Here is our best MLB Betting Pick of the Day, including the Best Baseball Pick Today, 8/23/21. All odds for August 23 MLB bet picks were obtained from BetMGM.
It’s always fun to put together a 3-0 sweep, and that’s exactly what we did last week. The plan is to do that again this week by being selective with every pick.
Let’s kick things off with a great play for tonight’s series opener between the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners. Here’s my Best Baseball Pick Today 8/23/21.
- Overall: 32-21 (+7.16 units)
- Team Totals: 12-7 (+2.62 units)
- First 5 IP Bets: 16-8-3 (+6.39 units)
- Moneylines: 3-3 (-0.5 units)
- Totals: 1-2 (-1.35 units)
Sportsbook Play of the Day
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MLB Betting Pick of the Day: Best Baseball Pick Today 8/23/21
Kansas City Royals @ Houston Astros (8:10 p.m. ET)
- Probable Pitchers: KCR LHP Daniel Lynch @ HOU RHP Zack Greinke
Astros Over 4.5 Team Total (-145)
Wager: 1.45 Units
The Houston Astros have had the best offense in baseball this year, leading MLB with 5.42 runs per game and a .783 OPS. They’re also coming off an impressive series against the Seattle Mariners in which they scored 30 runs and banged out 42 hits in three games.
Tonight, the Astros will take on a Kansas City Royals team that features one of the worst pitching staffs in baseball. Their 4.80 ERA rates fifth-worst in MLB, while their 1.40 WHIP ranks fourth-worst.
Houston will look to stay hot against rookie Daniel Lynch, who holds a 5.12 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, and 7.2 K/9 rate in eight starts this year. He’s been pitching better lately, limiting the Astros to one run over seven innings in his most recent start when the two teams clashed in Kansas City last week.
Hitters often struggle when facing a pitcher for the first time, however, so Houston should have more success against him this time around, especially at home. With all of their at-bats against him still fresh in their minds, the Astros won’t be caught off-guard again.
Even without Alex Bregman, Houston still boasts one of the most dangerous lineups in baseball, not to mention a predominately right-handed one. Lynch has been getting torched by righties to the tune of a .294/.362/.471 batting line this year, so he’ll have his hands full with Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Yuli Gurriel, and Aledmys Diaz. Lefty bats Yordan Alvarez and Michael Brantley pose a considerable threat as well.
The Astros have a deep offense that walks a lot, hits the ball hard, and rarely strikes out, making them a nightmare for opposing pitchers. Accordingly, I like their chances of scoring at least five runs against Lynch and Kansas City’s bullpen, which ranks among MLB’s worst in most statistical categories.
Thanks for reading our MLB Best Bets for August 23! For more MLB betting tips, check out our August 23 NRFI Bet and August 23 HR Bet.