MLB Best Bets Today: MLB Betting Picks for Tuesday, August 12

MLB Betting Expert Juan Pablo Aravena does a deep dive into Tuesday's late, providing a triple play of bets, including a total in the Padres-Giants clash.
MLB Best Bets Today: MLB Betting Picks for Tuesday, August 12

Top MLB Betting Picks: August 12th Best Bets & Predictions

Tuesday marks the first full slate of the week, and here we have our top three bets for this upcoming slate. We're backing two games with the potential of being high-scoring affairs, including one that will collide two contenders in an interleague series, as well as the Detroit Tigers playing on the road against a lowly Chicago White Sox team.

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Best Bets Tuesday

Chicago Cubs vs. Toronto Blue Jays

Over 9.0 total runs (-110 @ BetMGM)

It's no secret that the Cubs have been slumping offensively of late. Even though they remain one of the most prolific lineups in baseball and sit near the top of almost every collective offensive category, their performances over the last two weeks have been subpar at best. They dropped a weekend series against the St. Louis Cardinals, and they keep losing ground in the battle for the NL Central against the Milwaukee Brewers. However, their bats need to wake up at some point. 

This series against the Blue Jays might be the scenario for that to happen. Both the Cubs and Blue Jays rank in the Top 10 in runs scored this season, so there's plenty of potential for both offenses to produce. The pitching matchup strengthens that notion. The Cubs will have RHP Ben Brown (5-7, 6.04 ERA) on the mound, while the Blue Jays will counter with RHP Jose Berrios (8-4, 3.89 ERA). The Cubs and Blue Jays clash at 7:07 p.m. ET on TBS.

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Detroit Tigers vs. Chicago White Sox

Tigers -1.5 run line (-102 @ BetMGM)

This matchup between the Tigers and the White Sox paints the perfect picture of two franchises moving in opposite directions. The Tigers have a healthy 6.5-game lead in the AL Central over the Cleveland Guardians, and they appear to be a lock to make the playoffs. The Tigers boast the eighth-most prolific offense in the majors with 577 total runs scored -- only three teams in the AL have scored more runs than Detroit. 

Meanwhile, the White Sox sit at the bottom of the division with the worst record in the American League, and second-worst in all of baseball, at 43-76. Even though the White Sox will be at home for this series, the Tigers are simply a much better team and should win this game by a landslide. Detroit leads the season series 6-2, and it has won three of those contests by two or more runs.

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San Diego Padres vs. San Francisco Giants

Under 7.5 total runs (-110 @ bet365 Sportsbook)

The Padres and Giants are trying to play catch-up with the LA Dodgers in the NL West, although San Diego is far closer (1.0 GB) than San Francisco (9.0 GB). The Padres can't rely on their offense, as it ranks 23rd in runs scored with 493, while the Giants rank 24th (489). Don't be surprised if this matchup ends up being a low-scoring affair, especially since the pitching matchup might contribute to that outcome. 

The Padres will have LHP Nestor Cortes on the mound, and while his 7.11 ERA looks inflated, he's been trending in the right direction. The Giants will counter with LHP Robbie Ray, who has been a steady presence in the rotation for San Francisco with a 2.85 ERA across 142 innings. Ray is coming off back-to-back quality starts while allowing two or fewer earned runs in his last three outings. Meanwhile, Cortes has allowed only two earned runs over his last 10.2 innings. The lack of production from either offense and the solid form of both pitchers should contribute to this game being a low-scoring affair.

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MLB Picks Recap

  • Cubs vs. Blue Jays: Over 9.0, -110 @ BetMGM
  • Tigers vs. White Sox: Tigers -1.5, -102 @ BetMGM
  • Padres vs. Giants: Under 7.5, -110 @ bet365 Sportsbook
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
35-year-old sports analyst and journalist. Fan of every single sport on this earth, but mainly NBA, MLB, NFL, NHL and soccer. Eternal optimistic who, for unknown reasons, chose to root for the Chicago Cubs and Jacksonville Jaguars. Born and raised in Chile.
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