Expert MLB Betting Picks & Previews for Thursday Action

As we hit the middle of the week, we’re just five days away from that non-waiver MLB trade deadline, which means that we’re seeing some auditions from players who could well be wearing different uniforms next week, playing for contenders instead of teams heading toward the bottom of the standings. For Thursday, we have three MLB betting matchups for you, as the New York Mets are on the West Coast to take on the San Diego Padres, the Arizona Diamondbacks are battling the St. Louis Cardinals in the shadow of the Gateway Arch, and the Los Angeles Angels tangle with the defending AL pennant-winners in Cleveland.

Expert MLB Betting Picks & Previews for Thursday Action

Winners of five straight, the @indians are coming together. https://t.co/Hp8z4JmfHg pic.twitter.com/7XzPIWxzpn

— MLB (@MLB) July 26, 2017

L.A. Angels at Cleveland Indians

When: 12:10pm ET Where: Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio TV: FS-W (LA) / SportsTime Ohio (Cleveland) Radio: KLAA 830 (LA) / WTAM 1100 (Cleveland) Live Stream: MLB.tv MLB Betting Odds: TBA Pitching Matchup: JC Ramirez (9-8, 4.38 ERA) (LA) vs Trevor Bauer (8-8, 5.58 ERA) (CLE) The Tribe is looking to get some better results from Trevor Bauer, who has not made it past the fifth inning in his last three outings. He has struck out more than 25 percent of opposing batters this year, which is a career best, but he has permitted a .348 BABIP (batting average on balls in play) which means that when the other team can put a bat on his pitches, they’re hitting him hard. The only Angels who have hit him well in extended exposure are Ben Revere (.667) and Mike Trout (.429).

Who Will Pitch for the Angels on Thursday?

The Angels send JC Ramirez to the hill, and he put in decent work his last time out against the Boston Red Sox, permitting three runs (although just one was earned) over six innings in his Saturday start. He has never started against Cleveland, but he has come out of the bullpen to face them four times, posting a combined 5.06 ERA. None of the current Indian regulars have faced him more than three times. In a battle of struggling pitchers, I will pick the better offense — and the Tribe is doing more with the bats right now.

Latest MLB Betting Trends

• Angels are is 2-6 SU in the last 8 games on the road
• The total went UNDER in 8 of LA Angels’s last 11 games on the road
• Indians are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 games
• Indians are 5-0 SU in the last 5 games
• The total went OVER in 4 of Cleveland’s last 6 games

Arizona Diamondbacks at St. Louis Cardinals

When: 7:15pm ET Where: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri TV: FS-A (Arizona) / FS-M (St. Louis) Radio: ESPN Phoenix 620 (Arizona) / KMOX 1120 (St. Louis) Live Stream: MLB.tv MLB Betting Odds: TBA Pitching Matchup: Zack Godley (3-4, 3.32 ERA) (ARI) vs Undecided (STL) Godley has only been in the rotation since April 26, but since then he has posted a decent ERA. His four losses have come in games when the Diamondbacks didn’t help him out much with the bats — such as when the Cardinals beat him on June 28. He threw seven fairly solid innings, permitting just three runs, but the Cardinals were able to limit the Arizona bats. The Diamondbacks have struggled lately, dropping three of four, including an 8-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night. J.D. Martinez continues to look to find ways to fit into that Arizona lineup.

Who Will Start for St. Louis?

The Cardinals haven’t announced a starter yet — so I’m always leery of betting on games when I don’t know who will be pitching. St. Louis has won the first two games of a home series against the Colorado Rockies, by a combined score of 11-4. T hey finish that series on Wednesday evening before welcoming Arizona the next day. Their pitching did well to limit a strong Rockies offense to just those four runs — but I still like the Diamondbacks to come in and rock a spot starter.

Latest MLB Betting Trends

• Diamondbacks are 4-2 ATS in the last 6 games
• Diamondbacks are 5-12 SU in the last 17 games
• The total went OVER in 4 of Arizona’s last 6 games
• Cardinals are 4-2 ATS in the last 6 games
• Cardinals are 5-1 SU in the last 6 games at home
• The total went UNDER in 4 of St. Louis’s last 6 games at home

N.Y. Mets at San Diego Padres

When: 9:10pm ET Where: Petco Park, San Diego, California TV: SYN (NY) / FSSD (San Diego) Radio: 710 WOR (NY) / FM 94.9 (San Diego) Live Stream: MLB.tv MLB Betting Odds: TBA Pitching Matchup: Chris Flexen (0-0, 0.00 ERA) (NY) vs Luis Perdomo (4-5, 4.71 ERA) (SD) The Mets will give Chris Flexen his major league debut, as he starts in place of the injured Zack Wheeler. Flexen has posted a 6-1 record and a 1.76 ERA combined between Single-A St. Lucie and Double-A Binghamton. The Mets have been on a bit of a roll lately, winning six of seven — including the first two games of this series against the Padres, by a combined 11-8 tally so far. Padres pitcher Luis Perdomo leads MLB pitchers at his level of innings pitched with a 65.3 percent ground ball rate. HIs last start was strong, as he held San Francisco to a single earned run over six innings after getting tagged by the Colorado Rockies. The Padres have dropped three of four (and three of five before that), so I’m leaning toward New York to bring the offense — and the bullpen, once Flexen wears down.

Latest MLB Betting Trends

• Mets are 3-7 ATS in the last 10 games
• Mets are 6-1 SU in the last 7 games
• The total went OVER in 4 of NY Mets’s last 5 games
• Padres are 5-1 ATS in the last 6 games
• Padres are 3-6 SU in the last 9 games
• The total went OVER in 10 of San Diego’s last 12 games