Free Sports Picks – Thursday, August 20
Wednesday wasn’t a particularly good day for me overall, as I suffered some heavy losses at my sportsbook thanks to some soccer and tennis bets (and a stroke of bad luck at the blackjack tables – there’s lesson #3748394732 in bankroll management, folks), but it was yet another winning day for me with my picks.
I went 3-2 with Wednesday’s picks, and I’ll take a winning day over a losing one, but it’s safe to say that I’m always shooting for perfection and nothing less.
Will I achieve perfection with today’s picks? We shall see, but as always, good luck and wager responsibly! And one more thing – don’t forget to check out the latest lines on all of the games picked below by checking out our betting odds page.
MUST SEE MATCHUPS
Houston Astros v. Florida Marlins (8:05 P.M. ET)
Pitching Matchup: Wandy Rodriguez (11-7, 3.05 ERA) v. Josh Johnson (12-2, 2.85 ERA)
Rodriguez was absolutely hammered in his last start against Milwaukee on Friday, allowing eight runs in the first in a start in which he gave up 10 runs on 10 hits in four innings in an 11-2 loss. But given that he’d been pitching lights out for the last month-plus, he was due for a bad start, and considering that he has 18 quality starts in 24 starts this season, you can expect him to be in top form tonight.
He’ll need to be too, with Johnson on the mound for the Marlins. Johnson is 5-0 with a 2.92 ERA in his last six starts (and would be 6-0 if not for a bad 8th inning against the Nationals two weeks ago).
This is a tough pick, but I’m going with the Astros to take the win and the series. The Astros have won in Rodriguez’s last five home starts and are 9-2 in his 11 home starts this season, and I like him to bounce back from Friday’s nightmare outing and outduel Johnson.
TODAY’S SURE BETS
Texas Rangers v. Minnesota Twins (8:05 P.M. ET)
Pitching Matchup: Derek Holland (6-7, 4.88 ERA) v. Anthony Swarzak (3-6, 5.87 ERA)
Besides having plenty of good reason to pick the Rangers based on how well Holland is pitching (3-1, 1.91 ERA in his last four starts), Texas is stinging after blowing leads in consecutive games and their potent bats will be facing a pitcher who’s 0-3 with an ERA of 18.00 in August and hasn’t made it past the fourth inning in any of his last three starts.
UPSET SPECIALS
Washington Nationals v. Colorado Rockies (7:05 P.M. ET)
Pitching Matchup: Garrett Mock (2-4, 5.27 ERA) v. Jason Hammel (7-7, 4.73 ERA)
Mock has settled into his still-fresh regular starting role, posting back-to-back quality starts in picking up his first two wins of the season, and though making it three quality starts in a row won’t be easy against Colorado’s lineup, I do like Washington to take the final game of their series against the Rockies. Hammel has been a little up and down recently, and with the Nationals being much improved recently, I don’t see them letting the Rockies leave with a sweep after losing two one-run games.
Bonus Pick #1: Philadelphia Phillies v. Arizona Diamondbacks (7:05 P.M. ET) – Take the under on the combined run line in this one with Blanton and Davis on the hill. In Blanton’s last six starts, the combined run totals have been 2, 5, 5, 11, 2, 5, 5, and with both Blanton (3-2, 1.79 ERA in his last seven starts) and Davis (3-0, 2.25 ERA in his last five starts) pitching well recently, I don’t see too many runs crossing the plate in this one.
Dont Agree? Let us Know. We love hearing your thoughts and picks!
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