MLB · 1 month ago

MLB Best Bets Today: Friday’s Top 2 Betting Picks (July 18)

Gabriel Santiago

Host · Writer

MLB Best Bets Today: Friday’s Top 2 Betting Picks (July 18)

There is no stopping us now. The MLB season and summer are fully underway, meaning there are betting opportunities every day between now and October. We’ve got you covered for Friday’s baseball slate!

Where to Watch St. Louis Cardinals vs. Arizona Diamondbacks

Ballpark: Chase Field
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Where to Watch: FDSNMW, ARID
Time: 9:40 p.m. ET
Spread: ARI -1.5 (+160) | Total: 7.5 (-115/-105)
Moneyline: STL +110 | ARI -130

Note: All odds are subject to change after article publication. Get the most up-to-date odds here.

To commence the post-All-Star break action, I’ve got my eye on a meeting in the desert between the St. Louis Cardinals and Arizona Diamondbacks.

The projected starters Friday in Phoenix are Andre Pallante and Brandon Pfaadt. Pallante’s 1.30 WHIP warrants respect while Pfaadt is doing well behind a 4.01 skill-interactive ERA (per FanGraphs). Despite Chase Field’s elevated surroundings, I believe this matchup of National League squads could be relatively quiet from an offensive perspective.

Over the past 22 games, St. Louis has struggled at the plate, displaying a .684 team OPS throughout that span. The Cardinal lineup has also been noticeably worse on the road, posting a .690 OPS (versus .741 when playing at Busch Stadium). Across the way, we know Arizona can swing it, but 8.5 total may be a bit ambitious immediately out of the break: give me the under at +102 odds.

Best Bet: Under 8.5 runs (+102)

Swing for the Fences with SportsGrid’s free daily MLB Game Picks and MLB Prop Picks.

Where to Watch Milwaukee Brewers vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Where to Watch: FDSNWI, SNLA
Time: 10:10 p.m. ET
Spread: LAD -1.5 (+105) | Total: 8.5 (-112/-108)
Moneyline: MIL +158 | LAD -188

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers are well familiar with one another. On Friday, they’ll begin another head-to-head series behind probable pitchers Quinn Priester and Tyler Glasnow.

Notably, this will be Glasnow’s second MLB start since returning from a lengthy shoulder ailment. Glasnow faced the Brew Crew on July 9, and he’ll do so again tonight. Can Milwaukee take advantage?

According to FanGraphs, Priester is currently operating with a fierce 3.84 xFIP. He’s also done a fantastic job of keeping the baseball down, showing a 58.1% ground-ball rate. That should translate well against the mighty Dodger offense.

It is also worth noting that the Brewers are currently riding a seven-game winning streak, which is the National League’s longest active streak. In that span, the Crew managed to sweep Los Angeles at American Family Field last week; the Dodgers scored just four total runs in the aforementioned series.

Since the 4th of July, Los Angeles has scored just 2.67 runs per game. Their slump, in combination with a hot team from Milwaukee, has me eager to take the 1.5 runs on the road team. At -126 odds, I am on the Brewers run line tonight.