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Top 3 MLB Picks & Predictions: Saturday (8/8)

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My MLB picks are a season-high three games over .500 after going 5-1 in the last two weeks. I aim to build on my season-long profits with a run line combined with two moneyline wagers for Saturday’s 15-game slate.

Here are the best MLB picks & predictions for Saturday, August 8th.

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    Saturday’s Best MLB Picks & Predictions

    Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook | This Season: 30-27 (+2.13 units)

    Athletics vs. Boston Red Sox 

    There aren’t likely to be many perceived mismatches for the remainder of the MLB regular season as big as this one between the Athletics and Red Sox, and I am not still sure the oddsmakers have accurately assessed the gap between these teams.

    Entering yesterday’s series opener, the Athletics had lost eight straight games, and were 5-28 in their last 33 (holding the worst record in MLB since June 27). To put that into perspective, no other team had fewer than 10 wins over that span.

    Meanwhile, through Boston’s eight-game winning streak entering this series, it collectively slashed .288/.517/.885 while belting 17 home runs and averaging 7.4 runs per game. The Red Sox swept six of their last nine series, while posting a 26-3 record over that span.

    Boston’s season splits are mind blowing. It went 32-46 over its first 78 games while averaging 3.9 runs/game, logging a .697 OPS, and pitching to a 3.82 ERA. However, it went 31-5 over its next 36 while scoring 5.5 runs per game, logging a .771 OPS, and pitching to a 2.84 ERA. The 31-5 record since June 25 is obviously the best record in baseball, as no other team had more than 24 wins over that span.

    With a day in between playing the marathon game of four hours and 23 minutes (the longest game of the season) against the White Sox, I expect a rested Red Sox squad to cover this spread.

    Pick: Red Sox -1.5 (-135)

    Cleveland Guardians vs. Chicago White Sox

    Cleveland may be one game under .500, but its 23-18 record against left-handed starting pitchers has me confident in its ability to beat Anthony Kay, just like it did Noah Schultz yesterday.

    The Guardians are 1-3 in Gavin Williams' last four starts, but the offense managed just two runs in those losses. The broader view shows Cleveland as a profitable 4-3 in Williams' last seven outings, which includes a 4-3 extra-inning victory over Chicago.

    I'm also selling on Anthony Kay, who has followed up a 1.95 ERA in May with a 4.27 ERA and more than three walks per nine innings since.

    All of this analysis on backing the Guardians, and I didn’t even mention that Gavin Williams has logged five straight starts of double-digit strikeouts with one or fewer walks, which is the most such consecutive starts in franchise history.

    Pick: Guardians Moneyline (-131)

    Detroit Tigers vs. San Francisco Giants

    Jackson Jobe is making his season debut for the Tigers, after he allowed one earned runs over four innings with five strikeouts in his last rehab start. But with the way Detroit was playing overall entering this series, a rusty Jobe is no reason to fade this team now.

    Detroit entered this series pitching three shutouts in four games, while outscoring opponents 32-4 (their 12 shutouts are tied for the most in the AL with the Yankees). Entering Friday, Tigers starting pitchers through five games in August were 4-0 with a 0.59 ERA over 30.2 innings, while logging a 1.01 WHIP, not allowing a single home run, and throwing 26.2 consecutive scoreless innings.

    The Tigers only briefly had a six-game streak of scoring eight-plus runs snapped, which was also the longest streak in the Majors since Tampa Bay’s seven straight such games in 2021. Detroit’s offense got right back to business by scoring 11 runs and handing Seattle its largest deficit of the season in Thursday’s series finale. All of that makes the Tigers a great price in this toss-up game. 

    Pick: Tigers Moneyline (-110)

    Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.

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