Friday MLB Best Bets and Picks - Ride the Line Ep. #36

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MLB Betting Picks

Tanner and Grant are ready to break in the weekend with their favorite MLB betting picks, starting with Tanner’s selection of the New York Yankees’ moneyline against the Baltimore Orioles. Aaron Judge could make his return to the lineup after several months off with a toe injury, and that morale boost should jump-start a dormant Yankees offense.

Gerrit Cole will also take the mound for the Yankees against the Orioles’ Grayson Rodriguez, who has an ERA near seven and a 1.66 WHIP. Cole struggled in his one previous start against the Orioles this season but has been otherwise consistent, plus the Yankees have one of the best bullpens in Major League Baseball.

Grant’s first pick is the Minnesota Twins -1.5 against the Kansas City Royals. Not only do the Royals have the worst record against the spread in baseball (37-67), but the Twins are starting Sonny Gray  (4-4, 3.15 ERA, 1.29 WHIP) against  Brady Singer (6-8, 5.55 ERA, 1.47 WHIP). That’s a clear advantage for the Twins, whose runline value is just about +100.

The Twins are also the fourth-highest-scoring team since the All-Star break, whereas the Royals consistently struggle to get on base and convert scoring opportunities. Minnesota also ranks third in bullpen ERA, whereas the Royals are bottom three in the same department. The pick makes itself in this case.

Tanner’s second pick is the under of nine in the Seattle Mariners-Arizona Diamondbacks matchup. Logan Gilbert will duel Tommy Henry on the mound to open the encounter, and Gilbert’s 1.07 WHIP is especially attractive for the under. Both teams have demonstrated an ability to put up runs but have also been inconsistent and have their off days, which puts a lot of volatility on their results.

The line of nine exactly means that bettors can get a push if the game does hit nine runs. Watch for both starting pitchers to handle a decent workload and go deep into the game if this under is going to cash.

More MLB Friday Bets 

Grant’s second pick is the Cleveland Guardians’ moneyline against the Chicago White Sox. The Guardians are ready for a bullpen day, but the good news is that their bullpen has the seventh-lowest ERA amongst all units. The White Sox are also starting Touki Toussaint, whose numbers are not very impressive. The Guardians also significantly outrank the White Sox in all major offensive metrics and are coming off of an easy win Thursday.

This pick sparked an impromptu conversation about the boys’ picks of the worst teams in the league. They previously talked about creating their own division filled with nothing but terrible teams, and the White Sox—along with the Detroit Tigers, Colorado Rockies, Oakland Athletics, and Royals—were unfortunately grouped into this division.

Tanner’s final pick is the under of 8.5 in the Tampa Bay Rays-Houston Astros showdown. Although the Rays were once the best team in baseball, they have been utterly lifeless on offense as of late and have scored the second-fewest runs since the All-Star break. The Astros are top five during the same period, but they have to take on Cy Young candidate Shane McLanahan, which is no small task.

The Rays’ offensive struggles also extended to a couple of weeks before the All-Star break, and there is now serious concern that they are totally capitulating.

Grant’s final pick is the Athletics +1.5 against the Rockies. JP Sears is getting the nod for the Athletics, and despite his 1-7 record, he’s actually been very impressive thus far. He’ll go against Kyle Freeland, who has not caught the eye.

The Rockies outrank the Athletics in most offensive categories, but then again, they should since they play at altitude. The Athletics have also been one of the best teams ATS over the past couple of months, which is another reason for the pick.

Check back on Monday for a new episode of Ride the Line and more MLB betting picks with Grant and Tanner!