Today’s MLB slate is jam-packed with 15 games. Here are three of our top MLB picks & predictions for Tuesday, July 8th.
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Tuesday's MLB Best Bets
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Washington Nationals (+169) at St. Louis Cardinals (-209) | O/U 8.5 (-105/-115)
The Cardinals are on a brutal stretch coming into this series, dropping two out of three games against the Cubs and losing four out of their last five. However, there is still a ton of baseball left, and they are only 6.5 games out of first place in the National League Central.
It's been a tough year for Andre Pallante, with a 4.10 ERA and an even worse 4.15 xERA. Not a power pitcher, with only a 15% strikeout, but he's going to keep the ball down and induce grounders, which he's doing at a 64.6% rate (99th percentile).
That helped him the last time he faced the Nationals, as he went a season-high 7.1 innings, allowing two earned runs and striking out seven in the win. Pallante could certainly repeat that performance against the Nationals, who are leading the league in ground ball rate this season.
Pick: Cardinals -1.5 (+101)
Tampa Bay Rays (+101) at Detroit Tigers (-122) | O/U 8.0 (-108/-112)
You could make a case for the Tigers being the best team in the league. They hold a 14-game lead in the American League Central, and are balanced by scoring 5.01 runs per game (fifth) and have a 3.43 ERA (third). This is with Jack Flaherty struggling this season with a 4.84 ERA. This mostly stems from his recent starts, where the Tigers are 0-4 and Flaherty has a 10.50 ERA in his last four outings.
Flaherty’s fastball dropped in velocity from last season, and there's less bite to his breaking balls, which has resulted in a drop in barrel rate and hard-hit rate. That was shown in the last start against the Rays, where they shelved him for eight earned runs in 2.1 innings.
Pick: Rays Moneyline (+101)
Seattle Mariners (+107) at New York Yankees (-130) | O/U 9.0 (-107/-112)
The Yankees need to stop the bleeding as they are struggling desperately. The team has lost seven of their last nine, and has lost their grasp of first place in the American League East. They face the Mariners tonight, whom they took two out of three against in Seattle back in May.
Will Warren was impressive in his last start against Seattle by striking out nine and allowing two earned runs in five innings. This was on the road where he has struggled with a 6.75 ERA. At Yankee Stadium, he's been much better with a 3.35 ERA.
Pick: Yankees Moneyline (-130)
