This article is part of our MLB Picks series.
Previous article: 1-2-1, -1.18 RW Bucks
Season: 67-68-6, -5.62 RW Bucks
After a few extremely close calls that didn't go my way in my last article, I'll look to rebound Friday night by honing in on two games between non-contending and playoff-hopeful squads that also features a quartet of left-handed starters.
Baltimore Orioles at New York Yankees, 7:05 PM ET
Starting Pitchers: John Means vs. Nestor Cortes
The Pick: Yankees -1.5 (-106 on PlaySugarHouse Sportsbook) for 1 RW Buck
Secondary Pick: Nestor Cortes Over 5.5 Strikeouts (-105 on DraftKings Sportsbook) for 1 RW Buck
Means is one of the few bright spots on another miserable Orioles team and has been at his most effective on the road with a 4-3 record, 2.39 ERA and 0.84 WHIP. However, he has a tough task Friday against a Yankees team that has a .273 average and .338 wOBA against lefties at home in the last month, and that owns a collective .275 average and .879 OPS against him in 73 career encounters. The O's also have a 26.6 percent strikeout rate against lefties on the road in the last month, and Cortes boasts a 10.2 K/9 in 25.2 home frames.
Seattle Mariners at Arizona Diamondbacks, 9:40 PM ET
Starting Pitchers: Tyler Anderson vs. Madison Bumgarner
The Pick: Under 6.5 runs – first 7 innings (-105 on DraftKings Sportsbook) for 1 RW Buck
Secondary Pick: Ketel Marte More Bases than Kyle Seager (-140 on DraftKings Sportsbook) for 1 RW Buck
Anderson has a 4.79 ERA on the road this season while toiling for the Pirates and Mariners, but heads into Friday's matchup having allowed three earned runs or less in 11 straight starts, including all six he's made with Seattle. Bumgarner has had back-to-back rough road starts but has been better at home all season (3.90 ERA, 1.19 WHIP) and faces a Mariners team with a .290 wOBA and -4.0 wRAA against lefties on the road in the last month. On the player prop, Marte is a much more complete all-around hitter than Seager, has pounded lefties for a .427 average/.513 wOBA and owns a .529 average against Anderson in 20 career plate appearances. Meanwhile, Bumgarner is a lefty-on-lefty matchup for Seager, who's also 0-for-6 with two Ks against MadBum in his career.
