The Cubs and Guardians are the first game of the day for August 12th, with first-pitch set for 6:40 ET al alongside the Cardinals and Reds in an NL-Central matchup. In the AL-Central, the Royals visit the Twins, and the Yankees are on the road in Chicago to take on the White Sox. A pair of division leaders face off in Milwaukee as the Dodgers face the Brewers. The final game of the day is the Braves and Giants (9:45 ET).
Moneyline Plays
Kansas City Royals vs. Minnesota Twins
Royals (+132) – Twins (-156) | O/U 8.0
On the moneyline, the Twins are favored at -156, and the Royals are sitting at +132. The over/under line is currently at 8 runs, and this one is set to start at 7:40 PM ET. The game is taking place at Target Field in Minneapolis, and BSKC will be airing the game.
Minnesota is 65-52 overall, which has them 3.5 games behind the Guardians for the division lead. The Royals are 65-53 and are four games behind the Guardians. Both teams are 6-4 in their last 10 games. Kansas City is 25-11 in divisional games, and the Twins are 26-16.
Brady Singer is 8-7 this season with a 3.03 ERA, and he will be looking to bounce back from his last outing, where he took the loss. Singer will be facing a Twins offense that is 9th in scoring and hitting .252 as a team. Ryan Jeffers has 17 homers for the Twins, which is 15th in the league.
Twins starter Pablo López is 10-8 with a 4.74 ERA this season. He is averaging 10.05 strikeouts per nine innings and has a WHIP of 1.16. López will be facing a Royals offense that is 9th in scoring and hitting .254 as a team. Bobby Witt Jr. is hitting .347 and has 22 homers for the Royals. He is also on a five-game hitting streak.
MLB Best Bet: Kansas City Royals ML +132
Texas Rangers vs. Boston Red Sox
Rangers (+115) – Red Sox (-135) | O/U 9.5
Looking at the moneyline for Monday’s game, the Red Sox are the favorite at -135, while the Rangers are +115. The over/under line is sitting at 9.5 runs, and first pitch is set for 7:10 PM ET. Currently, the Red Sox are 61-55 and trail the Orioles by 7.5 games in the AL East. As for the Rangers, they are 55-63 overall and 3rd in the AL West, 7.5 games behind the Astros.
Adolis García has been hitting .357 over his last eight games for the Rangers, while Corey Seager has four homers over that stretch. Overall, Seager leads the team with 61 RBIs and is hitting .274. On the other side, the Red Sox are 4th in scoring and are led by Rafael Devers, who is hitting .300 with 25 homers. Boston is also the league’s 7th best team in terms of scoring and has the best team BABIP.
Brayan Bello will be on the mound for the Red Sox, and he is 10-5 with a 5.16 ERA. He has made seven quality starts and is coming off an outing in which he didn’t allow a homer. As for the Rangers, they will be sending out Tyler Mahle, who is looking to bounce back from a loss in his first start of the year.
MLB Best Bet: Texas Rangers ML +115
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Reds
Cardinals (-130) – Reds (+110) | O/U 9.0
Heading into this game, the Reds are 57-61, putting them in 4th in the NL Central, and they trail the Brewers by 10.5 games. The Cardinals are 60-58 overall and are 7.5 games behind the Brewers. First pitch for this one is set for 6:40 PM ET, and the Reds are the slight moneyline favorite at +110. The over/under line is set at 9 runs.
Andrew Abbott will be on the mound for the Reds, and he is 9-9 with a 3.70 ERA. He is taking on a Cardinals offense that is 22nd in scoring at 4.2 runs per game. Nolan Arenado has been swinging a hot bat for the Cardinals, going 9/26 over his last seven games. Overall, he is hitting .269 with nine homers. Alec Burleson leads the team with 20 homers and 67 RBIs, and he is hitting .277.
Sonny Gray will be starting for the Reds, and he is 11-6 with a 3.65 ERA. He will be facing a Reds offense that is 14th in scoring at 4.4 runs per game. Elly De La Cruz has been swinging a hot bat for the Reds, going 12/38 with two homers and five RBIs over his last nine games. Overall, he is hitting .264 with 20 homers.
MLB Best Bet: Cincinnati Reds ML +110
Chicago Cubs vs. Cleveland Guardians
Cubs (-118) – Guardians (+100) | O/U 8.0
Today, the Cubs will be looking to get above .500, as they are currently 59-60 and nine games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. They are on a four-game winning streak and will be facing the Guardians, who are 69-49 and 1st in the AL Central. The Guardians are 3.5 games ahead of the Twins in the division and are the slight moneyline favorites for Monday’s game at +100.
First pitch is set for 6:40 PM ET, and the over/under line is currently at 8 runs. The Cubs are starting Shota Imanaga, who is 9-2 with a 3.06 ERA. He has a WHIP of 1.05 and is averaging 9.34 strikeouts per nine innings. On the other side, the Guardians are starting Ben Lively, who is 10-7 with a 3.59 ERA and a WHIP of 1.17. Lively has seven quality starts this year and is averaging 7.5 strikeouts per nine innings.
Offensively, the Cubs are 20th in scoring, averaging 4.2 runs per game, while the Guardians are 13th at 4.6 runs per game. José Ramírez is 3rd in the MLB with 31 homers and has 97 RBIs. For the Cubs, Ian Happ leads the team with 19 homers and 65 RBIs. Michael Busch is hitting .333 with three homers over the past eight games for the Cubs.
MLB Best Bet: Cleveland Guardians ML +100
Atlanta Braves vs. San Francisco Giants
Braves (-115) – Giants (-104) | O/U 6.5
Chris Sale will be on the mound for the Braves on Monday, and he is 13-3 with a 2.75 ERA. Sale is also 11th in the league with a WHIP of 1.00 and is averaging 11.63 strikeouts per nine innings. He will be facing a Giants lineup that is 15th in scoring at 4.4 runs per game. Heliot Ramos is 7/26 in his last six games for the Giants, with two homers. The Giants are 35-24 at home and 26-35 on the road.
San Francisco will be sending Blake Snell to the mound, who is 2-3 with a 4.31 ERA through 12 starts. Snell is coming off a win in his last outing and has a batting average allowed of .179. The Giants are 9 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West and are 61-59 overall. The Braves are 61-56 and trail the Phillies by 7.5 games in the NL East. Atlanta is 32-26 at home and 29-30 on the road.
Marcell Ozuna has four homers in his last 10 games for the Braves and is 2nd in the majors with 35 homers. As a team, the Braves are 16th in scoring and are 4th in home runs. First pitch for this one is set for 9:45 PM ET from Oracle Park.
MLB Best Bet: San Francisco Giants ML -104
Toronto Blue Jays vs. Los Angeles Angels
Blue Jays (-106) – Angels (-112) | O/U 9.0
On the moneyline, the Blue Jays are favored at -106, and the over/under line is at 9 runs. The Angels are 52-66 overall, putting them 4th in the AL West, and the Blue Jays are 54-64, which has them 5th in the AL East. First pitch is set for 9:38 PM ET.
Los Angeles is 26-35 at home, and the Blue Jays are 29-31 at home. The Angels have an overall series record of 12-24-2, and they have dropped two straight series. Toronto will be looking to snap a two-game losing streak today, and they are 4-6 across their last 10 games.
So far, the Blue Jays offense is 24th in scoring, while the Angels are 25th. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is hitting .319 for the Blue Jays and has gone deep 23 times. As for the Angels, Zach Neto is 9/23 in his last five games, and he is hitting .264 overall. Neto is also tied for the team lead in homers with 17.
Starting for the Blue Jays is Bowden Francis, who is 4-3 with a 5.44 ERA. He is coming off a five-inning outing vs. the Orioles in which he gave up two earned runs. The Angels are going with Davis Daniel, who is still looking for his first win of the season. In his last outing, he went 3 1/3 innings and gave up five runs.
MLB Best Bet: Toronto Blue Jays ML -106
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Dodgers (-109) – Brewers (-109) | O/U 8.0
Clayton Kershaw is still looking for his first win of the season, and he is facing off against Freddy Peralta, who is 7-6 with a 4.02 ERA. Peralta has a WHIP of 1.22 and is averaging 11.13 strikeouts per nine innings. The over/under line for the game is currently set at 8 runs, and the Brewers are the slight favorite (-109).
Los Angeles is 69-49 and leads the NL West by 3.5 games over the Diamondbacks. The Brewers are 67-50 and lead the NL Central by 7.5 games. The Dodgers are on a three-game winning streak and have gone 21-18 vs. the NL West. Milwaukee has won two straight series and are 29-22 as the underdog.
Shohei Ohtani has been the Dodgers’ top power threat this season, with 35 homers and 83 RBIs. Teoscar Hernandez is hitting .275 with 26 homers and is 9/21 in his last five games. As a team, the Dodgers are 5th in scoring and 3rd in homers. The Brewers are 6th in scoring and 4th in batting average. William Contreras has 13 homers for the Brewers, and Willy Adames has 21 homers and 80 RBIs.
MLB Best Bet: Los Angeles Dodgers ML -109
Houston Astros vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Astros (-122) – Rays (+103) | O/U 7.5
Monday’s matchup between the Astros and Rays is set to get underway at 6:50 PM ET. The Astros are the road favorite at -122 and are 62-55 overall, while the Rays are +103 and are 59-58. Framber Valdez is starting for the Astros, and he is 11-5 with a 3.46 ERA. On the other side, the Rays are going with Taj Bradley, who is 6-6 with a 3.07 ERA.
The Astros are currently on a five-game winning streak and are tied with the Mariners for the AL West lead. Houston is 21-18 in divisional games and 32-26 at home. The Rays are 31-31 at home and 28-27 on the road. They are 4th in the AL East and trail the Orioles by 10 games. Tampa Bay is 17-23 against other AL East teams.
Offensively, the Astros are 2nd in team batting average and are averaging 4.6 runs per game. Houston’s top run producer this season has been Yordan Alvarez, who has 25 homers and 63 RBIs. Kyle Tucker is right behind him in the home run department with 19. On the other side, the Rays are 28th in scoring and are hitting just .234 as a team. Christopher Morel has been one of the Rays’ top power hitters, with 20 homers, but he is hitting just .193.
Bradley is coming off a rough outing vs. the Cardinals, in which he gave up five runs over 4 2/3 innings. For the season, he is 6-6 with a 3.07 ERA. Valdez is coming off a game in which he went 8 2/3 innings and gave up two earned runs. He is 6-2 with a 3.85 ERA at home and 5-3 with a 4.15 ERA on the road.
MLB Best Bet: Houston Astros ML -122
Over Under Plays
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. San Diego Padres
Pirates (+136) – Padres (-162) | O/U 8.0
Joe Musgrove and the Padres are the heavy favorite heading into Monday’s matchup vs. the Pirates, with San Diego’s moneyline odds sitting at -162 compared to the Pirates at +136. This one is getting started at 9:40 PM ET from PETCO Park in San Diego, and the Padres are 3rd in the NL West, while the Pirates are on a 7-game losing streak and they are 5th in the NL Central.
The over/under line is currently at 8 runs, and Marco Gonzales will be on the mound for the Pirates. At 56-61, the Pirates are 5th in the NL Central. Musgrove is 7-11 with a 4.13 ERA this season. The Pirates are 24-21 when favored this year and 32-40 as the underdog.
San Diego’s offense has been one of the league’s best this season, as they come into today’s game leading the league with a .266 team batting average. They are also 10th in the league in runs per game (4.8) and have been even better on the road, averaging 5.1 runs per contest. The Padres have been one of the hardest teams to strike out this season and have the league’s top on-base percentage.
Jurickson Profar and Manny Machado have been two of the league’s top power hitters this season, as Profar’s 19 homers are the best on the team and Machado is right behind him with 18. Profar’s 72 RBIs are also the best in the league, while Machado is 2nd on the team with 68 RBIs. Over his last eight games, Jackson Merrill has gone 11/28 with four homers and 10 RBIs.
MLB Best Bet: Over 8 Runs -115
New York Yankees vs. Chicago White Sox
Yankees (-316) – White Sox (+257) | O/U 9.0
New York is the top-scoring offense in the league, averaging 5.2 runs per game, and they will be facing Ky Bush, who is making his second start of the season. So far, the White Sox starter is 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA. The Yankees are also the top on-base percentage team in the league and have the best OPS. Aaron Judge and Juan Soto have been swinging the bat well for New York, and Judge is hitting .328 for the season.
Chicago is the worst hitting team in the league, with a team batting average of just .217, and they are averaging only 3.1 runs per game. Andrew Benintendi has been hot of late for the White Sox, going 5/29 with five homers over his last seven games. The White Sox are 23-88 as the underdog, and they are 12-40 as the home underdog.
The White Sox are 28-91 overall and are 41.5 games out of the AL Central lead. New York is 70-49 and 7.5 games behind the Red Sox for the division lead. The Yankees are the road favorite and are 38-22 on the road compared to 32-27 at home. The White Sox are 17-42 at home and 11-49 on the road.
Luis Gil is 12-5 with a 3.06 ERA this season for the Yankees, and he has made nine quality starts. In his last outing, he went five scoreless innings. Overall, Gil is averaging 10.56 strikeouts per nine innings. He has a 5.94 ERA at home compared to 3.62 on the road. The Yankees are -316 on the moneyline, and the over/under line is at 9 runs. First pitch is set for 8:10 PM ET.
MLB Best Bet: Over 9 Runs -112
Colorado Rockies vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
Rockies (+191) – Diamondbacks (-233) | O/U 8.5
Cal Quantrill will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing as he gets the start for the Rockies today. The right-hander is 7-8 this season with a 4.56 ERA. For the year, he has made 23 starts, 12 of which have been quality starts. Quantrill will be facing a Diamondbacks offense that is 3rd in batting average and leads the majors in scoring at 5.2 runs per game.
Arizona will be sending Brandon Pfaadt to the mound, and he is 6-6 with a 3.92 ERA. Pfaadt’s WHIP for the year is 1.11, and opponents are hitting .236 off him. Pfaadt will be facing a Rockies offense that is 17th in scoring at 4.3 runs per game and 6th in homers. First pitch for this one is set for 9:40 PM ET, and the Diamondbacks are -233 on the moneyline.
Arizona is 66-53 overall and trail the Dodgers by 3.5 games in the NL West. They are 19-14 against other teams in the division. Colorado is 44-75 and 5th in the NL West, trailing the Dodgers by 25.5 games. The Rockies are 17-43 on the road, and they have yet to win a series away from home this year (9-25-3).
MLB Best Bet: Over 8.5 Runs -106
