MLB Predictions Today: Best MLB Bets Today & MLB Player Props 08/14

⭐ Braves -1.5 ATS (-115) at BetMGM Sportsbook

For our Yankees vs. Astros predictions today, we have Max Fried back on the mound for his third start since returning from injury. In his two recent starts, he had one game with three hits and zero earned runs, but his most recent resulted in four earned runs against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He’ll go up against Clarke Schmidt, who has been a consistent presence in the otherwise flaky Yankees rotation over his last five starts, allowing two runs or less in three of those starts. 

The Braves have been a stellar team this season, north of 70 wins, but are 5-5 in their last ten games. Instead of focusing on MLB player props, we’ll look toward the run line. 

Schmidt is undoubtedly a bit of a tough pitcher lately, but on the year, he’s 8-6 with a 4.23 ERA and is on the road. 

He’ll also have to go up against a Braves lineup that features offensive juggernauts in Ronald Acuna Jr., Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, and Austin Riley. The loaded Braves offense is a big reason why we like Braves -1.5 ATS (-115) at BetMGM Sportsbook. 

Fried has always been an excellent pitcher, and he’ll rebound here, but we’re more comfortable with the run line for the best MLB bets today. 

Best Betting Pick: Braves -1.5 ATS (-115) at BetMGM Sportsbook

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⭐ Cardinals -1.5 ATS (-102) at FanDuel Sportsbook

As we head into our Athletics vs. Cardinals predictions, we have a pitching matchup featuring JP Sears for the Athletics and Miles Mikolas for the Cardinals. 

The Athletics are coming out of a three-game series with the Nationals in which they were swept, scoring just two runs in two of those games. 

It’s no secret that the Athletics are atrocious this season, making them a frequent target for the “best MLB bets today” with their 33-85 record. 

Sears is 2-9 on the season with a 4.23 ERA. In the context of the Athletics, a pitcher with an ERA close to 4.00 than 5.00 is a win for them. Sears has allowed three or more runs in three of his last five starts, while Mikolas has allowed two or fewer in his previous three. We like the Cardinals -1.5 ATS (-102) at FanDuel Sportsbook given the pitching advantage. 

Once again, we’re staying away from MLB player props here and focusing on the run line—yes, we’re piling on the Athletics here. 

Best Betting Pick: Cardinals -1.5 ATS (-102) at FanDuel

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⭐ JP Sears Over 3.5 Runs Allowed (+100) at Caesars Sportsbook

OK, we will stick with more Athletics vs. Cardinals predictions, this time looking at some MLB player props. 

After examining Caesars Sportsbook, we found a prop related to Sears that is worthy of it being one of the best MLB bets today. Here, we’re focusing on earned runs allowed. 

Digging into Sears’ logs, he’s allowed more than 3.5 runs in two of his last five starts, and one of those starts included a game in which he allowed three runs. We feel that trend continues and like JP Sears Over 3.5 Runs Allowed (+100) at Caesars Sportsbook. 

These games came against the Texas Rangers (4), Houston Astros (5), and Minnesota Twins (3). 

The Cardinals are 11th in the league in runs scored per game at 4.67, which is more than the Twins (4.40) and relatively close to the Astros (4.87). 

Sears will go against a Cardinals lineup featuring productive players like Nolan Gorman, Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt, and even Lars Nootbaar.

Despite his poor record, Sears has held it together, for the most part, this season, but on the road against a lineup that has players that hit for power and average, this could be a rougher start for him.

Best Betting Pick: JP Sears Over 3.5 Runs Allowed (+100) at Caesars Sportsbook

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⭐ Rangers -1.5 ATS (+114) at DraftKings Sportsbook

For our Angels vs. Rangers predictions today, we don’t have Shohei Ohtani on the mound for the Angels, but we do have Max Scherzer making his third start for the Rangers. 

Scherzer is coming off a seven-inning performance in which he allowed three hits and one run to the Oakland Athletics, and this time around, he gets a much more potent offense in the Angels. 

The Angels score 4.83 runs per game, but the Rangers are second in that category with 5.69. The Rangers have 70 wins on the season and are ahead of the Angels by 11.5 games in the AL West. The Rangers will battle Angels start Patrick Sandoval, who’s 6-8 on the year, but with a reasonable ERA of 3.86, allowing just six runs over his last five starts, never allowing more than two in that span. We're going to back the better team with Rangers -1.5 ATS (+114) at DraftKings Sportsbook.

For our best MLB bets today, we will stay away from the moneyline as there isn’t a lot of value at -175. Looking over the MLB player props, it’s also hard to peg something of value because both offenses are capable. 

So, for our best MLB bets today, we’ll turn to the run line, where you can get a “+” value. Take the Rangers here as we prepare for the offense to stand out and for Scherzer to continue his 11-4 record with a 3.88 ERA form. 

Best Betting Pick: Rangers -1.5 ATS (+114) at DraftKings Sportsbook

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⭐  Rays ML (-135) at bet365

After getting thrashed at home by the Cleveland Guardians by a score of 9-2, the Rays head west to take on the San Francisco Giants. At the time of our Rays vs. Giants predictions, there’s some “controversy” surrounding Rays 22-year-old superstar Wander Franco, so it’s unlikely we’ll see him in the lineup for some time. 

The Rays are without Shane McClanahan for the remainder of the season. However, they still have their other top pitcher, Tyler Glasnow, who will be on the mound in this one against rookie Ryan Walker.  We like Glasnow and are taking Rays ML (-135) at bet365 . 

Walker has made 30 appearances this year but just eight starts. His last five outings were all for 2 ⅓ innings or less. Meanwhile, Glasnow, who’s making his first start since July 31, is 5-3 on the year with a 3.15 ERA through 12 starts. Over his last five starts, he’s allowed just six runs. He’s also pitched seven innings in his previous three starts. 

The Rays score 5.17 runs per game compared to the Giants’ 4.37, but the Rays are dealing with a few internal issues stemming from the Franco situation. 

They’re also out on the road, traveling west from Florida. With Glasnow on the mound, he has the potential to carry this game, so instead of focusing on MLB player props or the run line here, we’ll look at the moneyline.

For our best MLB bets today, side with the Rays, but only on the moneyline. This could be a much closer game than we expected. 

Best Betting Pick: Rays ML (-135) at bet365

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