Our MLB betting picks are looking at a trio of intriguing matchups on Sunday, including the classic South Side/North Side battle as the White Sox face the Cubs, while the Astros try to avoid getting swept by the San Diego Padres.
We break down the baseball odds for those games and much more as we bring you our best free MLB picks and predictions for Sunday, August 23.
MLB picks for today
Chicago White Sox vs Chicago Cubs
The Windy City showdown concludes Sunday with an intriguing pitching matchup as the White Sox’s Dylan Cease toes the rubber against the Cubs’ Yu Darvish.
This is the Yu Darvish Cubs fans were hoping for when they signed the Japanese starter to a megadeal a few years ago. The right-hander is in one of his best grooves in years, pitching to a 1.80 ERA, a 0.90 WHIP, while racking up 34 strikeouts compared to just five walks through his first five starts.
Darvish is also limiting opponents to a .204 batting average, and while he goes up against a very good White Sox lineup, they have struck out the second-most in the MLB against right-handed pitching this season.
The Pale Hose counter with one of their up-and-coming starting pitchers in Dylan Cease. The 24-year-old right-hander has gotten off to a solid start this summer, pitching to a 3.16 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. But he’s been a bit lucky, allowing opponents to hit .268 with only 17 strikeouts in 25 2-3 innings.
The Cubs’ leaky bullpen will always make you pause when backing them for a full game, so play it safe and take them on the five-inning runline.
PREDICTION: Cubs -0.5 First 5 Innings (-125)
Los Angeles Angels vs Oakland Athletics
Sunday’s finale between the Angels and A’s features a pair of good starting pitchers coming off their worst starts of the season as Dylan Bundy will face off against Frankie Montas.
Bundy lasted just four innings in his last outing, allowing four runs on four hits, and striking out a season-low three batters against the San Francisco Giants. But that was certainly an outlier for Bundy’s first season with the Halos. Even with the rough start, the right-hander is pitching to a 2.48 ERA, a 0.79 WHIP, is limiting opponents to a .164 batting average with 38 punchouts in 38 2-3 innings.
While the A’s have a decent offense, they don’t hit right-handers overly well and Bundy has allowed just one run on seven hits while striking out 17 in 13 2-3 innings against Oakland this season.
Montas is in a similar position. The right-hander was rocked for nine runs on six hits and four walks in just an inning and two thirds, ballooning his ERA from 1.57 to 4.74. Even with those crooked numbers, he still has a 1.34 WHIP and an opponent batting average of .222. He also did a decent job against the Angels in his first start of the season allowing just one earned run on three hits in four innings.
This is a solid bounce-back spot for both starters and should be low-scoring through the first half of the game.
PREDICTION: Under 5 First 5 Innings (-117)
Houston Astros vs San Diego Padres
The Houston Asterisks… err… Astros are still public enemy No. 1 in baseball. But cheaters or not, they are talented and are the hottest team in baseball.
But the best part of Sunday’s matchup with the Padres is the fact the cerebral Zack Greinke is doing all he can to distance himself from his cheating teammates. In one of Greinke’s recent starts, he was literally calling out his pitches during an at-bat. It’s incredible.
Almost as incredible as the way Greinke has been pitching over his last three starts. The right-hander is spinning it right now (particularly his curveball), allowing just one run on 15 hits while striking out 19 over 22 1-3 innings.
He faces a very good Padres lineup, but after spending seven-plus years in the National League West he has some experience against them. Greinke owns a career 2.37 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP against San Diego. With that in mind, the Astros are a good bet to have the lead through five innings.
PREDICTION: Astros -0.5 First 5 Innings (+110)
Yesterday's MLB record: 1-2
Season MLB betting record: 52-38-1, +10.84 units
MLB betting card for August 23
- Cubs -0.5 First 5 Innings (-125)
- Angels-Athletics Under 5 First 5 Innings (-117)
- Astros -0.5 First 5 Innings (+110)
Top MLB consensus for today
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