing
The Marlins were easy winners for me yesterday (on the F5 money line en route to a 6-4 victory over Houston) and I’m going right back to the well. At -118, they have incredible money-line value against the Braves. In fact, this is among the most surprising lines I have seen all year long. Miami is 12-6 since the all-star break and has Eury Perez on the mound. He comes in with a 2.70 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 51 strikeouts compared to just 19 walks in 50.0 innings. Perez has given up a grand total of 4 runs in 34.0 innings across his last 6 appearances.
It is a much different story for the Braves, who have long since been eliminated from realistic postseason contention with a 47-66 record. They are 3-11 in their last 14 contests after getting swept by the visiting Brewers to start this week. Atlanta’s pitching staff is so depleted that it will pick up just about anyone – Erick Fedde, Carlos Carrasco, etc. It’s Carrasco who will be making his 2nd start for his new club on Thursday. The 38-year-old is saddled with a 5.68 ERA and 1.53 ERA. Give me the Marlins to win.
Read our full Marlins vs Braves prediction
