With 15 games on the Sunday, August 13 MLB slate, there are plenty of MLB odds to sift through. Luckily, our MLB betting experts have already looked over the MLB betting odds and identified the best baseball bets of the day.
We have expert picks on Tigers vs. Red Sox and Yankees vs. Marlins, so continue reading as today's best MLB bets are below.
MLB Best Bets
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our MLB betting staff is targeting from today's slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
Game | Start Time (ET) | Pick |
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12:05 p.m. ET | ||
12:05 p.m. ET | ||
1:40 p.m. ET | ||
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our MLB Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. |
Tigers vs. Red Sox
By Tony Sartori
All signs point toward Kutter Crawford racking up the strikeouts for the Red Sox on Sunday afternoon.
Detroit ranks in the bottom five of the league in runs scored per game, hits per game, BA, SLG, OPS and home runs. The Tigers also struggle to avoid strikeouts.
When facing right-handed pitching this season, Detroit ranks 24th in K%.
Looking at Sunday's projected starting lineup, six of the Tigers nine hitters possess a K% north of 22% this year. Those strikeout woes are likely to continue against Crawford.
Through 22 appearances this season, Crawford possesses a 3.80 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP.
Crawford ranks in the 70th percentile or higher in average exit velocity, Hard-Hit%, xERA/xwOBA and xBA.
He also ranks in the 61st percentile in both K% and Whiff% and in the 91st percentile in chase rate.
Crawford's strikeout success is likely to continue against Detroit. In his start against the Tigers earlier this season, the right-hander surrendered just one run on five hits and collected six strikeouts through five innings.
The current iteration of Detroit's lineup owns a fade-worthy 28.6 K% and a 23.7 Whiff% through 21 career plate appearances against Crawford.
Crawford has collected six or more strikeouts in three of his past five starts and I'd play over 5.5 to -125.
Pick: Kutter Crawford Over 5.5 Strikeouts (-110)
Tigers vs. Red Sox
By Tony Sartori
A couple of solid pitchers square off Sunday. Right-hander Kutter Crawford takes the mound for the Red Sox and he possesses a 3.80 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP through 22 appearances. While those surface-level stats aren't anything special, his underlying metrics are even stronger.
The right-hander ranks in the 70th percentile or higher in average exit velocity, Hard-Hit%, xERA/xwOBA and xBA. In his start against Detroit earlier this season, Crawford threw five innings and surrendered just one run on five hits.
That success is likely to continue against the Tigers' poor lineup, which ranks in the bottom five of the league in runs scored per game, hits per game, BA, SLG, OPS and home runs. The Red Sox possess a much stronger lineup, which is why we are catching this total at 9.5.
With that said, left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez is more than capable of holding his own. Through 17 starts this season, Rodriguez is 8-5 with a 2.75 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP.
His underlying metrics suggest that regression is unlikely. He ranks in the 73rd percentile or higher in average exit velocity, Hard-Hit%, xERA/xwOBA, xSLG and Barrel%.
What is QuickSlip?
QuickSlip is an Action Network feature that allows users to automatically pre-load their bet slip at FanDuel Sportsbook.
Yankees vs. Marlins
By William Boor
Gerrit Cole, despite the Yankees' struggles this season, has pitched like an ace. The right-hander is the betting favorite to win the AL Cy Young and has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 11 of his past 12 starts.
That lone exception was his most recent start, and I'm willing to bet Cole won't turn in back-to-back clunkers.
A 3.67 xERA against a 2.75 ERA suggests Cole is due for regression at some point, and the Marlins did add some bats at the trade deadline, but they're still far from the most potent offense in baseball.
On the other side, Eury Perez gets the start for Miami. Perez is just 20 years old, and his ceiling is certainly intriguing, but he gave up four runs in 4 2/3 innings in his most recent start and has already surpassed his career high in innings.
Perez ranks in the 83rd percentile in K%, and there's no doubt about his ability to rack up the strikeouts. However, Perez also sits in the 26th percentile in Hard-Hit% and the 29th percentile in Average Exit Velocity.
What is QuickSlip?
QuickSlip is an Action Network feature that allows users to automatically pre-load their bet slip at FanDuel Sportsbook.