This article is part of our MLB Picks series.
Best MLB Bets Today: Free Expert MLB Picks for Saturday, July 22
Season: 62-73-1 -33.12 units
Prior Article: 2-1 +0.87 units
The BetMGM bonus code gets baseball fans a first-bet bonus offer worth up to $1,000 when using code ROTOBONUS. Check out BetMGM and the other major sportsbooks accepting credit card.
If you'd prefer to deposit at a sportsbook via PayPal, RotoWire has an up-to-date list of all the top-rated PayPal betting sites in one place.
Houston Astros 
at Oakland Athletics 
I have tried to stay away from taking the same side on both the run line and team totals in the same game (with the exception of Atlanta), but the Astros are in a SMASH spot again today against the A's.
Cristian Javier has decent history against Oakland, but his recent overall numbers have not been good, with a 8.44 ERA, 1.80 WHIP and 17:11 K:BB in his last six starts. Paul Blackburn has been almost as bad and has terrible history against the Astros. Blackburn has a 11.84 ERA in his last 5 against Houston and a 5.50 ERA in his last 7 starts overall this season.
It looks like a lot of runs will be scored today, but the key for me is the Astros owning the season series 8-0 with a run differential of 40-14, meaning they've outscored Oakland by an average score of 5.0 to 1.8.
MLB Best Bets for Astros at Athletics
- Astros -1.5 for 1 unit (DraftKings -120)
- Astros OVER 4.5 runs for 1 unit (DraftKings -125)
Pittsburgh Pirates 
at Los Angeles Angels 
The Pirates just 3-15 in their last 18 games overall and own the same record in their last 18 games on the road. The road numbers are particularly abysmal, as they've scored just 3.2 runs per game while allowing 5.5 for a negative -2.3 run differential. This play is all about going against the Pirates on the road, though Reid Detmers is a solid pitcher on the bump for the Angels.
Ryan Borucki is starting his first game since July 2019, while Detmers has a 3.51 ERA in his last 7 starts with 53:11 K:BB rate over 41 innings.
Pittsburgh has gone under 4 runs in 9 out of their last 15 on the road. The Angels are 5-1 in their last 6 overall.
MLB Best Bets for Pirates at Angels
- Pirates UNDER 3.5 runs for 1 unit (DraftKings +110)
- Angels -1.5 runs for 1 unit (DraftKings -105)
We have the best Massachusetts sports betting promos available at RotoWire with great offers across multiple Massachusetts sportsbooks.
Atlanta Braves 
at Milwaukee Brewers 
The Braves are starting Allan Winans today, so there's no way I can lay -140 on the moneyline or +120 on the run line, but the OVER team total of 4.5 is always in play especially against Adrian Houser. Houser does not strike batters out, with just 39 strikeouts in 57 innings, and a pitch to contact guy against this Braves lineup could result in disaster.
Atlanta is averaging 6.5 runs per game since June 2 (while going 30-10 in their last 40 games) with a whopping 2.3 homers per game.
MLB Best Bets for Braves at Brewers
- Braves OVER 4.5 runs for 1 unit (DraftKings -135)
- Braves OVER 1.5 runs F3 for 1 unit (DraftKings -105)
- Braves OVER 2.5 runs F5 for 1 unit (DraftKings -125)
MLB Best Bets Today Recap
- Astros -1.5 for 1 unit (DraftKings -120)
- Astros OVER 4.5 runs for 1 unit (DraftKings -125)
- Pirates UNDER 3.5 runs for 1 unit (DraftKings +110)
- Angels -1.5 runs for 1 unit (DraftKings -105)
- Braves OVER 4.5 runs for 1 unit (DraftKings -135)
- Braves OVER 1.5 runs F3 for 0.5 unit (DraftKings -105)
- Braves OVER 2.5 runs F5 for 0.5 unit (DraftKings -125)
