MLB Best Bets Today, 7/22: Expert Picks, Predictions & Props On Monday
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Looking for the top MLB Best Bets and Props for today? As always, we’ve got you covered here on Fantasy Alarm! The second half of the MLB season has gotten off to an exciting start and we’ve got a jam-packed 13-game slate from which to choose today.
The day gets off to an early start with Carlos Rodon and the New York Yankees hosting the Tampa Bay Rays, but we’ll probably focus our attention more towards the evening slate, depending on what the Vegas odds and lines give us throughout the day. We have some really nice pitching to work with for our player props with guys like Ranger Suarez, Cole Ragans and Tarik Skubal on the mound, so let’s dive in.
MLB Picks, Predictions & Best Bets Today, 7/22
We closed out the first half of the season fairly well, though we did struggle with the Friday MLB predictions (7/12) the night before the All-Star break, which gave us a good overall showing, but not as great as we would have liked.
Maybe it was all the players anticipating the break, but now that we’re back on track, we’re ready to carry it through. I can’t say we’re going to play today’s slate too heavily, but we’ve got some solid value picks for you to make.
- Season Record: 332-283-6
- Bankroll: +10.44 units
Cardinals vs. Pirates Prediction: Monday, July 22
While Mitch Keller crawled into the All-Star break looking a little beaten up, he still closed out the first half with strong numbers. The 3.46 ERA and 1.25 WHIP were good, especially considering the way he opened the season, and his 105 strikeouts over 114.1 innings gave Pirates fans hope. He’s got the Cardinals, a team that beat him up in early July, but they’re a middle of the pack team at best and have a 23.3-percent K-rate against righties this season.
That strikeout rate has jumped to 28-percent to open the second half, so our MLB best bets today will side with Keller for some retribution. He should be able to hold them in check, at least for the first five innings, not to mention the Pirates bats should be able to grab an early lead against Andre Pallante.
- Expert Cardinals vs. Pirates Picks:
- Pittsburgh First 5 Innings Money Line (-130 on Bet365 Sportsbook)
White Sox vs. Rangers Prediction: Monday, July 22
We’re just going to stick with some prop bets for this portion of today’s MLB picks as it’s still really early here. You always like to give yourself a little leeway and see how teams come out after the week off. But the prop betting should help us get our feet wet and we’ll start with Michael Lorenzen, who is usually good for a six-inning start, especially here against the White Sox. He’s gone under the 16.5 outs in each of his final four starts of the first half but is well rested and should be able to give us the outs we need.
On the other side, the Rangers bats have come out cold to start the second half and have a .239 wOBA with a 25-percent strikeout rate over their last three games. These bats can heat up at any moment, so I won’t tangle with any other bets here, but usually when teams come out slow and are striking out, they press a little too much while they work out the kinks. Erick Fedde has gone over this strikeout mark in three of his last five starts and should get back to business here in his first outing of the second half.
- Expert White Sox vs. Rangers Picks:
- Erick Fedde Over 4.5 Strikeouts (+100 on Bet365 Sportsbook)
- Michael Lorenzen Over 16.5 Outs (-125 on DraftKings Sportsbook)
Reds vs. Braves Prediction: Monday, July 22
We’re going to lean on the props again for our MLB predictions in this one as both offenses are capable of putting up runs and chasing starters. Hunter Greene heading into the break on fire with three spectacular starts and with at least six strikeouts in each one. The Braves are fanning 24.3-percent of the time against righties this season and have opened the second half with a similar strikeout rate. I expect Greene to fan at least six and minimize the hits allowed.
On the other side, I know the Reds can be overly aggressive at times, but the number seems a little too high for Reynaldo Lopez. The line actually opened at 7.5 and immediately got pushed down to 6.5. I grabbed this before the juice got too crazy, so definitely jump on this under early.
- Expert Reds vs. Braves Picks:
- Hunter Greene Over 5.5 Strikeouts (-128 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Hunter Greene Under 4.5 Hits Allowed (-120 on Bet365 Sportsbook)
- Reynaldo Lopez Under 6.5 Strikeouts (-136 on FanDuel Sportsbook)