We have a big Major League Baseball slate this Sunday, starting with Phillies vs Orioles and Nationals vs Braves at 1:35 PM ET and closing with Red Sox vs Dodgers at 7:20 PM ET.
Our staff got together and came up with five MLB best bets for today, Sunday, August 2.
MLB Best Bets Today
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our MLB betting staff is targeting from today's slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 1:35 PM | |
  | 2:20 PM | |
  | 3:10 PM | |
  | 4:10 PM | |
  | 7:20 PM | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our MLB Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Tony Sartori's Phillies vs Orioles Total Pick
By Tony Sartori
Right-hander Zack Wheeler takes the mound for the Phillies and should be a good candidate to back. One of the best pitchers in baseball this decade, Wheeler is once again in the NL Cy Young conversation.
The Phillies' woes at the dish are likely to continue against right-hander Kyle Bradish, who gets the ball for the Orioles. In 35 combined plate appearances against Bradish, this current Philadelphia roster owns a mere .188 batting average.
Baltimore has struggled at the plate this year. Entering this matchup, it ranks 23rd in hits per game, 23rd in batting average, 21st in slugging percentage and 18th in OPS.
Like most teams, going against Wheeler is likely going to be an issue. Through 75 combined plate appearances against the right-hander, this current Orioles roster owns a .214 xBA.
Read Sartori's full Phillies-Orioles preview here:
Pick: Under 8 (-120 or Better)
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Sean Paul's Yankees vs Cubs ML Bet
By Sean Paul
The Yankees need a gem in every game from their starting staff due to their offensive issues. And Gerrit Cole has consistently delivered gems since returning from the Injured List.
The former Cy Young winner is back in form, holding his last five opponents to three or fewer runs and three of them to two or fewer. His pristine command and strikeout stuff are fully back, punching out 39 hitters in his last 30 1/3 innings and walking just four.
The Cubs will give the ball to Colin Rea, who's been a serviceable innings eater. Still, Rea is a regular cog in the Cubs' rotation despite posting a 4.67 ERA, a 5.51 xERA, and a 4.87 FIP, which is the perfect indictment of the Cubs' depleted rotation.
If Rea can turn in a five-inning or six-inning start with two or fewer runs, the Cubs will gladly take it. The issue is, the Cubs pen can leak oil at times. For instance, 13 different Cubs relievers have recorded saves this year, largely due to Daniel Palencia's injury. It can be tough to call on a different guy in a closing situation in nearly every game.
As for every game at Wrigley Field, the wind plays a big factor. It was swirling in the entire game on Saturday, and it seems like it'll be blowing in at about 10 mph on Sunday. That isn't quite as strong, but the runs could be at a premium as the wind isn't blowing out.
The Cubs are better equipped to play the small ball game, but Rea struggles to strike batters out. That evens the edge a bit and makes it more even. With the line barely favoring the Yankees, I have to take them with Cole on the bump.
Read Paul's full Yankees-Cubs preview here:
Pick: Yankees ML (-140 or Better)
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Ryan Minion's Royals vs Rockies 2 Picks
By Ryan Minion
I expect Royals’ veteran slugger Salvador Perez to have a massive day at the plate versus a struggling Freeland who has previously recorded three hits and two RBIs across his nine at-bats.
BARTOLO indicates that Freeland elects to throw his four-seam fastball far more than any other offering in his arsenal, having thrown his heater at a 25.4% clip.
Despite his heavy reliance on his four-seamer, Freeland has allowed opposing hitters to record a .410 xwOBA against that pitch this season.
Given Freeland’s vast struggles with command this season, he has consistently been forced to throw strikes in the zone early in counts, which has resulted in opposing hitters smoking his primary offering over the heart of the plate.
Perez crushes four-seam fastballs in the zone, especially considering how much Freeland’s primary weapon has fallen in velocity, with his heater having been thrown at an average VELO of just 91.5 MPH.
I will also be looking to target Rockies’ 2B Willi Castro to find success at the plate versus Lugo, whom he has dominated in the two’s previous encounters.
In his 10 career AB versus Lugo, Castro has recorded four hits, two of which were for extra bases.
Check out all of Minion's best bets for today in Sunday's edition of The Leadoff:
Picks: Willi Castro Over 1.5 Total Bases // Salvador Perez Over 2.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs
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Sean Zerillo's Twins vs Mariners Best Bet
By Sean Zerillo
I project some value on the Under in this matchup.
If you'd like to dive deeper into why I project this score this way, I recommend checking out BARTOLO, my new PRO baseball betting tool providing PRO subscribers with live access to all the data I use to project MLB games each day.
One of the things you get with BARTOLO is my precise projection for each MLB game — as you can see here, I project just 7.16 runs for this matchup:
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Pick: Under 7.5 (-118 or Better)
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Frank Ammirante's Red Sox vs Dodgers Pitching Prop
I'm targeting Emmet Sheehan Under 16.5 Outs vs. the Red Sox.
Sheehan has gone Under 16.5 Outs in eight consecutive starts. We've seen his pitch count below 90 pitches in five of his last seven outings. The Dodgers just got eight innings from Yoshinobu Yamamoto, so their bullpen is fresh, meaning they're not desperate to get more volume from Sheehan tonight.
On top of that, forecasts call for favorable weather conditions. According to The Action App, we're getting 90-degree temperatures with 7.3 MPH winds blowing out to center field. That could make it tough for Sheehan to get to 5.2+ innings, especially against the hottest team in baseball.
Read Ammirante's full Red Sox-Dodgers preview here:
Pick: Emmet Sheehan Under 16.5 Outs
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