Saturday, August 29, 2026

We probably won’t see much of Chicago’s starters in this one, which has been a theme of the preseason for Ben Johnson’s bunch. Conversely, Robert Saleh’s starters will see about 25 snaps.

We probably won’t see much of Chicago’s starters in this one, which has been a theme of the preseason for Ben Johnson’s bunch. Conversely, Robert Saleh’s starters will see about 25 snaps.

Atlanta possesses advantages virtually everywhere. The 80-55 Braves send Martín Pérez and his 3.12 ERA against Ryan Feltner, who carries a 6.08 ERA for a 52-83 Colorado club. Rather than laying more than -200 on Atlanta's moneyline, trade the run and get the vastly superior team at a near even-money price.

Kansas City's 11-1 surge commands respect, but Foster Griffin is the reason to oppose it. Griffin enters 15-4 with a 3.19 ERA. In other words, Griffin is a stopper's stopper and can dampen the Royals' hot streak. He is one of few pitchers in baseball you can trust more as a favorite, I'll take the plunge on the Guards.

Sandy Alcantara and Cade Cavalli completely change the complexion of this matchup. Alcantara owns a 13-8 record and 3.38 ERA pitching like his vintage self, while Cavalli enters 12-5 with a 3.21 ERA and 169 strikeouts. Both possess the ability to work deep and suppress offense. This is a spot where runs will be hard to come by.

Kansas City's 11-1 surge commands respect, but Foster Griffin is the reason to oppose it. Griffin enters 15-4 with a 3.19 ERA. In other words, Griffin is a stopper's stopper and can dampen the Royals' hot streak. He is one of few pitchers in baseball you can trust more as a favorite, I'll take the plunge on the Guards.

We probably won’t see much of Chicago’s starters in this one, which has been a theme of the preseason for Ben Johnson’s bunch. Conversely, Robert Saleh’s starters will see about 25 snaps.

Kyle Leahy has pitched very well for the Cardinals this season despite some shakier underlying metrics. He draws a Pirates lineup in weak form against righties. Lake Bacher will start for the Pirates and be supported by a well-rested bullpen behind him. I lean towards the under in this game.

Kyle Leahy has pitched very well for the Cardinals this season despite some shakier underlying metrics. He draws a Pirates lineup in weak form against righties. Lake Bacher will start for the Pirates and be supported by a well-rested bullpen behind him. I lean towards the under in this game.

Sandy Alcantara and Cade Cavalli completely change the complexion of this matchup. Alcantara owns a 13-8 record and 3.38 ERA pitching like his vintage self, while Cavalli enters 12-5 with a 3.21 ERA and 169 strikeouts. Both possess the ability to work deep and suppress offense. This is a spot where runs will be hard to come by.

The Dodgers hold a significant advantage with Snell on the mound and Los Angeles should be able to generate enough offense off of Montero in this matchup. Montero is 2-3 with a 3.90 ERA in his last five starts.

We probably won’t see much of Chicago’s starters in this one, which has been a theme of the preseason for Ben Johnson’s bunch. Conversely, Robert Saleh’s starters will see about 25 snaps.

The Rays rank bottom-10 in wRC+ and BA over the last 14 days, and I don’t expect that to turn around against this San Diego pitching staff. Walker Buehler has notched three straight quality starts and has arguably the best bullpen unit in the league available in relief.

After Milwaukee's offense broke out in the series opener, confidence should remain high at the plate, while Texas has enough veteran hitters to answer throughout the game. With two capable offenses, quality but not overpowering starters, and enough depth on both sides to sustain rallies, this matchup is well positioned to finish above the total.

The Angels' starting pitching has been great since firing their pitching coach. Ryan Johnson has allowed only 3 runs in the 3 starts since then. With Cristopher Sanchez on the mound for the Phillies, this game could shape up to be a sneaky under.

With both starters carrying question marks and neither bullpen entering as a major strength, this game has the potential to turn into an offensive battle. Expect traffic on the bases throughout the afternoon and enough production from both clubs to push the total comfortably into double digits.

After Milwaukee's offense broke out in the series opener, confidence should remain high at the plate, while Texas has enough veteran hitters to answer throughout the game. With two capable offenses, quality but not overpowering starters, and enough depth on both sides to sustain rallies, this matchup is well positioned to finish above the total.

Kade Anderson is set to make his 2nd career MLB start in an easier matchup than his 1st one. Jose Soriano is having issues with command and draws a patient Mariners lineup. I favor Seattle at underdog pricing.

Kyle Leahy has pitched very well for the Cardinals this season despite some shakier underlying metrics. He draws a Pirates lineup in weak form against righties. Lake Bacher will start for the Pirates and be supported by a well-rested bullpen behind him. I lean towards the under in this game.

Max Fried is hoping the Yankees offense can do enough in this matchup to help him secure his first win at home this season. Bello has struggled on the road this season, holding a 5.48 ERA and the Yankees should be able to capitalize early on.

Sandy Alcantara and Cade Cavalli completely change the complexion of this matchup. Alcantara owns a 13-8 record and 3.38 ERA pitching like his vintage self, while Cavalli enters 12-5 with a 3.21 ERA and 169 strikeouts. Both possess the ability to work deep and suppress offense. This is a spot where runs will be hard to come by.

San Francisco's record says it should be a substantial underdog against a playoff-contending Arizona club, yet the Giants are essentially priced at even money. Merrill Kelly's 5.35 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and 5.69 FIP might be the reason why. His xERA sits over 7 and while the price looks fishy, it also makes sense when you dig deeper. Back San Francisco.

Kansas City's 11-1 surge commands respect, but Foster Griffin is the reason to oppose it. Griffin enters 15-4 with a 3.19 ERA. In other words, Griffin is a stopper's stopper and can dampen the Royals' hot streak. He is one of few pitchers in baseball you can trust more as a favorite, I'll take the plunge on the Guards.

Neither Kevin Gausman nor Andrew Abbott provides enough certainty to justify Chicago laying enormous juice in an NL Central rivalry. Cincinnati just scored 10 runs at Wrigley, and the wind favours offense again. In a volatile matchup, +170 is simply too large. Take the Reds.

Chicago owns the better record and yet the White Sox are priced as underdogs. That in itself makes the Sox attractive. To that point, Minnesota has struggled in the favorite role overall this season. The price warrants the play. Sox or nothing.

With two relatively inexperienced arms on the mound and offenses that are capable of stringing together quality at-bats, this matchup feels more likely to develop into a back-and-forth contest than a pitchers' duel. Expect both teams to contribute offensively and push the total over by the end of the night.

Denver coach Sean Payton wants to win, even in the preseason, so you know he’s going to want to see a better effort from his team on Friday. Many of the starters are unlikely to play, but Payton has built a winning culture at Denver throughout the depth chart, which powered the previous preseason win streak.

With two relatively inexperienced arms on the mound and offenses that are capable of stringing together quality at-bats, this matchup feels more likely to develop into a back-and-forth contest than a pitchers' duel. Expect both teams to contribute offensively and push the total over by the end of the night.

We probably won’t see much of Chicago’s starters in this one, which has been a theme of the preseason for Ben Johnson’s bunch. Conversely, Robert Saleh’s starters will see about 25 snaps.

Each of Detroit's first two preseason contests produced exactly 30 points – a 16-14 setback against Cincinnati and a 17-13 victory over Washington.

Denver coach Sean Payton wants to win, even in the preseason, so you know he’s going to want to see a better effort from his team on Friday. Many of the starters are unlikely to play, but Payton has built a winning culture at Denver throughout the depth chart, which powered the previous preseason win streak.

Cincinnati opened with a 16-14 victory over Detroit and then blew out Chicago 27-9. In the preseason, the value is generally on the team getting points.

The Saints and Cowboys have had 2 very different preseason slates so far. New Orleans has struggled mightily, while Dallas has thrived. I'm not overthinking things here.

With two relatively inexperienced arms on the mound and offenses that are capable of stringing together quality at-bats, this matchup feels more likely to develop into a back-and-forth contest than a pitchers' duel. Expect both teams to contribute offensively and push the total over by the end of the night.

Brandon Young enters 9-3 with a sturdy 3.50 ERA and can earn his 10th victory against an Jacob Lopez and an A's bullpen that sits last the MLB in ERA and WHIP. The Athletics have also surrendered an MLB-worst 201 home runs. Baltimore has multiple pathways toward separation, making the plus-money run line particularly attractive.

St. Louis' Quinn Matthews owns a 6.43 ERA through his first three MLB starts, while Pittsburgh's Jared Jones is sporting a 7.88 ERA so far in August. Both offenses should be able to do some damage against these starting pitchers.

Point Spread Pick

Point Spread Pick

Point Spread Pick

Game Totals Pick

Game Totals Pick

Game Totals Pick

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Game Totals

Game Totals

Game Totals

St. Louis' Quinn Matthews owns a 6.43 ERA through his first three MLB starts, while Pittsburgh's Jared Jones is sporting a 7.88 ERA so far in August. Both offenses should be able to do some damage against these starting pitchers.

We have two good lefties on the mound. The Brewers struggle against lefties, and the Rangers struggle to score runs in general. This should be a low-scoring grind.

The Braves have won four straight games and are coming off a series sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Tomoyuki Sugano is coming off back-to-back rough outings in which he has surrendered 11 earned runs in his last 8.0 innings pitched.

Miami remains firmly involved in the wildcard chase and possesses an enormous pitching advantage with Eury Pérez facing Jackson Kent. Pérez carries a 3.17 ERA and 1.11 WHIP, while Kent enters 0-2 with an 8.03 ERA and 2.11 WHIP. Lay the run and a half and turn the Fish into plus money.

Cincinnati opened with a 16-14 victory over Detroit and then blew out Chicago 27-9. In the preseason, the value is generally on the team getting points.

The Saints and Cowboys have had 2 very different preseason slates so far. New Orleans has struggled mightily, while Dallas has thrived. I'm not overthinking things here.

The defenses for both the Giants and Jets have been great in the preseason. The Giants have allowed just 16 total points while the Jets have allowed 24. Neither offense should be expected to light up the scoreboard in this one.

The Dolphins' effort so far – especially on offense – could be a sign of things to come. They have scored a grand total of 10 points through two outings. Each of their first two outings against Washington and the Giants failed to reach the 30-point mark.

These teams have a joint practice against each other on Wednesday, which is when the starters are likely to see a majority of their work. Carolina head coach Dave Canales already hinted at the starters getting most of their reps then, rather than in-game on Friday.

We have two good lefties on the mound. The Brewers struggle against lefties, and the Rangers struggle to score runs in general. This should be a low-scoring grind.

Both of these teams average 3.9 runs per game, which ranks 29th in the league. Dylan Cease has been dominant all season long with a 2.37 ERA in 144.1 innings.

The Braves have won four straight games and are coming off a series sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Tomoyuki Sugano is coming off back-to-back rough outings in which he has surrendered 11 earned runs in his last 8.0 innings pitched.

Miami remains firmly involved in the wildcard chase and possesses an enormous pitching advantage with Eury Pérez facing Jackson Kent. Pérez carries a 3.17 ERA and 1.11 WHIP, while Kent enters 0-2 with an 8.03 ERA and 2.11 WHIP. Lay the run and a half and turn the Fish into plus money.