Top MLB Betting Picks of the Week – August 5th Edition

The Boston Red Sox appear to be done, losers of eight of ten and now 14 ½ games behind the New York Yankees in the American League East. The Yankees’ season is particularly impressive given that no team in Major League Baseball has lost more players to the injured list, and yet they sit at 72-39. The Minnesota Twins have taken over the lead in the AL Central from the Cleveland Indians again, now three games in front. Houston is still cruising, winners of eight of their last ten and leading the AL West by 8 ½ games — and they just added Zack Greinke to their rotation. The Atlanta Braves are now seven games up on both Philadelphia and Washington in the National League East (and the Phillies and Nationals are now tied for the second wild card position), while the Chicago Cubs have moved back past St. Louis in the NL Central, taking a 1 ½-game lead after sweeping the Cardinals over the weekend. The Brewers are now four games out in the Central. The Los Angeles Dodgers are still the class of the senior circuit, now leading the NL West by 17 games with a 74-40 record. We have two primo MLB betting picks from the national pastime for you to consider for the week ahead.

Top MLB Betting Picks of the Week – August 5th Edition

The postseason picture isn’t getting any more clear in the National League, which has eight teams separated by five games. Check out who’s up and who’s down in this week’s power rankings. https://t.co/U0t44kIOcf

— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) August 5, 2019

Tuesday, August 6

Oakland at Chicago Cubs (8:05pm ET, MLB Network)

• Projected Pitching Matchup: Brett Anderson (9-7, 4.04 ERA) (OAK) vs Jon Lester (9-7, 3.86 ERA) (CHI)

Brett Anderson will head to the hill at Wrigley Field looking for his first win since July 5. In his last three starts, Anderson has been particularly hittable, permitting 11 earned runs on 23 hits over 17 ⅔ combined innings. He has struck out nine while walking just one over that stretch but has permitted four home runs. Since that July 5 win in Seattle, Anderson has seen his ERA climb from 3.86 to 4.04. He is finding way too much of the plate right now, and the Athletics’ opponents have been taking advantage. Jon Leser has also been getting knocked around lately. In three of his last four starts dating back to July 13, he has permitted 12 earned runs on 25 hits in 18 innings. In that fourth start, though, on July 27, he shut the Brewers out for seven innings, scattering four hits in a tough 5-3 loss that the bullpen coughed up for the Cubs. Obviously, Lester has more big-game experience than Anderson does, and the Cubs are much better at home than on the road. MLB Betting Prediction: Chicago 6, Oakland 4

St. Louis at Los Angeles Dodgers (10:10pm ET)

• Projected Pitching Matchup: Miles Mikolas (7-11, 4.00 ERA) (STL) vs Clayton Kershaw (10-2, 2.85 ERA) (LA)

Despite that sub-.500 record, Miles Mikolas actually had a pretty good July in terms of pitching, even if he went 2-3 on the month. He entered July with a 4.53 ERA and has seen that drop to 4.00. On Friday, he threw 5 ⅔ innings of six-hit, one-run (none earned) ball against the Chicago Cubs but was on the wrong end of a 2-0 loss at the Cardinals’ offense fell off the table. He also threw a complete-game shutout against Pittsburgh on July 15. In between those starts, he permitted six earned runs on 11 hits over 12 combined innings against the Reds and Pirates, so his performance has been mixed. An inconsistent St. Louis offense has also bedeviled his starts as well. Can the Cardinal bats wake up against Clayton Kershaw? Kershaw has not lost a game since June 29, and the Dodgers have won every game he has started since July 15. In his last four starts, he has permitted five earned runs on 15 hits over 24 combined innings, striking out 31 while walking 11 (including an uncharacteristically high five free passes in his last start on Thursday against the Padres). While questions do remain as far as Kershaw in World Series games, he seems to be throwing ace stuff again in 2019. I see him delivering against St. Louis on Tuesday night. MLB Betting Prediction: Los Angeles 5, St. Louis 1