MLB Best Bets and Betting Picks for July 20
Welcome to Thursday's edition of the MLB best bets everyone! The punishing continues for me in the MLB as Tuesday was another disappointing slate of wagers but worry not as I am persistent when it comes to winning money and bets and today is a new slate to dive into. Not the normal large slate we are accustomed to though as 10 games are slated for today and some start as early as 12:30pm ET so don't blink or you might just miss it! Below are a few different bets that include a team total runs wager, a player prop and an under in the 1st 5 innings! Let's just go ahead and dive right in to what I will be betting on today!
- Tuesday's Record: 1-3
- Season Record: 44-41-1
- Bankroll: -1.74 units
MLB Best Bets for July 20
Houston Astros at Oakland Athletics
The Astros may be banged up within their lineup but it doesn't seem to have slowed them down! Houston comes into this game against Oakland winners in 3 of the last 5 thanks to being boosted up by the offense that has scored 35 runs over that stretch which is of course 7 runs per game. That makes me scratch my head seeing their team total number tonight which sits at 4.5 total runs over on DraftKings right now. The number is much too low considering the track record of this offense and given the opponent for tonight in the Athletics who are one of the worst pitching team in the MLB. Hogan Harris will be the opener for the A's today and he has a ballooning 6.51 ERA and 1.47 WHIP so the Astros could get after this prop early and often tonight. Let's not stop here though as I like a player prop for this game as well. Kyle Tucker has been one of the best hitters in the Astros lineup this season and he is slated to hit 3rd tonight and that puts him in perfect position to go over one of my favorite props which is hits, runs and RBIs. His number has dropped to 1.5 from 2.5 tonight and that makes this the perfect chance to pounce as Tucker has gone over 1.5 hits, runs and RBIs in 4 of the last 5 games. Fire up Houston tonight and hopefully they don't flop like many teams have seemed to do lately.
Pick: Houston Astros Over 5.5 Total Runs (-135 on DraftKings)
Pick: Kyle Tucker Over 1.5 Hits/Runs/RBIs (-140 on DraftKings)
Minnesota Twins at Seattle Mariners
It's a matchup of two fine pitchers today as the Twins visit the Mariners and Pablo Lopez goes toe to toe with George Kirby! The Twins enter the game in first place in the AL Central with a 50-47 record and much of that success has been on the back of the pitching and defense this season. This is evident because the Twins have gone under in 51.6% of games this season and have scored just 4.35 runs per game, the 11th fewest in the MLB. Lopez does worry me a bit because he has had some blow up spot recently but overall his is a reliable starter that can strikeout a handful of batters a game with 19 over his last 2 starts. On the other end is George Kirby who has been rock steady for the Mariners all season long with his 3.43 ERA and 1.07 WHIP. This has led me to taking the under in the 1st 5 Innings with both teams being lower scoring and the pitchers being on top of their game. The full game total at 8 runs scares me a bit too as there is talent and the bullpens aren't the greatest for each team so let's get the under out of the way early in this one.
Pick: Twins & Mariners 1st 5 Innings Under 4 Runs (-140 on BetMGM)
**all bets are one unit unless specifically mentioned.
Player News
Dillon Dingler went 3-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI on Friday night, helping to lead the Tigers to a come-from-behind 7-6 victory over the Twins in Minneapolis.
The Tigers were staring at a 4-1 deficit heading into the sixth inning but they made quick work of that with a pair of walks and three consecutive singles to start the frame, with Dingler’s RBI single tying the game at 4-4. He also led off the fifth inning with a single and scored his club’s first run on a throwing error by Matt Wallner. Dingler has been absolutely sizzling at the plate to open the season, slashing .387/.406/.677 with a pair of homers and eight RBI.
Colt Keith went 2-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI on Friday night as the Tigers triumphed over the Twins.
Keith played a role in the Tigers’ four-run rally in the sixth inning, reaching on an infield single to load the bases with nobody out. He then scored the tying run on Dillon Dingler’s RBI single. The 23-year-old infielder also drove in a valuable insurance run with a two-out RBI single off of Justin Topa in the seventh inning. With the two-hit attack, he’s now hitting .200/.385/.250 with zero home runs, two RBI and no stolen bases.
Tommy Kahnle snagged his second save of the season on Friday night, escaping the ninth inning with a one-run lead intact against the Twins.
Kahnle made things interesting by allowing a one-out single to Trevor Larnach and a two-out infield single to Edouard Julien. He then surrendered an RBI ground ball single to Ty France that trimmed the lead to one run before ralling to get Mickey Gasper on a ground ball to first to end it. Kahnle has allowed just one run through his first five innings on the season while registering a 5/0 K/BB ratio. While many have speculated that the Tigers’ bullpen will be full of chaos in 2025, it has been Kahnle that has emerged in a traditional closer’s role to open the season. He’s worth a look in any fantasy leagues where he may still be hanging around on the waiver wire.
Reese Olson struggled with his command in a no-decision against the Twins on Friday evening, allowing four runs on six hits over 4 1/3 innings.
Olson also issued three walks on the night while striking out three. He threw just 48 of his 90 pitches for strikes in the ballgame, which contributed to his early exit. The Twins scratched out a run against him in the second inning on an RBI single off the bat of Ty France, then broke the game open with three more in the fifth while chasing him. Olson got 10 swings and misses on 90 pitches on the night, posting a CSW of 23 percent. He’ll look to bounce back as he brings a 6.00 ERA, 1.67 WHIP and a 13/8 K/BB ratio (15 innings) into Wednesday’s battle against the Brewers in Milwaukee.
Byron Buxton had a terrific night at the plate in Friday’s loss to the Tigers, going 1-for-4 with a solo homer, walk, three runs scored, two RBI and a stolen base.
Buxton worked Reese Olson for a leadoff walk to start the second inning then stole second base and raced around to score the game’s first run on an RBI single by Ty France. He then plated a run with a fielder’s choice in the fifth inning and scored on Edouard Julien’s RBI double. Buxton also clobbered a 394-foot (108.1 mph EV) solo shot off of Beau Brieske in the seventh that pulled the Twins to within a run at 6-5. Even with the strong night though, he’s hitting just .178/.229/.356 with two homers, six RBI and three stolen bases on the season.
David Festa pitched well in a no-decision against the Tigers in his season debut on Friday night, allowing just one unearned run on three hits over 4 2/3 innings.
Festa struck out four batters on the evening while allowing only one free pass. The only run that the Tigers scratched out against him came on a two-out single by Gleyber Torres on which Matt Wallner overthrew the third baseman allowing Dillon Dingler to score. The 25-year-old right-hander got nine whiffs on 64 pitches in the ballgame, registering a CSW of 28 percent. He’ll look to build off of this strong first start when he takes on the Braves in Atlanta on Friday.