MLB fans are treated to wall-to-wall action today.
The latest: Four matinee games, headlined by Justin Verlander returning for the Houston Astros, serve as the appetizer before the bulk of the slate begins. Later on, two elite arms battle when the Atlanta Braves host the Philadelphia Phillies.
Check out the latest MLB odds for Wednesday, Aug. 21.
MLB odds: Aug. 21
MLB Markets: Click Here | MLB Stats: Click Here
Baltimore Orioles vs. New York Mets
Boston Red Sox vs. Houston Astros
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Texas Rangers
Chicago White Sox vs. San Francisco Giants
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Miami Marlins
Minnesota Twins vs. San Diego Padres
Cleveland Guardians vs. New York Yankees
Cincinnati Reds vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Colorado Rockies vs. Washington Nationals
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Atlanta Braves
Milwaukee Brewers vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Detroit Tigers vs. Chicago Cubs
Los Angeles Angels vs. Kansas City Royals
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Oakland Athletics
Seattle Mariners vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Betting insights
- Verlander was placed on the injured list in early June with neck discomfort. The future Hall of Famer had a 3.95 ERA through 10 starts before that and looked good in his rehab assignment (7.0 IP, two runs, eight Ks). Houston has won 11 of its last 13 games.
- The New York Yankees have lost three straight games and turn to Nestor Cortes, who has struggled lately. Cortes just threw 7.0 shutout innings against the lowly Chicago White Sox but had a 9.26 ERA in five starts before that. The Cleveland Guardians counter with rookie Joey Cantillo (6.23 ERA).
- The Toronto Blue Jays offence erupted last night, hitting four home runs en route to a 10-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. Today’s rubber match is a pick ’em with Yariel Rodriguez (3.93 ERA) starting for Toronto opposite Nick Martinez (3.25 ERA).
- Aaron Nola (3.45 ERA) and Max Fried (3.62 ERA) have seen their opposition plenty and one has done better than the other. Nola has held Atlanta to a .234 batting average with a 29.1% K rate in 289 combined plate appearances while Philadelphia is hitting .333 off Fried in 251 PAs, per Baseball Savant.
Avery joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2022 before stepping into a full-time role soon after. He loves betting on and analyzing golf — mainly because it’s easier than actually playing — but is a fan of all sports, from the NFL to the UFC.