A 2-0 Saturday makes us 3-0 the past 2 days and gives us another winning week betting baseball. Onto Sunday!

Want my Premium Picks? Click the hyperlink to sign up for my favorite plays every day!

Orioles first 5 (+105), 2 units: Despite the failings of Baltimore in yet another disappointing year for Charm City, they remain one of the best offenses against left handed pitchers. The Orioles are top 5 in many major categories against lefties, including runs, RBIs, and batting average. Today they’ll go up against southpaw Tyler Alexander (4.80 ERA, 4.61 xERA, 1.36 WHIP over 50.2 innings), the 27 year old reliever who’s been getting more chances to start as Detroit looks to build up their rotation in the hope of a late-season surge. Baltimore will start Spenser Watkins (3.10 ERA, 1.23 WHIP over 20.1 innings) for the 4th time today. In his last start against the Marlins he allowed a big homerun early, which really was the difference in the game, but we still believe in Spenser. The kid has a dynamic arsenal and generally really impressive command from what we’ve seen so far. I think he can keep the Tigers at bay, and I can’t say I feel the same way about Alexander. This is another spot where Baltimore can thrive. According to Covers.com, the Orioles are 8-2 in their last 10 vs. a team with a losing record and 5-0 against starters in their last 5 with a WHIP greater than 1.30. I’m on the O’s in the first half.

Giants -1.5 (+165), 1 unit: I’ll take a shot on the Giants by margin today. San Francisco’s Logan Webb (3.36 ERA, 1.19 WHIP over 67 innings) has been getting better as the season goes on, boasting an impressive 3.48 ERA in June over 20.2 innings, followed by an even more impressive July with a 2.00 ERA over 18 innings. He’ll look to continue his success tonight against the visiting Astros. Houston will start Luis Garcia (3.19 ERA, 1.08 WHIP over 96 innings) Sunday, whose profile is devolving a bit, particularly on the road. He owns a 4.58 ERA away from Minute Maid Park and has allowed 12 runs in his last 3 starts on the road. Maybe this is the game where he sees some positive regression but I can’t trust it against the Giants and how they’ve performed recently on offense. Over the past 2 weeks, San Francisco is top 10 in homeruns, slugging percentage, and wOBA. That should only get better with Kris Bryant, who’s primed and no doubt motivated to make his debut today against the villainous Astros. The Giants are 34-17 at home and will be playing in front of a raucous crowd. They’re also 23-6 in their last 29 games after allowing 5 runs or more in their previous contest. Take the Giants by margin.

Want my Premium Picks? Click the hyperlink to sign up for my favorite plays every day!

We earned a 1-0 Friday by putting out a single pick on Twitter— I didn’t see a tremendous amount of value on the board for my free picks. We did go 4-1 in premium picks though, which is something you may want to consider (wink wink, check out the link below). We trudge on with MLB picks as we hit another hot mid-summer weekend!

Want my Premium Picks? Click the hyperlink to sign up for my favorite plays every day!

Athletics/Angels under 10 (-110), 2 units: The Athletics are finding ways to win in the same fashion as always– solid pitching, solid defense, and not overwhelming but opportunistic offense. Over the last 2 weeks, Oakland is one of the worst teams in MLB in wOBA (.296), slugging percentage (.265) and batting average (.227), yet they continue to earn victories, holding their place in contention in the closely fought AL West playoff race. Today they’ll send Cole Irvin (3.62 ERA, 1.19 WHIP over 117 innings) to the mound for game 3 of their current series against the Angels. Cole doesn’t have the most exceptional numbers but he’s typically above-average at keeping the game within reach, boasting great numbers in both preventing big slugs and limiting walks. While his last start wasn’t as sharp against the Mariners, his last performance against the Angels in mid July was exceptional, limiting them to 0 runs off 7 hits in 7 innings of play. That’s not good for LAA considering how bad their offense has been, too. While Oakland comes in at 28th in the majors in wOBA over the last 2 weeks, LAA isn’t much better at 27th (.300). After two good series against the Twins and Rockies, the Angels bats have gone cold. Jaime Barria (LAA- 6.23 ERA, 138 WHIP over 13 innings) will get his 3rd official start of the year after two strong recent showings. I think both teams continue to underperform at the plate and while I lean Oakland to win 3 in a row, I like the under way more.

Giants (EVEN), 1.5 units: I got this pick at a reduced price at even money yesterday but now it’s gone up to as much as -120 at some books. Houston ace Zack Greinke (10-3, 3.48 ERA, 1.12 WHIP over 126.2 innings) gets the nod for the away team Saturday and while he’s probably still their most reliable pitcher, he’s permitting too many home runs lately, allowing at least 1 in each of his last 5 starts. This is an area where San Francisco thrives– the Giants are 2nd in the majors with 151 homers on the year. While their bats haven’t been as hot over the past few weeks, I think they can get to Greinke. And while the Giants were holding the juggernaut Dodgers to only 9 runs in 3 games this past week, the Astros defense permitted 21 runs in 3 games to a bad Seattle lineup. I suspect the Giants will continue to see more offensive success today. I also like this spot for Alex Wood (3.65 ERA, 1.17 WHIP over 93.2 innings). Wood had a great July (2.82 ERA over 22.1 innings) and will look to continue his success on the dirt in this contest. His improving xERA and other numbers (HR/9 innings, LOB rate, etc.) are good buy signs, at least temporarily. According to Covers.com, the Giants are 4-1 in their last 5 interleague games, 7-3 in their last 10 games against a right-handed starter, and 5-2 in their last 7 games against a starter with a WHIP below 1.15. Take the Giants to out-class the Astros at home today.

Want my Premium Picks? Click the hyperlink to sign up for my favorite plays every day!