Top 5 MLB Betting Picks for Thursday, August 6
What started out as a rather rough betting card ended on a high note, with the final three items on Wednesday’s list of betting picks coming through. That includes the Minnesota Twins extending their winning streak to six games – and they’re in great position to keep the run alive with Kenta Maeda on the hill this afternoon.
Here are my top MLB betting plays for Thursday (Odds courtesy FanDuel Sportsbook):
Check out our daily MLB consensus game odds here >>
Minnesota Twins -1.5 (-130)
Back on the Twins bus, everyone! Minnesota has been red-hot of late, with five of the six wins on their current streak coming by multiple runs (including Wednesday’s impressive 5-2 victory). Maeda toes the rubber in Thursday’s series finale against a Pirates team that can’t hit a baseball for love or money. They’ve scored three or fewer runs six times during their seven-game losing skid, and won’t get many favors either against Maeda, or vs. a Twins bullpen that boasts the eighth-lowest ERA in the majors (2.88). The payoff is lower than Wednesday, but this is a solid play.
San Francisco-Colorado UNDER 10.5 (+120)
I get it. Coors Field. But honestly, if I’m getting odds like this on any double-digit total with the Giants involved, I’m happily taking the under. These teams are one big Colorado inning from having posted three straight unders heading into the finale of their four-game set – and the previous two games produced just seven runs apiece. The teams rank 13th and 20th, respectively, in wRC+, and there’s a decent chance we might see some starters rested on what is a getaway day for both sides. Count on this one falling short of the total.
Aaron Judge to Hit a Home Run (+210)
I might be 0-for-1 on my home run props, but I have supreme confidence in Thursday’s play. Judge has been on an absolute tear, with all of his league-leading seven home runs coming over his previous eight games. He’d be a great selection based on this trend alone – but there’s also the part where the Yankees are matched up against Philadelphia Phillies starter Zach Eflin. He’s making his first appearance of the season, and has a 1.5 HR/9 rate for his career, which is … not good. Look for Judge to [INSERT JUDGE/HOME RUN PUN HERE] in this one.
Toronto Blue Jays (+106)
If you happened to miss Nate Pearson’s first start of the season, you might want to go check it out. The 2017 first-round pick was chuckin’ against the reigning World Series-champion Washington Nationals, tossing five innings of two-hit ball with five strikeouts in his first taste of big-league action. Rookie pitchers are subject to wild swings, but it’s hard to ignore Pearson’s ace-caliber pitch arsenal and his calm under fire. The Braves are hitting .238 through their first 13 games – and that mark will almost certainly be lower after this one.
Josh Lindblom OVER 4.5 Strikeouts (-134)
I thought we had a gimme with Max Scherzer and the O7.5 on his strikeout total, but he left Wednesday’s game after one inning (and, as you’ve correctly guessed, did not strike out eight batters in his one inning of work.) But I’m going back to the well with Lindblom, even though the likelihood that he lasts five innings is lower than just about every other starter on the mound Wednesday. The White Sox have the third-highest K rate in the league, and Lindblom struck out five over just 3 2/3 innings in his previous start. With a threshold this low, it’s worth a shot.
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