MLB Monday betting picks & best props – August 8, 2022

Headlining the Major League Baseball (MLB) schedule on Monday is Chris Bassitt of the Mets hosting the Reds, San Diego’s Blake Snell hosting Alex Wood and the Giants, and Yusei Kikuchi starts in Baltimore for the Blue Jays. Here are the best bets on MLB games scheduled for Monday, August 8th starting at 6:05 p.m. Eastern.

Cincinnati Reds @ New York Mets

Chris Bassitt and the Mets are the day’s biggest favorites with the Reds visiting New York. Bassitt is 8-7 with a 3.61 ERA and 1.12 WHIP, but the Mets have won 12 of his 20 starts. Cincinnati has struggled mightily against Bassitt. The Reds are three-for-27 with two extra-base hits against him. That’s an .042 batting average and .222 OPS against. Mike Moustakas has all three hits over 12 at-bats.

Countering for Cincinnati will be Justin Dunn, who has yet to pitch in the bigs this season. Last year with Seattle he made 11 starts and pitched to a 3.75 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. He’ll have unfamiliarity on his side the first time through the Mets’ lineup, but the Mets have the eighth-best team OPS (.739) and have scored the fourth-most runs in MLB (518).

Take the Mets in the first five innings, on the moneyline, and to win by two or more runs. Parlay New York on the moneyline with…

San Diego Padres @ San Francisco Giants

Blake Snell hasn’t been the same man since being traded from Tampa Bay to San Diego. His 1.33 WHIP is as high as it was in his sophomore season in 2017. But he’s been darn good against the Giants. In 52 at-bats, San Francisco batters have just nine hits, with just one going for extra bases. That’s a .150 batting average and .355 OPS against.

Expected to start for San Francisco is Alex Wood, who is 7-9 with a 4.42 ERA and 1.25 WHIP this year. He threw seven innings of shutout ball at San Diego on July 10th, but the Giants took the loss in his starts against the Padres at home on May 22nd and on April 11th. The numbers against San Diego aren’t bad given the sample size. The Padres are 23-for-96 with two doubles and three dingers for a .219 batting average and .625 OPS against. Newly acquired Juan Soto is two-for-eight with two of the team’s three home runs, so consider betting on him to have multiple total bases on Monday.

The Giants are marginally better offensively based on the numbers (10th in runs scored, 13th in OPS), but San Diego got a lot better than San Francisco did at the trade deadline. The Padres also added Josh Hader to their already top-10 bullpen (1.19 WHIP). The Giants have the fifth-worst bullpen WHIP in baseball (1.38), and Wood has failed to complete six innings in 17 of his 21 starts.

Take San Diego on the moneyline. Parlaying New York and San Diego on the moneyline pays just +119, so consider adding…

Toronto Blue Jays @ Baltimore Orioles

Yusei Kikuchi is 4-5 with a 4.86 ERA and 1.47 WHIP this season, but against the Orioles he’s been exceptional. In 46 at-bats, Baltimore batters have just 10 hits with four doubles and two dingers. That’s a .200 batting average and .644 OPS against. Doing the bulk of the damage for Baltimore has been Ryan Mountcastle, who is two-for-five with a double and a dinger. Jorge Mateo is also two-for-three with a double.

Jordan Lyles is expected to start for the Orioles, and he’s 8-8 with a 4.40 ERA and 1.43 WHIP. Toronto has touched him up a bit, going 21-for-83 with five doubles and six dingers. That’s an .832 OPS and .231 batting average against. Matt Chapman has been especially comfortable in the batter’s box, going six-for-17 with a double and three dingers, so bet on him to have multiple total bases on Monday. Whit Merrifield is also five-for-13 with a double.

Toronto is coming off a tough series loss in Minnesota, so expect them to bounce back in Baltimore. Take Toronto in the first five innings and bet on the Blue Jays’ 11th-best bullpen (1.22 WHIP) to hold off the Orioles’ fifth-ranked relievers (1.18 WHIP). Baltimore dealt their All-Star closer, Jorge Lopez, to Minnesota at the MLB Trade Deadline.

Bet on the Blue Jays to win the first five innings and the game. Also consider taking them to win by two or more runs. Parlaying the Blue Jays, Padres, and Mets in a moneyline trifecta pays +270.

There are the best MLB bets for Monday, August 8th. Get your bets in before first pitch at 6:05 p.m. Eastern and please gamble responsibly.

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