As we come to the end of the first half of the season, there are a lot of teams with a tough decision to make. These are the team that would appear to be out of the playoff race for now, but who might be able to get back into it with a few MLB picks and deadline deals.
The Texas Rangers are in that group, and they will welcome in the LA Angels for a weekend series. There is talk that the NY Mets are going to blow things up, and they will end the first half with a trip to St. Louis to face the Cardinals. The World Series champions are struggling this season, and the Cubs will finish the first half at home versus the Pittsburgh Pirates. Find the latest MLB run lines here.
2017 MLB Picks and Expert Predictions for Saturday, July 8th
LA Angels (44-45) at Texas Rangers (41-44)
When: Saturday, July 8 at 9:05 PM EST Where: Globe Life Park, Arlington TV: MLBN Probable Pitchers: Jesse Chavez Vs Tyson Ross Analysis: Given the current state of the AL West, the Angels only real path into the postseason is via the Wild Card, but they will need to be vastly improved in the second half if they want to get there and get to the top of the MLB picks. Mike Trout will return soon enough, which will be a help, but going 4-6 in the last 10 games gives you a sign of where this team stands. 4 of their last 5 games have gone the under, mostly due to a lack of offense. Jesse Chavez (5-9, 4.97 ERA) is scheduled to start. The Texas Rangers are in a very similar spot to the Angels in that they are swimming in the huge wake created by the Houston Astros in the West. Texas are just 3-7 in their last 10 games, and while they have had positive winning streaks this season, they are usually followed by long losing skids. 5 of their last 6 games have gone OVER, and they are 3-3 versus the Angels this season. Tyson Ross (1-1, 6.41 ERA) will start for the Rangers.LA Angels At Texas Rangers Trends
- LA Angels is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 9 of LA Angels’s last 13 games
- LA Angels is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of LA Angels’s last 8 games on the road
- LA Angels is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Texas
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of LA Angels’s last 7 games when playing on the road against Texas
- LA Angels is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Texas
NY Mets (38-45) at St. Louis Cardinals (41-44)
When: Saturday, July 8 at 4:10 PM EST Where: Busch Stadium, St. Louis TV: MLBN Probable Pitchers: Rafael Montero Vs Adam Wainwright Analysis: The mini revival that the Mets were going though, where they won 6 of 7, appears to be over, as they come into this series on a 3-game losing skid. Their biggest issue has been with their pitching, and they look as though they are going to end the first half having surrendered the most runs in the NL. Despite the leaky defense, they have only gone OVER in 3 of their last 10 games. Rafael Montero (1-5, 5.63 ERA) is scheduled to start. Despite having a rough first half of the season, the Cardinals are still alive in a weakened Central Division, just 5.5 games back of the Brewers. They have gone 6-4 in their last 10 games, and have a winning record at home, albeit only just. The Cardinals really need to win this series, especially since the Brewers appear to be ending the first half on a hot streak. Adam Wainwright (9-5, 5.48 ERA) will start for St. Louis.NY Mets At St. Louis Cardinals Trends
- NY Mets is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of NY Mets’s last 5 games when playing St. Louis
- NY Mets is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 15 of NY Mets’s last 23 games when playing St. Louis
- NY Mets is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games on the road
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of NY Mets’s last 6 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
- NY Mets is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing St. Louis
Pittsburgh Pirates (40-46) at Chicago Cubs (42-43)
When: Saturday, July 8 at 7:15 PM EST Where: Wrigley Field, Chicago TV: MLBN Probable Pitchers: Ivan Nova Vs Jake Arrieta Analysis: While the first half has not been very kind to the Pittsburgh Pirates, they are showing some signs of life, coming into this series having won 3 straight. They have been involved in a lot of lower scoring games in recent weeks, and have only hit the OVER once in their last 10 games. The problem that they face this weekend is that they are just 19-24 on the road. Ivan Nova (8-6, 3.24 ERA) will be on the mound for the Pirates. It has now been 16 games since the Cubs last put together back to back wins, and that has a lot of people asking what is wrong with the World Series champs. Playing on the road has been an issue, but the Cubs are better at home, going 23-18 at Wrigley. Chicago are 4-5 versus the Pirates this season, so even though they have the home field edge, this is by no means a slam dunk series. Jake Arrieta (8-6, 4.33 ERA) will start for the Cubs.Pittsburgh Pirates At Chicago Cubs Trends
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Pittsburgh’s last 7 games
- Pittsburgh is 14-6 ATS in its last 20 games on the road
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh’s last 5 games on the road
- Pittsburgh is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Chi Cubs
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh’s last 6 games when playing Chi Cubs
- Pittsburgh is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Chi Cubs
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh’s last 6 games when playing on the road against Chi Cubs
- Pittsburgh is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games when playing on the road against Chi Cubs
