{"id":20930,"date":"2023-07-18T10:35:23","date_gmt":"2023-07-18T14:35:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/?p=20930"},"modified":"2023-07-18T10:35:25","modified_gmt":"2023-07-18T14:35:25","slug":"free-mlb-picks-today-5-mlb-games-predictions-for-7-18-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/mlb\/free-mlb-picks-today-5-mlb-games-predictions-for-7-18-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Free MLB Picks Today – 5 MLB Games Predictions for 7\/18\/2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Tony Meija drops FIVE free MLB Picks for 7\/18\/2023. Visit Tony’s expert profile<\/a> now! You can also find free MLB picks<\/a> across Wagertalk’s experts all year long. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out Tony Meija’s free picks and THEN buy his amazing 3 DAY PASS for MLB<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Buy Tony’s 3 DAY FULL PASS for MLB Today<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Pulse: Daily MLB Betting Picks for Tuesday, July 18<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Brewers at Phillies Prediction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

BREWERS (+175) at PHILLIES (-210), 6:40 p.m. ET, Total: 9.5<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 After walking off the Padres on Sunday to win a series of last season\u2019s NLCS rematch 3-1, which included sweeping a doubleheader, Philadelphia looks to maintain its momentum after going 23-9 before the All-Star break to get back into the thick of the Wild Card race. Ace Aaron Nola<\/strong> (8-6, 4.39 ERA) gets the ball after falling to Miami in his last start, surrendering a season-worst three home runs for the second time this season. He\u2019s struck out 18 and walked only one batter in two starts this month, so he has pitched pretty well outside of a few mistakes. Over his career, Nola is 5-1 in 10 starts against Milwaukee with a 2.28 ERA, which is highest winning percentage (.833) against opponents where he\u2019s registered at least five decisions. He didn\u2019t give up a run in 15 innings against the Crew last season. Most current Brewers have struggled against Nola, although Christian Yelich<\/strong> has gone 10-for-30 with a home run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Milwaukee grabbed the NL Central lead by sweeping the Reds over the weekend and is 10 games over .500 for the first time this season. Despite a team batting average of just .232, the Brewers find themselves in great shape with 68 games remaining, although their remaining July schedule is incredibly tough.\u00a0Julio Teheran\u00a0<\/strong>(2-3, 3.64) has a WHIP of 1.01 and has really helped bail out the Crew in helping overcome injuries to would-be starters\u00a0Brandon Woodruff\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Aaron Ashby\u00a0<\/strong>while resuscitating his career.\u00a0<\/strong>However, Teheran has struggled in his last two starts, giving up 13 runs in 11.2 innings. The Colombian veteran righty has been lit up by\u00a0Bryce Harper\u00a0<\/strong>(19-for-47, 9 HR, 21 RBI), Trea Turner\u00a0<\/strong>(10-for-25, 1 HR)and\u00a0Kyle Schwarber<\/strong>\u00a0(5-for-12, 1 HR) throughout his career, which doesn\u2019t bode well for Milwaukee in this series opener.
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THE PLAY \u2013 Phillies Player Prop Pick:\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Harper is on a 5-game hitting streak, hitting7-for-14 in that span with three doubles and a home run. He\u2019s been locked in and has owned Teheran, so take your pick and back the\u00a0over on Harper\u2019s hits + runs + RBI prop or total bases prop.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Padres at Blue Jays Prediction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

PADRES (-110) at BLUE JAYS (-110), 7:07 p.m. ET, Total: 9<\/strong>
\u00a0Along with AL East counterparts Baltimore and Boston, Toronto is among baseball\u2019s hottest teams with wins in eight of 10. The run has the Jays on the right side of the Wild Card chase, but realistically, postseason hopes hinge on former ace\u00a0Alek Manoah\u00a0<\/strong>(2-7, 5.91) getting right. After getting sent down to A-ball to work on mechanics for a month, Manoah allowed just one run in six innings against Detroit, striking out eight and walking none. If he can return to his 2022 form, that\u2019s a game-changer. The big names in the Padres lineup will test him. Manoah is 0-4 with an 8.68 ERA at home, so fans aren\u2019t likely to be patient if he struggles early.
San Diego has been one of baseball\u2019s biggest disappointments and needs to get going sooner than later to avoid seeing its season slip away.\u00a0Joe Musgrove\u00a0<\/strong>(8-2, 3.29) is 3-1 on the road this season and has fared well in interleague matchups. He\u2019s 6-0 since the beginning of June and has an 0.69 ERA in two starts this month. Musgrove has only given up more than two earned once in his last nine starts, making him one of baseball\u2019s hottest pitchers.
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THE PLAY \u2013 Padres at Blue Jays Prediction F5 Bet:\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d keep the bullpens out of this, but since Musgrove has been lights out and Manoah still has a lot to prove, a\u00a0first-five moneyline wager on the Padres\u00a0<\/strong>is advisable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

White Sox at Mets Prediction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

WHITE SOX (+100) at METS (-120), 7:10 p.m. ET, Total: 9<\/strong>
\u00a0This looks like a live \u2018dog situation given the pitching matchup. After slumping through mediocrity over the first two months, Chicago\u2019s\u00a0Lucas Giolito<\/strong>\u00a0(6-5, 3.45) has settled in and looked like his usual self since June began, giving up two or fewer earned runs in six of seven outings. He\u2019s struck out 48 while walking just 13 batters since June began, lowering his ERA by over a half-run. The one caveat to riding Giolito in Queens is that his home\/road splits are drastic, with him sporting a 2.44 ERA and .188 opponents\u2019 batting average in Chicago and a much uglier 4.71 ERA and .264 OBA on the road. Current Mets are hitting a collective .218 against him, although\u00a0Francisco Lindor\u00a0<\/strong>(6-for-18) has fared well and owns half of the team\u2019s hits against the Sox ace.
The disappointing Mets are right there with the Padres at the top of the list of teams that must have a great second half. They snapped a four-game losing streak by avoiding a sweep at home with a 2-1 win over the Dodgers on Sunday.\u00a0Carlos Carrasco\u00a0<\/strong>(3-3, 5.16) has had an injury-riddled season but has New York cautiously optimistic that he\u2019s turned the corner since he\u2019s coming off his best start, blanking Arizona on three hits over eight innings in Phoenix on July 6. \u201cCookie\u201d Carrasco hadn\u2019t worked more than five innings since May 31 and still has a home ERA of 7.23, so this is a massive game for him. Only four White Sox have ever faced the 36-year-old Venezuelan righty, but\u00a0Tim Anderson, Elvis Andrus, Eloy Jimenez\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Andrew Benintendi\u00a0<\/strong>are a combined 23-for-67 (.343) against Carrasco, slugging .567 with three homers and sporting a .929 OPS. All four should be in Tuesday night\u2019s lineup.
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THE PLAY \u2013 White Sox at Mets Prediction F5 Bet:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Carrasco may certainly be on the upswing, but betting the Sox in the first five innings given Giolito\u2019s form seems like a best bet. Taking the bullpens out of is ideal. Ride the\u00a0F5 moneyline with Chicago<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diamondbacks at Braves Prediction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

DIAMONDBACKS (+170) at BRAVES (-200), 7:20 p.m. ET, Total: 10<\/strong>
Atlanta lost its first series coming out of the break. It was the first time it had dropped one of those since May 29-31.\u00a0Bryce Elder\u00a0<\/strong>(7-2, 2.97) will look to prevent the Braves from losing three straight games for the first time since May 12-14. The 2023 All-Star is coming off his worst start of the season, pitching just 3.1 innings and giving up seven runs, walking four while striking out none. He wasn\u2019t called on to work in Seattle, so Atlanta\u2019s ERA leader should be well-rested in this bounce-back spot. Atlanta won two of three when these teams played in Phoenix in early June but Elder didn\u2019t pitch.\u00a0Eddie Rosario\u00a0<\/strong>stole the show in that series, hitting three homers, driving in seven and finishing 6-for-13 over the three games, winning the finale on a grand slam with two outs in the top of the ninth. His status for this game is unknown since he was removed from Sunday\u2019s loss to the White Sox due to hamstring tightness.
The Diamondbacks are a heavy underdog in part because\u00a0Zach Davies\u00a0<\/strong>(1-5, 6.37) takes the bump first. He also didn\u2019t pitch when these teams met in June but Arizona has lost six consecutive times when he\u2019s gone out there. Davies has been hit hard in most of those setbacks and hasn\u2019t won since June 7. He missed seven weeks with an oblique injury, so the veteran may ultimately find his form in the season\u2019s second half, but right now, he\u2019s pitching through it. Of all Braves,\u00a0Marcell Ozuna\u00a0<\/strong>has feasted on Davies most, going 10-for-26 against him with a pair of doubles.
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THE PLAY \u2013 Braves Player Prop Pick:\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019s not the biggest name on the Braves, so there\u2019s value in backing the\u00a0over on Ozuna\u2019s hits + runs + RBI prop.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rays at Rangers Prediction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

RAYS (+120) at RANGERS (-140), 8:05 p.m. ET, Total: 8.5-9<\/strong>
These AL division leaders squared off on Monday to open the series. Texas rallied from a 2-0 deficit after five innings thanks to a 2-run homer from\u00a0Ezequiel Duran\u00a0<\/strong>and a wild pitch bringing home the winning run in the bottom of the ninth. The Rays are now an underdog in the second game of the series and in jeopardy of losing three straight games since their rookie starter\u00a0Taj Bradley\u00a0<\/strong>(5-5, 5.43) has been hit hard after a strong start. He\u2019s got good poise an excellent fastball but teams have figured out his repertoire lately and have scored four or more runs against him in three straight games.
All-Star\u00a0Nathan Eovaldi\u00a0<\/strong>(10-3, 2.83) gets the ball for Texas and has been a driving force on the mound for a team that lost\u00a0Jacob deGrom\u00a0<\/strong>in exasperating fashion early in the season. Eovaldi pitched a scoreless inning despite giving up two hits in the All-Star Game and struggled in Boston in a 10-6 loss on July 6. He\u2019s been great most of the season but has surrendered three or more runs in four of his last six starts after giving up three or more in just four of his first dozen outings. Current Rays are hitting just .224 against him over the course of their careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE PLAY \u2013 Rays at Rangers Total Bet:\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bradley gave up five runs (four earned) when he first ran into the Rangers on June 10, while Eovaldi was touched up for four runs in 6.1 innings in an 8-4 win in that same game. Ride the\u00a0full-gameover between these AL Division leaders.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking for more free sports picks and sports betting tips?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n