Friday MLB Betting Picks, College Football Preview, and More for September 1 - Ride the Line Ep. #51

A new episode of Ride the Line with Grant Mitchell and Tanner Kern is now live on all WSN platforms!

Friday MLB Betting Picks

It’s a day for the favorites on Ride the Line as many of MLB’s best teams are poised for dominant showings. One of those teams is the Houston Astros, who both Grant and Tanner believe will cover the spread against the New York Yankees. Houston has been sensational recently, winning five straight games and scoring an average of 10.4 runs in the process.

Justin Verlander has a 2.79 ERA in five starts since being traded back to the Astros and will be taking on Carlos Rodon, who has already given up 10 home runs in less than 38 innings. The last thing the Astros offense needs is an invitation to crush the baseball, and with a strong bullpen behind them, the Astros’ runline is easily a favorite pick of the day on the show.

Tanner’s second pick is the Boston Red Sox runline against the Kansas City Royals. James Paxton will tangle with Jordan Lyles in what is not the most elite pitching matchup in the world, but one that heavily favors the Sox. Lyles has been a must-fade this season at 3-15 and with a 6.51 ERA and 1.31 WHIP, while Paxton has a 3.99 ERA and 1.26 WHIP (though he has struggled recently).

The Royals had a moment in the sun but have now lost 13 of their last 15 games and seem totally lifeless. The Red Sox’s offense is not what it is at home when it is on the road, but Tanner still believes they will bounce back from their thrashing in a recent Astros series with a strong performance Friday.

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Grant’s second pick is the Tampa Bay Rays’ runline against the Cleveland Guardians. Cleveland covered in every matchup during a three-game series against Tampa Bay a few weeks ago, but Tyler Glasnow is on the mound for the Rays Friday and will take on Cal Quantrill, who has given up 6.25 earned runs per game across his last four appearances.

The Rays’ offense has also surged back to life recently and is up to sixth in scoring over the last 30 days, while the Guardians’ is stuck at 26th. Tampa Bay, despite its road record being much worse than its home record, also actually hits the ball better when it is on the road. They’ll get nine innings of guaranteed offense, and Grant like them to cover the -1.5

Tanner’s final pick is the Toronto Blue Jays -1.5 against the Colorado Rockies. Hyun Jin Ryu has a 2.25 ERA and three shutouts in five starts this year and will face off against Chris Flexen, who has some of the worst stats for starting pitchers in the league this season (1-6, 6.94 ERA, 1.73 WHIP).

The Blue Jays struggle to convert with runners in scoring position but still find themselves in those positions far more often than the Rockies do. They’ve also got an excellent bullpen and a decided advantage in the starting department, and Tanner trusts them to win by at least two runs.

The final pick of the show is Grant’s selection of the Baltimore Orioles moneyline against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Baltimore is one of the best road teams in the entire league, has a top-five bullpen over the last 30 days, and scores more than the Diamondbacks do. That right there should be enough to see the O’s as massive favorites, despite their moneyline value only checking in at around -115.

Cole Irvin has a 2.25 ERA in August and will take on Zach Davies, who, despite a strong last outing, had an ERA near 10 in July and at 6.90 in June. The Orioles have also won nine of their last 12 games, while the D’Backs are still reeling from being swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers. This is the only non-runline pick of the day, but it’s a good one.

Check back on Monday for a new episode of Ride the Line and picks for the NFL’s Week 1 return!