Thursday is around the corner. And it’s usually a day where we get to see series end or just beginning. We’ve selected the best MLB betting matchups with the latest picks and predictions for Thursday.
The MLB trade market jumped into overdrive on Tuesday, as the New York Yankees swapped reliever Tyler Clippard, former first-round draft pick Blake Rutherford, and two other prospects to the Chicago White Sox for relievers Tommy Kahnle and David Robertson, and third baseman Todd Frazier.
The Yankees’ bullpen had posted an unsightly 4.02 ERA since June 1, a stretch in which the Pinstripes had posted an 18-24 record and fallen out of the top slot in the American League East. They face the Seattle Mariners in one of our featured MLB betting matchups for Thursday. St. Louis visits the New York Mets, and the Toronto Blue Jays wrap up their four- game set in Boston against the Red Sox.
Expert MLB Betting Picks & Analysis for Thursday’s Best Games
Smile! Plenty of baseball tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/5XiFz6uRs8
— MLB (@MLB) July 19, 2017
St. Louis at N.Y. Mets
When: 12:10 PM ET Where: Citi Field TV: MLB Network / FS-M (St. Louis) / SNY (NY) Radio: KMOX 1120 (St. Louis) / 710 WOR (NY) Stream: MLB.tv MLB Betting Odds: TBA Pitching Matchup: Lance Lynn (8-6, 3.40 ERA) (STL) vs Seth Lugo (4-2, 4.50 ERA) (NY) Lance Lynn has been on fire in his past two starts, throwing 13 ⅓ combined scoreless innings. Over his last four starts, he has posted a 1.82 ERA. That’s a welcome change for the Cardinals for his two starts before that, when he permitted seven earned runs in each of them. He just saw the Mets on July 9 in one of those scoreless efforts, as he threw seven shutout frames. Historically, for the Mets, Jay Bruce (.417, 3 HR, 11 RBI), Rene Rivera (.429) and Curtis Granderson (.333, 1 HR, 1 RBI) have hit Lynn well, but he seems to be in a solid groove right now.Who Will Take the Mound on Thursday for New York?
The Mets send Seth Lugo to the hill. He threw 6 ⅔ innings in his last start against Colorado, permitting three runs — but all three of them in the sixth and seventh innings of that game. He also appeared in that July 9 matchup with the Cardinals, coming out of the bullpen to throw three innings of relief, permitting just a single run. Luke Voit is the only Cardinal batter to homer off Lugo, but no Cardinal has more than four at-bats against him. I see Lynn outlasting and outpitching Lugo and the Cardinals winding up this series with a win.Latest MLB Betting Trends
- Cardinals are 5-2 ATS in the last 7 games
- Cardinals are 5-2 SU in the last 7 games
- The total wentUNDER in 6 of St. Louis’s last 7 games
- Mets are 2-5 ATS in the last 7 games
- Mets are 3-8 SU in the last 11 games
Toronto Blue Jays at Boston Red Sox
When: 1:35 PM ET Where: Fenway Park Boston TV: MLB Extra Innings / SNET (Toronto) / NESN (Boston) Radio: SN590 (Toronto) / WEEI 93.7 (Boston) Stream: MLB.tv MLB Betting Odds: TBA Pitching Matchup: Francisco Liriano (5-5, 6.04 ERA) (TOR) vs Doug Fister (0-3, 6.75 ERA) (BOS) I doubt that the Red Sox are all that happy with their waiver-wire move to pick up Fister. They originally had Chris Sale set to start this game but shuffled their rotation a bit. Fister relies on the sinker to get hitters to ground out, but that pitch hasn’t been dropping reliably for him, and opponents have been pounding the ball against him. He hasn’t started since the Thursday before the All-Star break, when he permitted six runs (four earned) on five hits in just 3 ⅔ innings in Texas against the Rangers. He saw the Blue Jays on June 30 and permitted three runs in a no-decision.How Has Francisco Liriano Done Recently for Toronto?
Francisco Liriano didn’t make it out of the third inning his last time out due to a sore neck. However, after some bullpen work on Tuesday he has been medically cleared to pitch. None of the Red Sox have faced Liriano more than six times. I see Toronto having to go to their bullpen early — but can Fister keep the Blue Jays off the scoreboard? I’m predicting a Boston win — but in a barnburner, with a score like 10-8 not beyond the realm of possibility.Latest MLB Betting Trends
- Blue Jays are 2-4 ATS in the last 6 games
- Blue Jays are 2-4 SU in the last 6 games
- The total went UNDER in 5 of Boston’s last 5 games
- Red Sox are 16-8 SU in the last 24 games at home
N.Y. Yankees at Seattle Mariners
When: 10:10 PM ET Where: Safeco Field, Seattle TV: MLB Network / YES (NY) / ROOTNW (Seattle) Radio: 101.9 FM (NY) / 710 ESPN (Seattle) Stream: MLB.tv MLB Betting Odds: TBA Pitching Matchup: Luis Severino (5-4, 3.40 ERA) (NY) vs Felix Hernandez (5-3, 4.20 ERA) (SEA) King Felix has made five starts since missing two months (shoulder bursitis) and has picked up wins in each of his last two. Overall, he has gone 3-1 with a 3.72 ERA since his return. In his career, he has gone 10-6 with a 3.13 career ERA against the Yankees in 20 starts. The Yankees come in bolstered with confidence after making that trade we mentioned earlier to give their bullpen a charge. The Mariners have moved past Texas into second place in the American League East and keep seeming like a team that might be ready to slide into contention for one of the wild card slots — and the Yankees are just 2 ½ games ahead of them in those standings. Luis Severino comes in fresh off a strong seven-inning start on Saturday against the Boston Red Sox, scattering four hits and allowing just a single run. That game him just four earned runs permitted in his last 14 innings combined, a welcome turn after permitting six runs against the Houston Astros back on July 2.But can Aaron Judge break out of his slump?
He currently stands at 1 for 21 since the All-Star break. The Yankees broke a two-game slide with a 6-3 win in Minnesota on Tuesday, but can they keep that momentum going? I see the new-look Yankees winning this game as Severino outpitches the Mariners’ ace.Latest MLB Betting Trends
- Yankees are 4-2 ATS in the last 6 games
- Yankees are 6-13 SU in the last 19 games on the road
- The total went UNDER in 5 of the Yankees’s last 5 games
- Mariners are 6-13 ATS in the last 19 games
- Mariners are 5-1 SU in the last 6 games
- The total went UNDER in 5 of Seattle’s last 7 games
