MLB Picks Today: Expert MLB Picks for
Monday, August 3
Monday could be wild across baseball with the trade deadline coming at 6:00p.m. ET. There are also eight games on the schedule. Let's dig into them and highlight three of the top wagers to consider.
Mike Barner's season record: 66-39-1 (+15.22 units)
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MLB Picks Today: Expert Betting Tips and Analysis
New York Yankees 
vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Betting Picks
- Cardinals 1.5 team total first five innings: UNDER (-135) at DraftKings for 1 Unit
The Yankees return home after taking two out of three games against the Cubs in Chicago. They have featured a road-heavy schedule, playing 14 more games on the road than they have at home. Their lineup needs to improve, and they tried to address that weakness by acquiring Luis Garcia Jr. in a trade with the Nationals on Sunday.
One area that the Yankees don't need help is their starting rotation. It has been led by Cam Schlittler, who has given up one or no runs in six of his last 10 starts. For the season, he has a 2.04 ERA that is backed by a 2.89 xERA. Helping his cause has been his stellar 0.91 WHIP. The Cardinals have the fourth-worst OPS in baseball, so expect their lineup to struggle against Schlittler.
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Milwaukee Brewers 
vs. Pittsburgh Pirates 
Betting Picks
- Brewers ML (-138) at FanDuel for 1 Unit
The Pirates are 3-7 over their last 10 games to fall one game below .500. They just lost three of four games against the Reds in Cincinnati, and things won't get any easier with a four-game series against the Brewers in Milwaukee beginning Monday. The Brewers sit atop the NL Central at 69-42, thanks to their 36-20 record at home.
The starting pitching matchup for this game is Brandon Sproat against Bubba Chandler. Neither pitcher has been great, with Sproat sporting a 4.94 xERA and Chandler having a bloated 1.41 WHIP. However, the Brewers have a significant advantage at the end of games. Their bullpen has a 3.64 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP, compared to the Pirates bullpen having a 4.34 ERA and 1.41 WHIP. Having the better bullpen and being at home gives the Brewers the advantage here.
Houston Astros 
vs. Toronto Blue Jays 
Betting Picks
- Astros ML (-126) at FanDuel for 1 Unit
These two teams are heading in opposite directions. The Astros have won six straight and are 9-1 over their last 10 games. They now sit atop the AL West, 2.5 games ahead of the Rangers. The Blue Jays are in the cellar of the AL East and have become sellers at the trade deadline. They already traded away Kevin Gausman, and more moves could be coming Monday.
This is an underwhelming pitching matchup between Shane Bieber and Cristian Javier. In 31.1 innings this season, Bieber has a 1.63 WHIP and has allowed 20 earned runs. He has nearly as many walks (18) as he does strikeouts (22). Javier has a 1.83 WHIP in only 21.1 innings, but has looked better since coming off the injured list. In a start against the Angels last week, he had seven strikeouts and allowed only three hits across five scoreless innings. The Astros are trying to win games, while the Blue Jays are making moves with an eye towards next season. Combine that with this game being played in Houston and the Astros are in a favorable position to emerge with a victory.
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MLB Picks Recap
- Cardinals 1.5 team total first five innings: UNDER (-135 at DraftKings)
- Brewers ML (-138 at FanDuel)
- Astros ML (-126 at FanDuel)
All Plays - 1 Unit
