MLB Picks and Winning Favorites Friday August 18th

Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton is on a power streak not seen around baseball since the steroid era. His MLB picks and trade value will never be higher, but could the Marlins trade him by the Aug. 31 waiver deadline for a haul of prospects? Any team looking to acquire Stanton would want the Marlins to chip in money on his $285 million contract. It likely won’t happen by Aug. 31, but it could happen this offseason.  Regardless of what’s coming, there still some weeks left before we enter the postseason, so lets review some of the Friday games that offer the best value for  MLB betting fans.

Analyzing the MLB Picks and Winning Favorites Friday August 18th

NY Yankees at Boston Red Sox

When: 7:10 PM ET Where: Fenway Park TV: MLB Network Stream: MLB.tv GAMETIME WEATHER Chance of a Thunderstorm 22°C/72°F Humidity 91% Precipitation % 50% Cloud Cover 97% Wind 14 mph S Stadium Type Open These AL East rivals just played last weekend in the Bronx and Boston took two of three. The Yanks might not have struggling closer Aroldis Chapman on Friday. Chapman is being put through some tests after complaining of a tight hamstring on Tuesday night. Despite his recent struggles, manager Joe Girardi said the Yankees have no plans to remove Chapman from the ninth inning. It’s rookie lefty Jordan Montgomery for New York. Montgomery (7-6, 3.94). He didn’t factor in the decision Sunday after giving up one run on two hits and three walks with four strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings against Boston. Montgomery made the start one day after being hit in the head by a fly ball during batting practice. He pitched effectively, as both hits allowed were singles, but only managed 84 pitches before getting pulled in the sixth inning. Boston goes with lefty Drew Pomeranz (12-4, 3.39). Pomeranz allowed three runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out five over 6.2 innings en route to a win over the Yankees on Saturday. Pomeranz has now won six straight decisions and nine of 10. He gave up a two-run homer to Gary Sanchez in the first inning and ran into a bit of trouble in the fourth, but he still easily outdueled Luis Severino. Since walking nine batters over two starts near the end of July, Pomeranz has issued a total of four free passes in his last three starts, spanning 19.2 innings.

LA Angels at Baltimore Orioles

When: 7:05 PM ET Where: Camden Yards, Baltimore TV: MLB Extra Innings Stream: MLB.tv GAMETIME WEATHER Mostly Cloudy 28°C/82°F Humidity 79% Precipitation % 10% Cloud Cover 69% Wind 4 mph SW Stadium Type Open The Halos continue to push for a wild-card spot and get back Andrew Heaney from Tommy John surgery on Friday. Heaney, 26, posted a 3.49 ERA in 18 starts in 2015, and earned the No. 2 spot in the rotation the following season. His elbow problems cropped up during that first start, eventually resulting in major surgery. Heaney, who hasn’t pitched in the majors since April 2016, rejoined the club on Tuesday and threw a bullpen session. Heaney threw 94 pitches in seven innings in his last outing at Triple-A, which was his sixth minor league start. He had a combined 2.60 ERA, including 3.12 in three Triple-A games. The Angels don’t need to create a rotation spot for Heaney. Ever since they sent Jesse Chavez to the bullpen and optioned Troy Scribner, they have had only four starters on the active roster. Baltimore counters with Jeremy Hellickson (7-7, 4.70), who was acquired ahead of the trade deadline from Philadelphia. Hellickson lost Sunday after allowing six runs on five hits (one homer) and two walks with four strikeouts in five innings against Oakland. Hellickson had pitched well in his first two outings as an Oriole, but he struggled his third time out. Prior to that, he faced the Angels and lost after giving up three runs on six hits and one walk with nine strikeouts over six innings. Striking out a season-high nine batters with his 95 pitches, Hellickson was locked in for nearly all of his six frames. He would allow four hitters to reach in the seventh before exiting.

Chicago White Sox at Texas Rangers

When: 8:05 PM ET Where: Globe Life Park in Arlington TV: MLB Extra Innings Stream: MLB.tv GAMETIME WEATHER Clear 32°C/90°F Humidity 52% Precipitation % 4% Cloud Cover 25% Wind 5 mph E Stadium Type Open The White Sox are trying to lose, or at least the front office hopes so, as the Pale Hose are in line to perhaps get the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft. Texas, meanwhile, is on the fringes of the AL wild-card race. It’s James Shields for Chicago. Shields (2-4, 5.90) got the no-decision last Saturday after allowing three runs on seven hits (one homer) and one walk with eight strikeouts in six innings against Kansas City. Shields recorded his highest strikeout total since Sept. 15, 2016, but wasn’t able to come away with the win as Chicago ultimately lost, 5-4. Shields has now allowed 14 homers in his last nine starts and 18 in 68 2/3 innings (2.36 HR/9 rate) on the season.

Top MLB Betting Predictions Last Weeks Regular Season

White Sox manager Rick Renteria said this week that the team’s closer situation is “fluid.” Tyler Clippard handled Chicago’s last save opportunity, but he was traded to the Astros on Sunday. Juan Minaya and Jake Petricka would now appear to be the best candidates for ninth-inning duties. Texas counters with Andrew Cashner, a former Padre like Shields. Cashner (7-9, 3.32) lost Sunday after giving up two runs on six hits (one home run) and one walk with four strikeouts in seven innings against Houston. While Cashner took a tough-luck loss that snapped his three-start winning streak, he’s still 4-2 with a 2.27 ERA over his past six starts. The righty continues to thrive in the face of a low strikeout rate (career-low 4.7 K/9), and he’s defied those predicting regression based on his FIP (now 4.42) so far.

MLB Picks and Expert Predictions

Back all home teams here; Pomeranz has been great for Boston, Heaney will be rusty for the Angels in Baltimore, and the White Sox are perhaps MLB picks least-talented team.