The MLB futures odds you can find right now at Mybookie sportsbook might look a bit different on Wednesday night as the MLB Trade Deadline is that afternoon at 4 p.m. ET. If some contender lands a big piece – say, the Mets’ Noah Syndergaard or Indians’ Trevor Bauer – that’s going to shift the odds. Most expect a busy week of deals. Here’s a look at two interesting matchups early this week. Check back for the latest MLB odds.
Top MLB Betting Picks of the Week – July 29th Edition
Houston Astros at Cleveland Indians
- When: Tuesday, 7:10 PM ET
- TV: MLB Extra Innings
- Live Stream: MLB.tv
A rematch of last year’s ALDS and Houston Astros‘ first visit to Cleveland since completing the three-game sweep there last October. Teams could meet this October as well. Also a matchup of 2019 All-Star pitchers.
It’s AL Cy Young betting favorite Justin Verlander for Houston. Verlander (13-4) recorded 11 strikeouts and allowed only one unearned run on two hits and two walks across six innings to earn the win Wednesday versus the A’s. Verlander fell behind early as Oakland took a 1-0 lead on one hit and two errors during the first inning, but the right-hander locked things down after that to help secure the victory. The 36-year-old entered the All-Star break having allowed four runs in three of his previous four starts, but he now has a 3.00 ERA, 0.78 WHIP and 30:4 K:BB in three second-half outings.
Verlander will seek his fourth straight quality start as he faces the Guardians for the first time since 2017. Verlander has not allowed more than four earned runs in a start this year, and he’s coming off his 60th career double-digit strikeout game. Verlander leads the Majors in WHIP (0.84) and opp. avg. (.173), is tied for the lead in wins (13) and ranks 3rd in strikeouts (183). He has surpassed 5 pitchers on the all-time strikeouts list this season and currently sits in 18th place with 2,832.
Cleveland goes with All-Star Game MVP Shane Bieber (10-3) tossed a complete-game, one-hit shutout during which he recorded 10 strikeouts and allowed just one walk in a 4-0 victory against the Blue Jays on Wednesday. Nice way for Bieber to respond after giving up five runs in his last outing for the first time since the end of May. Bieber also pitched a complete-game shutout on May 19, and in that contest, he struck out a season-high 15 batters but also allowed five hits. This performance, which was his fourth straight decision ending in a victory, is up there with that one as perhaps Bieber’s most dominating this season. He now owns a 3.44 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and .209 batting average against with 166 strikeouts in 133.1 innings this year.
Bieber will be making his 2nd career start against the Astros. He took a no-decision April 27 at Houston after allowing three runs on three hits with four walks and nine strikeouts over 6.0 innings. Bieber has a 3-1 record with a 4.19 ERA (29ER/62.1IP) in 11 home starts this season.
Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals
- When: Wednesday, 8 PM ET
- TV: ESPN
- Live Stream: MLB.tv
Arguably the National League’s best rivalry. It’s Kyle Hendricks (7-8) for the Chicago Cubs. Hendricks logged five scoreless innings but did not factor into the decision in Friday’s 3-2 loss to the Brewers. He allowed two hits and two walks while striking out five. Hendricks was sharp through five innings, but the Cubs decided to pinch-hit for the righty in the top of the sixth after scoring the first two runs of the game on a home run a batter earlier. However, the Chicago bullpen let Hendricks down, allowing a run in the seventh and two more in the eighth to waste his chance at win No. 8. The 29-year-old will carry a strong 3.26 ERA into this start.
Hendricks has a 2.88 ERA in five starts since coming off the IL, but he has an 0-3 record in that span due to 1.6 average runs of support. The righty has held St. Louis to one run over 16 innings this year, including an 81-pitch shutout on May 3.
The St. Louis Cardinals go with Miles Mikolas (7-10). He allowed three runs on five hits with one walk and five strikeouts across six innings while earning a victory against the Pirates on Thursday. This was Mikolas’ third straight quality start, and during this stretch, he’s gone 2-1 with a 2.57 ERA. This has been a nice response since yielding seven runs in 10 frames just prior to the All-Star break. Overall, Mikolas owns a 4.19 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 87 strikeouts in 120.1 innings this season.
Entering this week, the Cardinals have homered in a season-high 12 straight games (July 17-present), tied with Baltimore for the longest active streak in Major League Baseball and the club’s longest since 16 straight last season (August 7-24). St. Louis’ 39 home runs in July lead the National League and is the 4th-highest total in franchise history for July, behind 1966 (39), 2000 (42) and 2004 (42).
