MLB Predictions Today: Best MLB Bets Today & MLB Player Props 08/21
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Best MLB Bets Today, Odds & MLB Predictions, August 21st
- ⭐ Pick 1: Red Sox vs. Astros: Astros ML (-135) at BetMGM
- ⭐ Pick 2: Shohei Ohtani 2+ Total Bases (-130) at FanDuel
- ⭐ Pick 3: Graham Ashcraft Under 5.5 Strikeouts (-161) at Caesars
- ⭐ Pick 4: David Peterson Over 4.5 Strikeouts (-120) at DraftKings
We’ve finished off another weekend of MLB baseball and come into Monday, August 21, with three division races that separate first and second place by three games or less. For this slate, we have plenty of games for our best MLB bets today, with ten on the docket.
The games begin tonight at 6:40 PM ET until 9:40 PM ET, so our best MLB predictions today won’t include any early afternoon matchups.
To find the best MLB player props and other wagers, we’ll review the odds from the best online betting sites, including BetMGM, Caesars, FanDuel, and more.
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Boston Red Sox vs. Houston Astros MLB Predictions Today & Odds, 8:10 PM ET
⭐ Red Sox vs. Astros: Astros ML (-135) at BetMGM
Diving into our Red Sox vs. Astros predictions, we have a matchup featuring James Paxton for Boston and Cristian Javier for Houston.
Paxton has allowed just two earned runs over his last two starts, pitching more than 11 innings, while Javier has allowed six runs in that same span and 14 over his last five outings.
Javier is 8-2 on the year with a 4.49 ERA, as Paxton sports a worse win-loss record at 7-3 but a noticeably better ERA at 3.34.
Offensively, the Astros and Red Sox score essentially the same number of runs—Boston is at 4.90 per game while the Astros are at 4.86. They rank seventh and eighth in the league, respectively, and we are going to go with Astros moneyline (-135) at BetMGM.
Paxton is the better starter here, but the Red Sox bullpen leaves a lot of concern. Even if the Red Sox get to Javier a bit and score a few runs, the Astros offense should be able to rebound, if not against Paxton, then the bullpen. This is a tough matchup to peg for MLB player props.
This will be a good matchup, so for our best MLB bets today, we’re looking toward the moneyline.
Best Betting Pick: Red Sox vs. Astros: Astros ML (-135) at BetMGM
CLICK HERE to bet on the Red Sox vs. Astros match
Cincinnati Reds vs. Los Angeles Angels MLB Predictions Today & Odds, 9:40 PM ET
⭐ Shohei Ohtani 2+ Total Bases (-130) at FanDuel
Whether it’s a Reds vs. Angels prediction or any other team, one of our favorite MLB player props to target is total bases from designated hitter/pitcher Shohei Ohtani.
Against the Reds, Ohtani will be in the lineup against second-year man Graham Ashcraft. Ashcraft has performed better lately than his season-long averages suggest (6-8 with a 4.89 ERA), but Ohtani is a different animal.
Over his last five games, Ohtani has two home runs and five RBIs. In his last game against the Rays, he went 0-3 with a walk, but well like him to turn it around and will take Ohtani 2+ Total Bases (-130) at FanDuel.
Ashcraft, a righty, has allowed a .243 batting average to left-handed hitters with nine home runs against him.
For our best MLB bets today, we’re targeting Ohtani to collect two or more total bases.
Best Betting Pick: Shohei Ohtani 2+ Total Bases (-130) at FanDuel
⭐ CLICK HERE to bet on the Reds vs. Angels match! ⭐
Cincinnati Reds vs. Los Angeles Angels MLB Predictions Today & Odds, 9:40 PM ET
⭐ Graham Ashcraft Under 5.5 Strikeouts (-161) at Caesars
After digging into the Ohtani MLB player props for our Reds vs. Angels prediction, we found another worthy wager to consider.
We targeted Ohtani against Ashcraft, and now, we’ll take a look at Ashcraft.
As mentioned, Ashcraft has performed pretty well lately, allowing nine runs over his last ten starts, and over that span, he has 24 strikeouts or 4.8 per game.
His line here is at 5.5 with a significant “+” value on the over, but against the Angels, that might be a tall task, so we like Ashcraft Under 5.5 Strikeouts (-161) at Caesars
Over his last five starts, Ashcraft has gone seven innings or more three times. In those games, he’s gone over 5.5 strikeouts just one time.
The Angels strike out 9.26 times per game, but with their offense against a pitcher who’s been more down than up this season, there are questions as to whether he’ll last in the game long enough.
For our best MLB bets today, take the under on strikeouts for Ashcraft.
Best Betting Pick: Graham Ashcraft Under 5.5 Strikeouts (-161) at Caesars
⭐ CLICK HERE to bet on the Reds vs. Angels match! ⭐
New York Mets vs. Atlanta Braves MLB Predictions Today & Odds, time 7:20 PM ET
⭐ David Peterson Over 4.5 Strikeouts (-120) at DraftKings
Coming off a strikeouts MLB player prop above, we’ll focus on that again for our Mets vs. Braves prediction.
The Braves have reached 80 wins and are sailing into the postseason. In this matchup against the Mets, they’ll face a sneaky-good strikeout pitcher in David Peterson.
Appearing in 20 games this season, Peterson has started 14, but the outings are typically short. His last three appearances were starts, and he failed to go beyond four innings while only allowing three runs across those games.
His K/9 rate is 9.8, which isn’t the highest in the league, but he is still on the verge of double digits. We like Peterson Over 4.5 Strikeouts (-120) at DraftKings
Over his last three starts, he’s had five strikeouts in two. In those games, he pitched only three ⅔ innings.
The Braves strike out 8.12 times per game, which isn’t high at eighth in the league, but Peterson has been able to rack up some strikeouts lately in limited action. Should he go five or six innings here, going over his line of 4.5 strikeouts should be more than doable—we have to hope the Mets give him a bit more run.
Take the over on Peterson’s strikeout line for our best MLB bets today.
Best Betting Pick: David Peterson Over 4.5 Strikeouts (-120) at DraftKings
⭐ CLICK HERE to bet on the Braves vs Mets match! ⭐
As we look forward to the thrilling 2023 MLB regular season, there's another exciting development on the horizon for sports betting enthusiasts. Come this September, Kentucky will be launching online sports betting, paving the way for the emergence of new Kentucky betting apps. This opens up a new realm of opportunities for fans and bettors alike. Stay tuned for more updates on this front.
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