This article is part of our MLB Picks series.
MLB Picks Tonight: Free Expert MLB Bets and MLB Player Props for Wednesday, August 3
RotoWire.com's Michael Rathburn has dug into the best online sportsbooks across the country to identify his MLB bets and MLB player props to target today.
Last Article's Record: 3-1, +2.05 units
Season Record: 130-125-2, +19.10 units
Oakland Athletics at Los Angeles Angels
There are a couple of things you need know about these two teams: both stink, and Shohei Ohtani has been lights out. That means there's only one way to play this game, and that's looking at the UNDER for the game. On the other side, James Kaprielian has been solid in his last seven starts, posting a 2.56 ERA. Ohtani has six straight games of at least 10 strikeouts and has a 1.80 ERA in his last seven starts, with 74 strikeouts in 45 innings. Every game but one in this series has finished with no more than eight runs crossing the plate.
The trends all point to the UNDER as well, as the UNDER has gone 7-1 in the last eight A's road games and 5-1 in the last six at LA.
MLB Best Bets for Athletics at Angels
- A's/Angels UNDER 7 runs for 1.10 RW buck (FanDuel -110)
Cincinnati Reds at Miami Marlins
We get a very low total tonight in this game at 6.5 (or 7 on PointsBet), but honestly it might not be low enough. Sandy Alcantara is the clear leader for the NL Cy Young award and has an incredible record at home of going UNDER (8-19-3). Going back 30 starts, the average runs in his home starts has been 5.8. The average total has been 7.2 in those games. While Mike Minor is not the ideal starting pitcher you want to see in an UNDER play, the Marlins are just not hitting.
I've gone back and forth on whether I want to go under 2.5 runs on the Reds or under 6.5 for the game, but I keep coming back to how bad the Marlins offense is, especially at home.
MLB Best Bets for Reds at Marlins
- Reds/Marlins UNDER 7 runs for 1.25 RW buck (PointsBet -125)
Colorado Rockies at San Diego Padres
The Padres lineup will look much different tonight as Juan Soto, Josh Bell, and Brandon Drury should be the third, fourth and fifth hitters. I think the Padres' home crowd will be extra hyped tonight for this lineup, and I can see them exploding on offense similar to the 13 runs they put up yesterday. I think we get a bit of a soft total at 8.5, a number which mostly comes from the Rockies side, a group that struggles on the road.
Chad Kuhl actually has a worse ERA on the road (5.03) compared to at home (4.17). His 7.8 K/9 and 5.2 BB/9 are both poor, and issuing lots of baserunners to this lineup will get ugly quickly. If you just look at his last five starts, his ERA is over 8.00 and he's walking over six batters per nine innings.
MLB Best Bets for Rockies at Padres
- Padres OVER 5 runs for 1.15 RW buck (FanDuel -115)
Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants
Oh what a difference a year makes, as the Giants and Dodgers were fighting it out for the NL West crown last year at this time. Right now the Dodgers just keep winning, while the Giants have come back down to earth and are fighting for a wild card spot.
The key for me in this matchup is the dominance that Julio Urias has had over the Giants. In his last five starts against San Francisco, he's 3-1 with a 1.23 ERA, 32 strikeouts and two walks. He's also been hot over his last 7 starts, going 6-0 over 39.1 innings with a 2.97 ERA, 41 strikeouts and seven walks. On the other side, Alex Wood has been decent in his last seven also with a 2.45 ERA, but Urias' dominance over the Giants and the Dodgers' 8-3 lead in the season series has me leaning towards the Dodgers tonight.
MLB Best Bets for Dodgers at Giants
- Julio Urias to record a win for 1 RW buck (DraftKings +105)
- Dodgers -1.5 runs for 1.02 RW buck (FanDuel -102)
MLB Best Bets Today Recap
- A's/Angels UNDER 7 runs for 1.10 RW buck (FanDuel -110)
- Reds/Marlins UNDER 7 runs for 1.25 RW buck (PointsBet -125; playable at 6.5 FanDuel)
- Padres OVER 5 runs for 1.15 RW buck (FanDuel -115)
- Julio Urias to record a win for 1 RW buck (DraftKings +105)
- Dodgers -1.5 runs for 1.02 RW buck (FanDuel -102)
Visit RotoWire all season long for exclusive sports betting picks from our group of handicappers with their expert MLB picks each day of the campaign. Remember that betting apps vary in terms of odds and available player props, so we have an easy-to-use odds page that allows you to shop for the best lines at DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM and PointsBet.