Best MLB Bets Today | MLB Picks, July 5

Toronto Blue Jays vs Chicago White Sox

• Time: 8:10 EST
• Starting Pitchers: Jose Berrios (TOR) vs Lance Lynn (CHW)
• Moneyline: Blue Jays -125  - White Sox +105
• Run Line: Blue Jays -1.5 (+135) - White Sox +1.5 (-160)
• Total: Over 9 (-110) - Under 9 (-110)

Odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook. Check out other MLB betting sites for more betting opportunities!  

My Pick: Blue Jays ML

The Blue Jays managed to snap their three-game losing streak with Tuesday’s win over the White Sox, and they’re poised to keep it going on Wednesday. With the loss on Tuesday, the White Sox are now 13 games under .500 on the season and a game under .500 at home. They even lost a series against the A’s over the weekend, barely avoiding a sweep, so things are at a low point for them. With Lance Lynn getting the start on Wednesday, there isn’t a lot of hope for the White Sox to snap out of their funk.

Lynn is just 5-8 with a 6.47 ERA this season. Even though the White Sox have won his last two starts, he still pitched to a 6.28 ERA during the month of June. In his last start, Lynn allowed three home runs, doing so for the third time this season. He’s been vulnerable against the home run all season, which doesn't bode well for him against Toronto’s lineup. The Blue Jays have started to show signs of life offensively during the first few days of July, and there’s a good chance that continues against Lynn.

Meanwhile, Jose Berrios will be on the mound for Toronto. To be fair, he’s had a couple of rough outings lately. But for the most part, he’s been solid, pitching to a 3.74 ERA this season. The Blue Jays have also won six of his last eight starts, so he typically positions Toronto for a win. He also tossed seven scoreless innings against the White Sox earlier this season, giving up just four hits while striking out nine. Berrios doesn’t even have great career numbers against all of Chicago’s hitters, but he was dominant that day. Since he doesn’t have to be at his best to out-duel Lynn, Berrios should pitch well enough to set up the Blue Jays for a second consecutive win on Wednesday. 

Seattle Mariners vs San Francisco Giants

• Time: 9:05 EST
• Starting Pitchers: Tommy Milone (SEA) vs Alex Cobb (SF)
• Moneyline: Mariners +135 - Giants -160
• Run Line: Mariners +1.5 (-155) - Giants -1.5 (+130)
• Total: Over 8 (-115) - Under 8 (-105)

Odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook

My Pick: Giants ML

The Mariners have won four in a row and gotten themselves back to .500 and on the fringes of the Wild Card race. They would love to keep it going, but that may not be in the cards against the Giants on Wednesday. Granted, the Giants are reeling with four straight losses, moving in the opposite direction. But they’ll have their stopper Alex Cobb on the mound Wednesday. He should pitch well enough to end San Francisco’s losing streak and deliver a much-needed win for the Giants.

Cobb has a 3.12 ERA over his first 15 starts of the season. Somehow, he has only won five of those starts. However, the Giants are 11-4 in those starts. More important, San Francisco is 8-1 when Cobb starts since the beginning of May. He’s yielded two earned runs or less in three of his last four starts, which is a good sign for him against a Seattle lineup that’s been a little disappointing this season. While the Mariners have scored at least six runs in every game during their winning streak, that’s unlikely to last forever. Only one of Seattle’s regulars currently has an OPS over .750, so the team’s hot streak has been out of character for the Mariners in 2023. A pitcher like Cobb will have a good chance to cool off Seattle’s bats, especially with one of the best bullpens in the National League behind him.

While the Giants are sending their ace to the mound on Wednesday, injuries to the Seattle rotation are forcing the Mariners to give lefty Tommy Milone a start. The veteran was designated for assignment by the Mariners in April and has been in triple-A ever since. Milone owns a 4.47 ERA over his 11 starts in triple-A, so the 36-year-old has been nothing special. Milone will benefit from facing a San Francisco lineup that was shut out on Tuesday and just lost Thairo Estrada to an injury. But the Giants still have several hitters like Wilmer Flores and J.D. Davis that tend to do damage against lefties. They should be able to field a lineup that can give Milone trouble, providing Cobb with enough run support to end their winning streak.

Pittsburgh Pirates vs Los Angeles Dodgers

• Time: 10:10 EST
• Starting Pitchers: Osvaldo Bido (PIT) vs Bobby Miller (LAD)
• Moneyline: Pirates +210  - Dodgers -260
• Run Line: Pirates +1.5 (+105) - Dodgers -1.5 (-125)
• Total: Over 9 (-115) - Under 9 (-105)

Odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook

My Pick: Dodgers -1.5

Pittsburgh got the better of the Dodgers in a 9-7 win on Tuesday, as these teams have split the first two games of a four-game series. But with the Pirates going 18-24 on the road this season and 20-29 against teams with a winning record, a second straight win over the Dodgers seems unlikely. With the Pirates sending rookie Osvaldo Bido to the mound against a dangerous Los Angeles lineup, there is a good chance that the Dodgers will respond to last night’s loss with a lopsided win against the struggling Pirates.

Bido isn’t even considered among Pittsburgh’s top prospects. He’s also coming off a start against the Brewers in which he lasted just 3.1 innings, giving up four runs on four hits while hitting two batters. Bido has given up 22 hits over 19 innings during the first four starts of his career, giving him a concerning WHIP of 1.47. He hasn’t even faced any of the elite lineups in baseball, which will change on Wednesday against the Dodgers. The Los Angeles lineup has already scored 12 runs over the first two games of this series against Pittsburgh. Mookie Betts might be the hottest hitter in baseball right now, batting .550 with an OPS of 2.067 in his last seven games. He should set the tone for what could be a big night for the Dodgers offensively.

With a little run support, the Dodgers should put rookie Bobby Miller in a good position to earn his fifth win of the season. Miller had a couple of rough starts in June but seemed to settle down in his last start against the Royals, yielding three runs on just five hits over 5.2 innings to get the win. Los Angeles is now 5-2 in games that Miller starts. With Bryan Reynolds struggling since getting back from the IL and Andrew McCutcheon slumping as well, Pittsburgh’s lineup isn’t firing on all cylinders right now. That doesn’t bode well for them against Miller, especially in a game in which the Pirates might need to score a lot of runs to have a chance.