Time for the MLB Best Bets and Betting Picks for today – Wednesday, July 26. We’ve got a split slate today with more than half the games starting before 4pm ET, so we don’t want to dwell on too many opening pleasantries. The MLB trade deadline is rapidly approaching and there are a number of players who are wrapped up in their heads, listening to the latest MLB trade rumors and wondering where they will be calling home for the duration of the season. That tends to be a taxing thing. Remember, these aren’t robots. These are human beings with families and moving from city to city is never easy. Just something to keep in mind when someone screws up one leg of your 4-leg same game parlay and you’re filled with rage. Yes, they are professionals, but expecting them not to be affected right now is a bit naive. But no lecture – let’s bet.

  • Monday’s Record 2-2
  • Season Record: 119-112-5
  • Bankroll: -5.64 units
 

 

MLB Best Bets for July 26 

Chicago Cubs at Chicago White Sox

Speaking of two starting pitchers wrapped up in their heads, wondering where home will be next week, both Marcus Stroman and Lance Lynn should be finding themselves a change-of-address card. The Cubs are two games below .500 and five games out of a wild card spot. Yes, they have won four in a row and six of their last seven, but Stroman remains a string trade candidate, given what teams are expected to pay for pitching. After limping into the break, Stroman was strong until he ran into the Cardinals who came out of the break white-hot. Now, he gets the White Sox who have not only struggled against righties all year, they’ve lost four-straight and have posted a .255 wOBA with a 26-percent K-rate over the past week. They also have a 46.1-percent ground ball rate and are just mashing everything into the dirt. On the other side, the Cubs are one of the hottest-hitting teams lately with a .372 wOBA and .218 ISO over the last seven days. They should feast on Lance Lynn who is another trade candidate and one who has coughed up 10 runs over his last 12 innings. But where we will make our mark here is in the first half of the game. Nine of those 10 runs Lynn has allowed have all come within the first five innings.

Pick: Chicago Cubs 1st 5 Innings Money Line (-120 on DraftKings Sportsbook)

Cincinnati Reds at Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers haven’t scored more than four runs in any of their last six games and they’ve only done it once in their last 11. That would certainly make them a tough bet to do it today, but I’m just not a believer in Reds righthander Ben Lively. He hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any of his last five appearances, but he also hasn’t pitched out of the sixth inning in that span and his 4.86 FIP and 4.53 xERA tells you he’s got some trouble headed his way. His pitch-count gets too high, he’s walking more guys lately and while the Brewers haven’t been lighting it up lately, their plate discipline numbers have improved over the past week and should continue that patience in this one, a game that, could turn into a little but of a track meet. The Reds bullpen has been getting hit around lately as well, so even though the implied run total for the Brewers is 4.62 today, we’ll round up.

Pick: Milwaukee Brewers Team Total Over 4.5 runs (-105 on Caesars Sportsbook)

Pick: Christian Yelich Over 1.5 Total Bases (-105 on BetMGM)

St. Louis Cardinals at Arizona Diamondbacks

We’ve got Zac Gallen and his 1.48 home ERA facing a Cardinals team that has cooled off dramatically since the open of the second half. They’ve now lost four of their last five and have averaged fewer than four runs per game in that span. Gallen wants to show he is deserving of NL Cy Young honors and he needs to lead his team today if they want to stay in contention for the playoffs and NL West title. Meanwhile, Jack Flaherty is one of the hottest names on the MLB rumor mill and while his last two starts have been average at best, he knows it’s crunch time and he knows he needs a solid performance if he is going to land with a contender. It certainly helps that the Diamondbacks have been struggling lately, averaging fewer than four runs per game over their last four, and Flaherty has pitched significantly better on the road. We’ll bank on these guys keeping the score down through the first run or two through the lineup.

Pick: Cardinals/Diamondbacks 1st 3 Innings Under 2.5 runs (+100 on DraftKings Sportsbook)