Top MLB Betting Odds & Picks for Tuesday, August 23rd (2022)
The two best teams in baseball, the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers, were held to just two combined runs yesterday, leaving us at 0-2 to start the week. We are back today looking to right the ship and getting us headed towards a profitable week.
Here are our best bets for Tuesday’s MLB action. (Odds courtesy of DraftKings)
View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet >>
Atlanta Braves vs. Pittsburgh Pirates RL
The Atlanta Braves may be writing a similar script to last season when they turned it on in the second half of the season and stormed to a World Series title. Atlanta has won 12 of its previous 14 games and brings a seven-game road-winning streak into this matchup. And we expect the winning to continue with ace Max Fried (11-4, 2.60) on the mound.
The Braves have won each of Fried’s last nine starts against teams with a losing record by a combined score of 42-15. He has slightly better OBA and WHIP numbers on the road than at home and allowed three or fewer earned runs in 15 of his last 16 starts overall.
Pittsburgh is 17-28 against left-handed pitchers, making it one of only three MLB teams 11 games under .500 against southpaws. In addition, its OPS, wOBA, and wRC+ against left-handed pitching this season all rank 27th or worse, and we do not expect JT Brubaker (3-10, 4.19) to match zeroes with Fried.
Bet: Atlanta Braves -1.5 Runs (-145 at DraftKings)
Chicago White Sox vs. Baltimore Orioles F5 Team Total
The White Sox bullpen ranks 23rd in ERA at 4.19 this season. Thus, with how dominant ace Dylan Cease (12-5, 2.09) has been, why would anyone want to tempt fate with a full-game total when they could take bullpens out of the equation with a first-five innings bet?
Cease’s arm should be lively after he earned an extra day after Sunday’s rainout. In his last outing after seven days of rest, Cease allowed one run on four hits over six innings at home against Oakland.
Cease earned a no-decision in his last start, but his team prevailed against Justin Verlander and the Astros in what was the first starting pitching matchup since 1969 between two pitchers with a minimum of 20 starts that each had sub-2.00 ERAs. Facing Baltimore’s offense and not having to out-pitch a pitcher like Verlander should take the pressure off him in this start.
Bet: Baltimore Orioles F5 TT UNDER 1.5 (-120 at DraftKings)
Milwaukee Brewers vs. Los Angeles Dodgers ML
Two days ago, the Dodgers pounded this year’s likely Cy Young winner in Sandy Alcantara, as they exploded for ten hits and scored a season-high six earned runs against him in just 3.2 innings. Now, Los Angeles will aim to deal last year’s Cy Young winner, Corbin Burnes (9-5, 2.48), the same fate.
Burnes cruised through five scoreless innings in his last start against the Dodgers before getting tagged for three runs in the sixth. The Dodgers will look to carry that offensive momentum against Burnes into this start. Look for L.A.’s hitters to take a similarly patient approach and get the reigning Cy Young winner’s pitch count up early (Burnes threw 103 pitches in 5.2 innings against them last time out).
The Dodgers lost the game that Burnes started 5-3, but they opposed him with Andrew Heaney and will be much more competitive with 15-game winner Tony Gonsolin on the mound. Gonsolin has a 1.53 ERA and .149 OBA in his home starts this season, and held the Brewers scoreless on two hits over seven innings in his last start.
Bet: Los Angeles Dodgers ML (-145 at DraftKings)
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Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.