MLB Picks Today: Expert MLB Picks for
Monday, August 31
Baseball begins the week with 12 games on the schedule for Monday. Among the highlight matchups is the series opener between the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers. A busy slate means lots of wagering opportunities to consider, so let's try to help narrow down the field by highlighting three options that stand out.
Mike Barner's season record: 80-49-1 (+18.73 units)
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MLB Picks Today: Expert Betting Tips and Analysis
Tampa Bay Rays 
vs. New York Mets 
Betting Picks
- Rays ML (-160) at Caesars for 1 Unit
The Rays won again Sunday, scoring two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie the game and two more in the bottom of the 11th to defeat the Padres. They have won four straight, improving to 82-54 for the season. They are a modest 36-31 on the road, but they are 46-23 at home. That is where they will be Monday with Ian Seymour on the mound. The lefty has been racking up strikeouts, posting 38 of them over his last 28.2 innings. His 4.21 ERA for the season doesn't jump off the page, but his 3.59 xERA and 1.15 WHIP indicate that he has pitched well.
The Mets sit in last place in the NL East entering this game and are just 29-37 on the road. They will start Robert Stock, who was crushed for seven runs across four innings in his last outing against the Brewers. Over five starts in the majors, he has a 1.94 WHIP, walking 13 batters across 20.2 innings. The Rays are the vastly superior team and they have an advantage in the starting pitching matchup, so paying the juice that comes with taking them on the moneyline can still be worth it.
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San Diego Padres 
at Cincinnati Reds 
Betting Picks
- Padres team total 3.5 runs first 7 innings: Over (-105) at DraftKings for 1 Unit
The Padres continue their road trip after being swept by the Rays over the weekend. They scored at least four runs in each loss, continuing to hit well on the road. At home, they only have a .683 OPS this season. On the road, their OPS checks in at .716.
The Reds will start Brady Singer in the first game of this series, setting the Padres up to be productive at the plate. The veteran has allowed at least three runs in each of his last seven starts. During that stretch, he posted a 1.45 WHIP. That continues to be an area of concern because he has a 1.42 WHIP for the season that has left him with a 4.72 ERA and a 5.07 xERA. Another stat working in the Padres' favor to score at least four runs through the first seven innings is that Singer allows 1.7 HR/9 and only has a 16.9% strikeout rate at home.
Houston Astros 
vs. Chicago White Sox 
Betting Picks
- Both teams to score 3+ runs (-110) at DraftKings for 1 Unit
The Astros and White Sox both rank inside the top 12 in baseball in runs scored and inside the top 10 in OPS. Trying to slow down Chicago will be Peter Lambert, who has pitched well with his 3.66 ERA and 3.54 xERA. He's not an overpowering force, though, registering a modest 23.1 percent strikeout rate. His problem is that he generally doesn't pitch deep into games, logging fewer than six innings in each of his last six starts. That's a problem for this matchup because key relievers Josh Hader and Bryan Abreu might not be available. They both took the mound Sunday and have both pitched in two of the last three days.
The White Sox will counter with Anthony Kay, who has a 4.87 xFIP and a 1.42 WHIP on the road. Away from Chicago, he allows 1.7 HR/9. He misses even fewer bats than Lambert, posting an 18.4 percent strikeout rate. Although the White Sox's bullpen is in better shape than Houston's, the Astros also have the potential to score plenty of runs with Kay on the mound.
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MLB Picks Recap
- Rays ML (-160) at Caesars for 1 Unit
- Padres team total 3.5 runs first 7 innings: Over (-105) at DraftKings for 1 Unit
- Astros vs. White Sox: Both teams to score 3+ runs (-110) at DraftKings for 1 Unit
All Plays - 1 Unit
