Best MLB bets to consider for Thursday, July 21

The first day of MLB action out of the All-Star Break is here with six matchups taking place throughout the day on Thursday, July 21. The slate will feature doubleheaders between the New York Yankees and Houston Astros in addition to two matchups between the Detroit Tigers and Oakland Athletics.

Here we’re going to be tracking all the best MLB picks based on the odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook for Thursday’s baseball action.

MLB picks for Thursday, July 21

Giants ML (+120)

The San Francisco Giants have the pitching edge in this spot with Carlos Rodon (2.66 ERA) going up against Los Angeles Dodgers starter Mitch White (4.20), and there is not a significant difference in runs per game as both teams are inside the top three. These odds are a bit surprising considering the fairly significant advantage San Francisco has on the mound especially as Rodon has allowed just 2 runs over 12 innings against the Dodgers this season.

Athletics +1.5 (-145)

The Oakland Athletics and Detroit Tigers have the two worst offenses in terms of runs per game, so a 1.5-run advantage is significant in a matchup where runs may be hard to come by. Tigers starter Tarik Skubal has a 4.11 ERA this season but after a strong first two months, he compiled a 7.46 ERA over his previous seven outings heading into the break.

Rangers-Marlins Under 7 runs (-115)

It feels dangerous taking the under with this low of a total, but it will pay off in Game 1 of the doubleheader between the Rangers and Marlins. Texas starter Jon Gray has rebounded from a couple of poor seasons in a row with a 3.71 ERA, and Miami pitcher Pablo Lopez has a 2.86 ERA over 18 starts in 2022. Both offenses rank in the bottom seven in on-base percentage, so pitchers should be in control all afternoon.

Cristian Javier Over 6.5 strikeouts (-155)

The Astros starter put up incredible strikeout numbers over his final four games heading into the break, striking out at least 7 hitters with an average of 11 K’s per game over that span. Javier has a 12.9 K/9 through a sample size of 18 games and 14 starts. He will face a Yankees lineup that strikes out 8.4 times per game.

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