MLB Friday betting picks & best props – August 5, 2022

Playing starring roles in Major League Baseball (MLB) on Friday are Dylan Cease for the White Sox in Texas, Washington’s Josiah Gray against Philadelphia’s Kyle Gibson, and Robby Ray hosting the Angels in Seattle. Here are the best bets on MLB games scheduled for August 5, starting at 2:20pm ET.

Chicago White Sox (-165) @ Texas Rangers (+140)

Dylan Cease is expected to start for Chicago, and he has been excellent for the White Sox this season. His 11-4 record is top-five in MLB, as is his 2.01 ERA and 161 strikeouts. He’s been great against the Rangers, too, allowing just four hits in 27 at-bats, for a .128 batting average and .569 OPS against. Kole Calhoun has done much of the damage for Texas, with two of the team’s three extra-base hits (a double and a dinger) in four at-bats.

The projected starter for Texas is Glenn Otto, who is 4-7 with a 5.50 ERA and 1.46 WHIP. The White Sox are unfamiliar with him, but it shouldn’t take long to get familiar, especially for right-handed batters. Righties are 40-of-127 against Otto this year, with seven doubles and five dingers. That’s a .909 OPS and .315 batting average against. Also, Texas has lost the last seven games Otto’s started. The Rangers lost by two or more runs in four of those seven games and six of his 15 starts overall.

Take Chicago in the first five innings and on the moneyline.

Washington Nationals (+185) @ Philadelphia Phillies (-215)

Josiah Gray is expected to start for the Nationals in Philadelphia. He is 7-7 with a 4.59 ERA and 1.28 WHIP, but against the Phillies he’s been great. Philadelphia batters have just seven hits in 50 at-bats against him, and Kyle Schwarber has four of the hits, including a double and two dingers, which is three of the team’s four extra-base hits. Definitely bet on him to have multiple total bases and maybe multiple hits on Friday.

The Phillies will counter with Kyle Gibson, who is 6-4 with a 4.60 ERA and 1.23 WHIP. Four Nationals have knocked him around, collecting eight hits in 31 at-bats with two going for extra bases. Consider taking Washington in the first five innings, but stick with Philly on the moneyline. Parlaying the Phillies and White Sox both to win pays +135 with Bovada.

Los Angeles Angels (+185) @ Seattle Mariners (-215)

Patrick Sandoval has been really good against Seattle despite a 3-7 record and 1.48 WHIP. The Mariners are just 15-for-70 with on double for a .202 batting average and .491 OPS against. Jed Lowrie has four of those 15 hits in just 11 at-bats, so consider placing a player prop bet on him to have multiple hits. Los Angeles has lost Sandoval’s last six starts, however, being covered in five of six games. Sandoval allowed 17 earned runs over 24.2 innings in July, so he’s trending down. The Angels have lost nine of the last 10 games Sandoval’s pitched, so his numbers against Seattle might not matter.

Robbie Ray will do his best to keep Seattle in the game, which he’s done effectively this season, going 8-8 with a 1.20 WHIP. His last two starts have been nightmarish, allowing 10 runs over 5.2 innings pitched. But his tally of 139 strikeouts ranks ninth in MLB, and in a small sample size, he has limited the Angels’ extra-base hits to one in 24 plate appearances. Los Angeles batters have a .204 batting average and .481 OPS against him.

The Mariners are favorites in this one because they can rely on their bullpen to keep them in the game if they get behind early. Their WHIP amongst relievers ranks second in MLB, while Washington ranks 21st. The Nationals also struggle scoring runs, ranking sixth-worst with 406 this season. Put your money on the home team.

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