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MLB Best Bets, Odds, Picks & Predictions: Tuesday (8/1)

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The second half of the season is underway, and now it's crunch time. With the trade deadline ending today, this is when teams need to figure out if they're buyers or sellers, and these games can determine that.

Tuesday's Best MLB Bets

(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)

Los Angeles Angels (+220) at Atlanta Braves (-270) | O/U 9 (-110/-110)

Spencer Strider never struggled last year, but he's had some rough starts so far this year. Looking at his metrics, he is still one of the best strikeout pitchers in the league, as his 39.6 strikeout rate is a league-best, and he's in the 90th+ percentile in xBA, whiff rate, fastball velocity, and chase rate.

Patrick Sandoval had a tremendous July, going 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA in three starts, but it was against Padres, Yankees, and Tigers lineups that have not been the best this season. This will be one of the better offenses he's seen in a while, and the Braves have been one of the best teams against lefties, leading the league in average and OPS and second in home runs.

The Braves lineup should be all over Sandoval and the Angels tonight.

Pick: Braves -1.5 (-125)

Tampa Bay Rays (-110) at New York Yankees (-106) | O/U 8 (-115/-105)

This was not a great month for the Rays, who went 8-16 and lost their lead in the American League East. Zach Eflin is a whole new pitcher in Tampa Bay after having a 4.49 ERA in seven seasons with the Phillies. What has changed this year is he's mixing his pitches more, increasing his use of the curveball and cutter, but his sinker has gotten better with more movement.

The Yankees’ big acquisition in the offseason was Carlos Rodon. However, 2023 has been tough as he started the season on the IL, and his initial Yankee tenure has been clouded with inefficiencies. He finally had his best performance against the Mets last week, going 5.2 innings, allowing two earned, and getting his first win of the year. This will be a challenge as the Rays have been great against lefties, with the sixth-best average and OPS against them this season.

The Yankees are struggling, and it's challenging to have confidence in them, especially with the disadvantage in the pitching matchup.

Pick: Rays Moneyline (-110)

Oakland Athletics (+220) at Los Angeles Dodgers (-270) | O/U 9 (-110/-110)

Ken Waldichuk's first stint in the rotation did not go well, and he went 1-3 with a 6.85 ERA in nine starts. So far, the second time around hasn't been much better, with a 4.97 ERA in his last three appearances. His slider and changeup are effective pitches, getting over a 30% whiff rate on each, but he leads with his fastball (54.1% of his pitches), which tends to creep over the plate, and he's allowed 11 home runs on that pitch.

Lance Lynn was having a horrible season with the White Sox but the 36-year-old hopes to find better success on the West Coast. His last three starts have been his worst stretch this season, as he's allowed 20 runs over his previous 16.2 innings, and opponents have a 1.001 OPS. Although the A's roster has a career .186 batting average against him, he hasn't seen them where he's been inefficient against most opponents this season.

At writing, there is not a line for this game, but even with this bad pitching matchup, however, I’m confident the Dodgers’ offense will get them this win by multiple runs.

Pick: Dodgers -1.5 

Make sure to check out our other best bets for Tuesday:

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