MLB Betting Matchups and Picks for Saturday – August 26th

There are some great MLB betting picks for this Saturday. First, the American League wild card standings just got a little tighter last night as the Texas Rangers took three out of four from the Los Angeles Angels, pulling above .500 for the first time since May.  The American League East race looks like a fight to the finish, as the Boston Red Sox have not been able to pull further than five games ahead of the Yankees. In the National League, the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies still look like comfortable picks for the two wild cards, but their winning pace has settled in recent weeks — and Milwaukee is now just 5 ½ games behind the Rockies for that second wild card. With that in mind, we have three matchups for you to bet on this Saturday on MLB, as Texas visits Oakland, Kansas City tries to burnish their own wild card resume in Cleveland, and Seattle (just a half-game back of the second wild card visits Yankee Stadium.

MLB Betting Matchups and Picks for Saturday – August 26th

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— MLB (@MLB) August 25, 2017

Seattle Mariners at N.Y. Yankees (1:05pm ET, YES, RTNW)

MLB Betting Odds: TBA Pitching Matchup: Yovani Gallardo (5-9, 5.75 ERA) (SEA) vs Sonny Gray (3.38 ERA) (NY) Yovani Gallardo is one of those innings-eaters that every successful team needs, either as a fifth starter or as a long man out of the bullpen who can take spot starts when needed. As the Mariners have had several injuries in their rotation, Gallardo has filled in ably, and his ERA has dwindled in July and August, has he has not permitted more than three earned runs in seven of his last 11 outings. The Yankees seem to have his number, though, as he has posted just a 6.32 career ERA against them. Todd Frazier (.359, 1 HR, 2 RBI) and Didi Gregorius (2 HR, 3 RBI) have hit Gallardo particularly well.

How is New York’s Pitcher Looking Like For the Game?

The Yankees thought they were getting an ace-quality arm when they traded to get Sonny Gray from the Oakland A’s. He has posted just a 1-3 record since coming east, but a lot of that has to do with poor run support. The Red Sox did knock him around a little bit in his last outing, scoring a pair of runs on seven hits over five innings, but before that he had put up three consecutive quality starts. Only five of the Mariner regulars have ever faced Gray — somewhat of an oddity since they used to be in the same division — but Robinson Cano (2 HR, 4 RBI) has hit well against him, and Kyle Seager and Danny Valencia have both taken him deep. I think Gray has the better stuff, though, and the Yankees are fighting to catch Boston. I’ll take the Yankees here.

Latest MLB Betting Trends

• Seattle is 4-9 ATS in the last 13 games
• Seattle is 6-2 SU in the last 8 games
• NY Yankees are 2-5 ATS in the last 7 games at home
• NY Yankees sre 7-3 SU in thelast 10 games
• The total went OVER in 5 of the NY Yankees’s last 7 games

Kansas City Royals at Cleveland Indians (7:15pm ET, FS1)

MLB Betting Odds: TBA Pitching Matchup: Jason Hammel (6-9, 4.73 ERA) (KC) vs Mike Clevinger (6-5, 3.97 ERA) (CLE) Jason Hammel pitched well on Sunday against Cleveland, permitting three runs in six innings as the Royals picked up the 7-4 victory. Hammel has had his struggles pitching in the American League this season, but he has come on nicely lately; even so, several of the Indians have hit him well. Edwin Encarnacion (4 HR, 5 RBI) and Bradley Zimmer (.500, 1 HR, 2 RBI) have had particular success against him. The Tribe will send Mike Clevinger out to the mound, fresh off a no-decision against Boston on Monday in which he permitted a pair of two-run blasts over 4 ⅓ innings. Against the Royals, Clevinger has had a lot of success, posting a 2-0 record and a 3.31 combined ERA over 16 ⅓ innings. Brandon Moss (.500, 1 HR, 3 RBI) and Salvador Perez (.286) are the only Royals with a lot of success against Clevinger. I see Cleveland winning this one as the Indians do a better job getting to Hammel for the second time they see him within a week.

Latest MLB Betting Trends

• Kansas City is 4-1 SU in the last 5 games on the road
• Kansas City is 2-6 ATS in the last 8 games
• The total went OVER in 12 of Kansas City’s last 18 games
• Cleveland is 1-4 ATS in the last 5 games
• Cleveland is 10-4 SU in the last 14 games

Texas Rangers at Oakland A’s (4:05pm ET, FSSW, NSCA)

MLB Betting Odds: TBA Pitching Matchup: Cole Hamels (9-1, 3.42 ERA) (TEX) vs Sean Manaea (8-8, 4.58 ERA) (OAK) You have to wonder how closely Cole Hamels would sit at the top of the Cy Young conversation this year if he hadn’t missed so much time. He has now won four straight starts, knocking off the Angels 5-3 on Monday night, permitting a pair of runs over seven innings. Over this stretch, he has posted a 1.86 ERA, bringing his season numbers down from where they had been earlier in the season, as he had the tendency to give up home runs before the All-Star break. He has pitched well historically against the A’s, posting a 2-1 record and a 2.94 combined ERA over five starts. Sean Manaea suffered from some run support issues his last time out, as he pitched well against Houston on Friday, permitting three runs over six innings, his longest start in his last five. Elvis Andrus of the Rangers (.538 career average) enjoys hitting against Manaea, as do Ryan Rua (.462) and Shin-Soo Choo (.500, 1 HR, 1 RBI). I like Texas to win this matinee out on the Bay.

Latest MLB Betting Trends

• Texas is 11-4 ATS in the last 15 games
• Texas is 11-4 SU in the last 15 games
• The total went UNDER in 4 of Texas’s last 6 games on the road
• Oakland is 4-2 ATS in the last 6 games at home
• Oakland is 2-5 SU in the last 7 games
• The total went UNDER in 5 of Oakland’s last 6 games