This weekend marks the start of the second half of the 2021 MLB regular season. The New York Yankees had six players, including Aaron Judge, test positive for COVID-19 during the All-Star break, forcing postponement of their Thursday night affair with the Boston Red Sox, but the teams are set to meet Friday night to resume their rivalry.
As you plan your online MLB betting for the weekend, take a look at these three matchups as a place to start.
MLB News: Weekend Games — Worth Betting Them
Saturday, July 17
Cleveland Indians at Oakland A’s (4:07 pm ET, FS1)
PItchers: Cal Quantrill (1-2, 4.23 ERA) (CLE) vs Sean Manaea (6-6, 3.19 ERA) (OAK)
Cal Quantrill makes his second start for the Tribe on Saturday. In his debut, he posted a quality start against Kansas City, throwing six innings of five-hit, three-run ball, striking out one and walking one. He did permit a pair of home runs against the light-hitting Royals, so he will need to keep the ball down more effectively against the A’s.
The A’s counter with Sean Manaea, who gave up seven earned runs combined in his last two starts before the All-Star break. In 11 ⅔ combined innings against Texas and Houston, he permitted 13 hits, including four home runs, while striking out a dozen and walking one. The A’s have not won a game that Manaea has started since June 14, when he held the Los Angeles Angels to one run on nine hits over 5 ⅔ innings, striking out five.
Final Prediction:
Oakland 6, Cleveland 4
San Diego Padres at Washington Nationals (7:05 pm ET)
Pitchers: Blake Snell (3-3, 4.99 ERA) (SD) vs Patrick Corbin (6-7, 5.40 ERA) (WAS)
The Padres have not gotten vintage Blake Snell — until recently. He has spent some time on the injured list but has also thrown nine scoreless innings in his last two starts combined, holding the Dodgers and the Phillies to just six hits, striking out eight (while walking seven). If the former Cy Young winner has healed, ten the Padres will get a huge boost out of the gate as they start the second half of the season.
Patrick Corbin was one of the postseason heroes of Washington’s World Series run in 2019. This season, the results have been mixed. Things have gone better recently, though. In four of his last five starts, he has lasted six or more innings and permitted no more than three earned runs. In his last start before the break, on July 7, he held a scorching Padres offense to a pair of runs on seven hits over six innings in a 15-5 win. Can he hold the Padres quiet once again for the Nationals?
Final Prediction:
San Diego 5, Washington 3
Sunday, July 18
Houston Astros at Chicago White Sox (2:10 pm ET)
Pitchers: Framber Valdez (5-1, 2.98 ERA) (HOU) vs Carlos Rodon (7-3, 2.31 ERA) (CHI)
Framber Valdez has benefited from some run support in his last two outings. Against Oakland and the Yankees, he gave up nine runs (seven earned) on 16 hits over nine combined innings, striking out 11 but walking eight. The Astros were able to claw away with 9-6 and 8-7 wins, respectively, with the latter win over the Yankees coming with a six-run ninth inning to turn all but certain defeat into victory. The Astros should come out of the break with a lot of momentum after that win, so we will see if they still have it on Sunday.
Carlos Rodon has largely shown ace stuff this season. In starts against Seattle and Minnesota, he struggle da bit, giving up seven earned runs on 11 hits over ten innings, but then he righted the ship in Minnesota on July 6, throwing six innings of seven-hit, one-run ball, fanning eight without issuing a single walk. He comes back after what will be almost two weeks of rest to pitch on Sunday, so he should have plenty to show the Astros, whom he held to one run on three hits over seven innings on June 18.
Final Prediction:
Chicago 4, Houston 2
MLB Betting Odds
Love betting on baseball like in the MLB? | Xbet Sportsbook offers up to date MLB betting Odds for all Regular Season, Playoffs, and World Series games.
