For those of you who are looking for a way to spend your summer Friday, you can stop here. Major League Baseball has a scintillating option for you: The Milwaukee Brewers vs. the Atlanta Braves. Milwaukee's Jacob Misiorowski vs. Atlanta's Chris Sale. And, maybe best of all, the game is a Friday matinee (4:10 p.m. ET first pitch), which means you can watch the game and still make your Friday night dinner reservation.
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The Brewers (79-49) own the best record in baseball, while the Braves (75-53) have the third-best record in the National League. Misiorowski (12-5, 1.75 ERA) -- he of the 105.5 mph pitch fame -- is the clear favorite to win the NL Cy Young Award, at -750 in the MLB futures betting odds at DraftKings. Sale (12-8, 2.16) is the second choice, at +850. The matchup at American Family Field is the first of a three-game series between the two NL heavyweights.
Milwaukee is a -138 money line betting favorite over Atlanta (+125).
While Brewers vs. Braves is the marquee attraction on Friday, there are other betting options on a sporting landscape that includes 15 MLB games and three NFL preseason matchups. Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet at the best sports betting apps, for Friday, Aug. 21. All times Eastern.
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NFL best bets, where to watch
Jets at Steelers
Time: 7 p.m. | Location: Pittsburgh | TV: NFL Network | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine pick -- Expert: Steelers +1.5 (Matt Severance)
Rookie quarterbacks were one of the major storylines in Week 1 of the preseason, and one of the best was Pittsburgh's Drew Allar. The third-round pick from Penn State completed 10 of 13 passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns and added another touchdown rushing in his first pro action. "I think calling him a steal is just a tad premature, but Allar might already be more talented than anything the Jets have," Severance tells SportsLine. "And Allar should play a lot." Severance also notes that New York has lost three straight preseason games. The Jets are slight NFL betting favorites, but Severance likes the Steelers to cover the spread betting line of +1.5.
MLB best bets, where to watch
Braves at Brewers
Time: 4:10 p.m. | Location: Milwaukee | TV: MLB.TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine pick -- Model: Over 6 (-101) | Expert: Brewers -135 (Adam Thompson)
As good as he has been all season, Sale has been hit-or-miss over his last four starts. He gave up three runs four starts ago and three runs two starts ago. If you believe in patterns, he's due for another off game on Friday. Meanwhile, Thompson notes that over the last two weeks, the Braves' OPS against right-handers is a paltry .559, and on the road it's .548. "Compare Atlanta's splits to the .772 and .882 splits for the Brewers against left-handed pitchers and at home, respectively," he tells SportsLine. Meanwhile the SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every MLB game 10,000 times, says the teams have a 72.7% chance to combine for seven runs or more and assigns a strong 'A' grade to Over 6 (-101).
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Nationals at Marlins
Time: 7:10 p.m. | Location: Miami | TV: MLB.TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine pick -- Model: Marlins -145 | Expert: Marlins -140 (Matt Severance)
Washington star infielder CJ Abrams is day-to-day with a left ankle sprain, and that's bad news for the Nationals. He ranks fourth in the NL in RBI (91), sixth in OPS (.884) and seventh in home runs (29). Without him on Thursday, Washington looked listless in a 4-1 loss to the Phillies. "[There's] just nothing left in that lineup if he's not playing, and it doesn't sound a lot like that will happen here," Severance tells SportsLine. The SportsLine Projection Model agrees. It says Miami has a 59.0% chance to win and gives a 'C' grade to the Marlins money line (-145).
Rays at Orioles
Time: 7:15 p.m. | Location: Baltimore | TV: Apple TV
SportsLine pick -- Model: Rays +114 | Expert: Rays +118 (Jeff Hochman)
Tampa Bay's Freddy Peralta (5-10, 5.27) and Baltimore's Trevor Rogers (8-8, 4.15) square off for the second time this week. And even though the Orioles won that previous matchup 10-2, Hochman notes that rematches like this one (same pitching matchup in five days, with both starters getting a decision) are prime opportunities to bet the team that lost the previous matchup. "This game is part of one of the strongest MLB betting systems I have tracked over the past 20-plus years," Hochman tells SportsLine. "Because the Rays rely heavily on analytics, they usually make the required adjustments. The Dodgers, Yankees, Red Sox, Brewers and Rays are the top five teams to bet on using this specific system." The SportsLine Projection Model agrees. It says Tampa Bay has a 52.0% chance to win and assigns a 'C' grade to the Rays money line (+118).
Tigers at Royals
Time: 8:10 p.m. | Location: Kansas City, Mo. | TV: MLB.TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine pick -- Model: Royals +1.5 -168 | Expert: Under 8.5 -104 (Eric Cohen)
Two AL Central rivals square off when Detroit and Kansas City open a three-game series. The game features two pitchers on a bit of a roll: the Tigers' Troy Melton (7-1, 1.71 ERA) against the Royals' Noah Cameron (7-8, 4.16 ERA). Of Melton's 14 starts for Detroit, 11 have been limited to eight runs or fewer. Meanwhile Cameron has surrendered just five runs over his last 37 2/3 innings. "Based on how well both pitchers are throwing, I would be surprised to see any semblance of a high-scoring game on Friday night," Cohen tells SportsLine. He also notes that five of the last seven meetings between the teams this season have gone Under 8.5 when it comes to Over/Under betting. Meanwhile, the SportsLine Projection Model says Kansas City has a 65.0% chance to cover and gives a 'B' grade to the Royals run line of +1.5 (-168).
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