There are 15 games on the MLB slate with most of the action taking place in the evening. Several key series will be taking place over the weekend, headlined by Yankees vs. Phillies, Dodgers vs. Mets, Mariners vs. Rangers and Cubs vs. Pirates. SportsLine MLB expert Adam Thompson has looked over Friday's schedule and highlighted his best bets for the slate.
An analytics-driven exploiter of matchups, Thompson specializes in the NFL, NBA and MLB. He also has delivered consistent winners in college basketball, horse racing and golf. Over the past two seasons, Thompson is up over 70 units in MLB and over 60 units in the NBA. You can find more of his picks at SportsLine, and in the member-exclusive SportsLine Discord server, a community of sports betting enthusiasts and SportsLine experts.
Here are Thompson's best bets and analysis for Friday's MLB games.
Best MLB picks for Friday, July 24
- Tigers -1.5 vs. Royals (-128, FanDuel)
- Rays money line vs. Guardians (-130, DraftKings)
- Res Sox money line vs. Blue Jays (-120, FanDuel)
Tigers -1.5 vs. Royals (-128)
Kansas City Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. was pulled from a game with the Giants on July 20. The Royals proceeded to sweep San Francisco, winning each game by one run. They had the Tigers on the ropes Thursday before the bullpen faltered in a 4-3 loss to open this AL Central series.
Things get tougher on Friday for KC. Reigning two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal hasn't allowed more than two runs in four straight starts, and has a 1.59 July ERA. He's 3-1 in those games, with the three victories all by four-plus runs. The Royals are apparently saving pitching for a future matchup. They're using an opener on Friday before handing the ball to Noah Cameron, who has a 7.97 ERA his last seven starts, then a bullpen with a 6.94 ERA since the All-Star Break.
Rays money line vs. Guardians (-130)
We have quite the pitching matchup in Florida on Friday. Shane McClanahan has been nearly unhittable at home, 6-1 with a 1.88 ERA in eight starts, with a sub-.200 average allowed and sub-1.00 WHIP. The Guardians' offense isn't good all season, ranking last over the last two months against left-handed pitchers. They managed one run yesterday in an 11-inning game against the Twins.
Guardians lefty Joey Cantillo is on a roll, posting a 2.31 ERA over his last seven. The difference is in the batting splits. Tampa's OPS at home (.873) is nearly 200 points higher than Cleveland's road split, and its OPS against left-handers since the break is nearly 150 points higher.
Red Sox money line vs. Blue Jays (-120)
Boston just had its 15-game win streak ended, and now we're basically paying juice for the Red Sox to start a new one against the worst offense in baseball.
Patrick Sandoval has just two starts this season. One went well and one didn't. The Blue Jays have scored three runs in a game just once in the last week, so it's a good spot to find the form. He can go 4-5 innings, then give way to a bullpen that owns a 0.85 ERA since the All-Star break.
Trey Yesavage has given Boston issues, allowing only three runs in 12 2/3 innings against them this season. But he's 0-2 with a 5.93 ERA in July and Boston has been hitting right-handers. A new streak begins on Friday at Fenway.
