MLB Best Bets Today, 8/8: Expert Picks, Predictions & Props - Thursday
Welcome to another edition of the MLB Best Bets and Props this Thursday. As I prepare for the remnants of Hurricane Debbie here in the mid-Atlantic, it means that I am stuck inside reading the odds and lines to find us all some winners.
Do keep in mind that many of these games could be canceled through the next couple of days on the east coast due to the weather as well. Other than that, it's grinding on as usual after a 5-4 day yesterday just building that bankroll a little bit more day by day!
MLB Picks, Predictions & Best Bets Today, 8/8
In this article, you'll discover a diverse selection of options, ranging from money lines and team totals to an abundance of MLB props for today's action! The analysis has highlighted certain bets that stand out, so be sure to review your betting card carefully before hitting that submit button tonight!
Take a look at the reasoning behind these picks, and if you find yourself in agreement, feel free to follow along. Best of luck! Now, let’s jump into my top MLB predictions for today!
- Season Record: 86-60-3
- Bankroll: +11.8 units
*Follow me on twitter @jwaggs10!
Reds vs. Marlins Prediction: Thursday, August 8th
A very profitable 4-game series for us between the Reds and Marlins wraps up today and we are going back to the well once more with our MLB best bets! The Reds are still alive in the wild card chase hanging by a thread so they’ll give their best shot every game and, against the Marlins pitcher today in Kyle Tyler, it should mean good things. Tyler has a 5.27 ERA on the season but it’s ballooned over the summer as he’s allowed 12 earned runs in his last 16.2 innings pitched.
During that time, he’s also failed to top 15 outs recorded all but once as well. Therein lies the first wager of this game as his outs prop sits at 14.5 at plus money! Seeing the trends, this bet will be close, but there’s positive value on fading him, so give me that wager. Then there’s the double-down against him with a Reds batter on the prop market, and against righties, the man to pick is Elly De La Cruz, hitting .292 with an .941 OPS.
Combine that with Tyler allowing a .351 average against lefties and you have a rock-solid bet on De La Cruz to go over 1.5 total bases today at some more plus money! I will close out the wagering here on Hunter Greene, the starter for the Reds who is a strikeout king this season with 40 Ks over his last 6 starts. Give me the over on 7.5 strikeouts for him today.
- Expert Reds vs. Marlins Picks:
- Kyle Tyler (MIA) Under 14.5 Outs Recorded (+115 on DraftKings)
- Elly De La Cruz (CIN) Over 1.5 Total Bases (+125 on DraftKings)
- Hunter Greene (CIN) Over 7.5 Strikeouts (+115 on DraftKings)
Phillies vs. Diamondbacks Prediction: Thursday, August 8th
The Diamondbacks may be one of the hottest teams in baseball right now, but Jordan Montgomery is not helping the cause one bit with his 6.37 ERA. In a matchup against the Phillies tonight, I am going to need to fade Arizona in places.
Being a lefty that’s struggling isn’t a good proposition for Montgomery tonight as the Phillies have Trea Turner, Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber who are all hitting over .300 in average and over .900 in OPS against southpaws right now. There is an interesting split though with Monty as he pitches righties much worse allowing a .330 average on the season, so that means Turner is the bat to back tonight.
His total bases prop is what I want to attack as well at 1.5 as a multi-hit game should be in the cards for Turner who has done it twice in the last 5 games heading into tonight. I also want to take the over in general tonight in my MLB predictions as the Dbacks have been wild on the scoreboard in games lately, going over the total in 7 of their last 10 games and with mediocre pitchers on the mound today that trend will likely continue, so let’s go over 9.5 runs tonight in this one.
- Expert Phillies vs. Diamondbacks Picks:
- Trea Turner Over 1.5 Total Bases (-110 on DraftKings)
- Philadelphia vs. Arizona Over 9.5 Runs (-110 on DraftKings)
Best MLB Prop Bets & Other Picks Today, 8/8
- New York Mets vs. Colorado Rockies Under 10.5 Runs (-125 on DraftKings)
- Bryan Woo (SEA) Over 5.5 Strikeouts (-110 on DraftKings)
- Pittsburgh Pirates Money Line (-110 on DraftKings)
Player News
Paul Skenes has announced that he will pitch for Team USA at the World Baseball Classic
Skenes has pitched for Team USA in two other tournaments during his career and actually spent two years at the Air Force Academy. He is arguably the best pitcher in baseball right now and will partner with arguably the best hitter in baseball right now, Aaron Judge, to lead Team USA in what figures to be an extremely competitive WBC tournament in 2026.
White Sox LHP prospect Hagen Smith (fatigue) will have his workload managed at Double-A Birmingham.
Hagen Smith’s velocity fluctuated in his last outing, and the White Sox were cautious about him showing some signs of fatigue. They shortened his last outing and will skip his next start to help him manage his workload in his first full professional season. Everything is fine with Smith from a medical perspective, but this is a good reminder that Smith is an immense talent, but fantasy managers shouldn’t expect a major impact this season as he adjusts to professional baseball.
Paul Blackburn (knee) will make his final rehab start for Triple-A Syracuse on Friday
Blackburn has already made four rehab starts, so he will need to be reinstated from the injured list after his start on Friday. As of now, there is no room in the Mets’ rotation, so the most likely outcome is that Blackburn would serve as a multi-inning reliever, which could bump Dedniel Nunez back to the minors.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora admitted the team will “take a look at” whether or not to remove Tanner Houck from the starting rotation.
After his brutal start on Monday, Houck admitted this is “probably the most lost [he’s] ever been.” The struggles really began in the second half of last season, but Houck now has an 8.04 ERA and has allowed double-digit runs in less than three innings twice this season already. Houck does have minor league options remaining, so the Red Sox could simply send him to Triple-A and give him time to figure out what’s going out. If they were to do so, that would allow Hunter Dobbins to stay in the rotation even after Walker Buehler returns next week.
MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy suggests that the Brewers could call up Logan Henderson to start on Wednesday against the Guardians.
Milwaukee has pushed Jose Quintana’s start back to Saturday against the Twins, which means they currently don’t have a starter for Wednesday’s game. Henderson is already on the 40-man roster, so he would make some sense and be an intriguing streamer in deeper formats.
Austin Slater (knee) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday.
SLater had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee back on April 16th. He was given a four-to-six week timeline at the time, so he remains on track in his recovery. He could need multiple weeks of rehab games before returning to the White Sox lineup.