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Top 3 MLB Betting Picks for Sunday, August 1 (2021)

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Welcome back for another Sunday. What a trade deadline we just saw. The Dodgers made another blockbuster, adding Max Scherzer and Trea Turner. The Yankees loaded up by acquiring Joey Gallo, Anthony Rizzo, and Andrew Heaney. The Giants traded for Kris Bryant. Jose Berrios got sent to the Blue Jays. And so many more. The MLB landscape is drastically different now than it was when we talked baseball in this space last week. Let’s see if we can identify the best bets now that the dust has settled.

Here are my top betting plays for Sunday, August 1. Have questions or want to talk baseball or betting? Feel free to reach out on Twitter @mikeMaher.

View the best player prop bets for today’s slate with our MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet >>

Cubs-Nationals UNDER 8.5 Runs (-110)
+1.5
-200
o8.5
-110
EVEN
JOIN NOW
-1.5
+165
u8.5
-110
-120

The Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals were two of the big sellers at the MLB trade deadline. Their prize, in addition to the prospects they acquired, was facing each other with depleted rosters right away. Sunday’s pitching matchup is not an overly intimidating one, with the Cubs sending Adbert Alzolay to the mound and the Nationals starting Eric Fedde. Between the two, they have a combined 18 losses this season.

But the Cubs traded away Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, and Javier Baez in the last few days and now feature an incredibly unimposing lineup. The Nationals still have Juan Soto but traded away Kyle Schwarber (who is injured anyway), Trea Turner, and Josh Harrison, and Starlin Castro was just suspended for 30 games. I’m definitely willing to bet on these two lineups being unable to combine for nine runs. BetMGM has this one at -110 as of this writing, but my guess is that line might move as we get closer to first pitch.

Toronto Blue Jays -1.5 runs (-130)
+1.5
+110
NL
+225
JOIN NOW
-1.5
-130
NL
-280

The Blue Jays acquired starting pitcher Jose Berrios ahead of the MLB trade deadline on Friday, and Berrios passed through protocols on Saturday and is expected to be Sunday’s starter. Toronto desperately needed pitching help, and Berrios was one of the best arms available. I targeted this matchup before the Berrios news came out and am sticking with it even as the odds change while I’m writing this. I was trying to get in on a favorable Blue Jays moneyline before Berrios was confirmed, but I’m pivoting to the -1.5 run line now. I’m still confident in this Blue Jays lineup against Brad Keller and his 5.55 ERA and think Berrios will shine in his debut.

Atlanta Braves ML (-133)
+1.5
-175
o8.5
-120
+110
JOIN NOW
-1.5
+145
u8.5
100
-133

The Atlanta Braves lost Ronald Acuna Jr. for the season, but they went out and made a bunch of moves at the trade deadline instead of feeling sorry for themselves and packing it in. There is no replacing Acuna. That just isn’t a thing you can do. But the Braves certainly made some interesting moves to try to manufacture production. They acquired Joc Pederson almost immediately, and then they went out and added Jorge Soler, Adam Duvall, and Eddie Rosario this weekend. Those kinds of moves tend to come with a brief uptick in morale for a baseball club that appreciates the front office believing in it enough to add reinforcements.

But Sunday is as much about the pitching matchup as it is the remade lineups. The Braves are sending Charlie Morton to the bump, while the Brewers are countering with Brett Anderson. Morton is 10-3 on the season and hasn’t lost a start since June 11. He has a 3.72 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 135 strikeouts over 116 innings. Anderson is coming off a start in which he tossed six scoreless innings in a win over the Pirates, but that was his first win since April 17. Anderson’s ERA is 3.86, and his expected stats say it should be at least half of a run more than that. His strikeout rate is just 5.43 per nine innings, and he has just 38 strikeouts over 64 innings. Morton is the better pitcher, and my guess is that this new Atlanta lineup gets to Anderson. BetMGM has the best odds for the Braves moneyline, at -133.

That’s it for today. Have questions or want to talk baseball or betting? Feel free to reach out on Twitter @mikeMaher.

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Mike Maher is an editor and featured writer at FantasyPros and BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive, follow him on Twitter @MikeMaher, and visit his Philadelphia Eagles blog, The Birds Blitz.