Top MLB Betting Picks of the Week – July 10th Edition

The Washington Nationals’ grip on the National League East appears in jeopardy, as they have slid 5 ½ games out of first — while the Philadelphia Phillies have won seven of 10 to move into a tie with Atlanta for the lead. The Nats’ slide has led some pundits to wonder if it’s time for Washington to trade Bryce Harper and start looking to the future. In the NL Central, the Cubs have won eight of 10 but still remain 1 ½ games behind Milwaukee. In the NL West, the Dodgers are within a half-game of Arizona but still haven’t shown the consistency that they did a year ago. In the American League, Boston has won eight of 10 to pull out to a 2 ½-game lead over the New York Yankees. Cleveland has an 8 ½-game lead over MInnesota in the AL Central, and Houston is holding onto a three-game lead over Seattle. Interested in some MLB betting this week? We have three games for you to consider.

Top MLB Betting Picks of the Week – July 10th Edition

The Houston #Astros & New York #Yankees are #1 & #2 in the latest MLB Baseball Power Rankings midway through season. https://t.co/gRFTKWBnbb

— On Top of the Line Sports (@OTLSPORTS) July 10, 2018

Tuesday, July 10

Oakland at Houston (8:10pm ET)

Projected Pitching Matchup: Sean Manaea (8-6, 3.33 ERA) (OAK) vs Justin Verlander (9-4, 2.15 ERA) (HOU) The Oakland A’s have won eight of 10 to move 11 games over .500 and within six games of the second wild card position, behind the Yankees and the Mariners. Sean Manaea has not taken a loss since May 30, but he has only pitched one game against a team that has a record at or above .500 since then, getting the win against the Los Angeles Angels on June 16. In those six starts since May 30, he has only allowed more than two earned runs once and has lasted at least six innings in all but one (a 7-4 loss to Texas where the decision went to the bullpen). His last start, on July 4, saw him pitch seven innings of four-hit, two-run ball against San Diego. Manaea’s counterpart is Justin Verlander. Four starts ago, his ERA was at a minuscule 1.60, but he has taken on some water lately. His last start, against a moribund Chicago White Sox lineup, saw him go seven innings of four-hit, two-run ball, with a season-high ten strikeouts, but before that, he had permitted nine earned runs in 11 ⅔ innings in two starts against Tampa Bay and Toronto. That start against the White Sox may have shown that he has found his early-season form again, though, and Oakland doesn’t have the biggest bats in the American League. MLB Betting Prediction: Houston 4, Oakland 1

Wednesday, July 11

Texas at Boston (7:00pm ET, ESPN)

Projected Pitching Matchup: Bartolo Colon (5-6, 4.65 ERA) (TEX) vs Chris Sale (9-4, 2.36 ERA) (BOS) “Big Sexy” had a terrific start for Texas against the Detroit Tigers on Friday, throwing eight innings of five-hit, three-run ball, but he got scant run support in a tough 3-1 loss. He is in pursuit of the all-time lead of wins by a Latin American pitcher, and he has pitched well enough on occasion to get wins in Texas. However, he has not pitched shutout ball since a gem of a start in Seattle on May 16, and he is facing a Boston lineup that is pounding the ball right now. Chris Sale gets the start for Boston, and his ERA has steadily declined from a high watermark of 3.00 on June 1. In his last four starts, he has permitted just three earned runs over 27 combined innings, getting three wins over that stretch, striking out 47 men while walking just four. If you add to that the fact that the Red Sox have scored a combined 26 runs in his three wins during this stretch, you see a team firing on all cylinders. MLB Betting Prediction: Boston 5, Texas 0

Thursday, July 12

Washington at N.Y. Mets (7:10pm ET)

Projected Pitching Matchup: Max Scherzer (11-5, 2.33 ERA) (WAS) vs Steven Matz (4-6, 3.31 ERA) (NY) After a pair of hard-luck losses in Tampa Bay and then at home against Boston, when the Nationals didn’t give him much run support, Max Scherzer got a win against Miami despite permitting three home runs and four earned runs overall to the Miami Marlins on Saturday. His pitching has not been sharp in his last two outings, as he has permitted seven earned runs on 11 hits over 13 combined innings against Miami and Boston. However, on Thursday the Nationals face a Mets team that is 16 teams below .500. They send Steven Matz to the hill, after he suffered a tough-luck loss against Tampa Bay on Saturday. He permitted just one earned run on five hits over 6 ⅓ innings in a game the Mets would go on to lose 3-0. However, four of those five hits went for extra bases. In his start before that, he did throw 5 ⅓ innings of three-hit, one-run (unearned) ball in a 5-2 win at Miami. I’m not ready to pick Matz to outduel Scherzer in a divisional game, though. MLB Betting Prediction: Washington 4, New York 3