Top MLB Betting Picks for August 8
We have another full slate of MLB action this Friday and we're delivering the three best bets for another loaded evening of baseball. We're going to back up one of the game's elite power hitters, a veteran hurler and a recent acquisition via trade who's looking to find his footing in his new team.
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Best MLB Bets Today
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Seattle Mariners: Cal Raleigh to homer, +235 @ bet365
Few bats have been as dangerous as Raleigh's this season. However, it's fair to wonder whether "The Big Dumper" is on a cold stretch at the plate -- at least from a power perspective. He is up to 23 at-bats without a home run and has gone yard only four times across 19 games since the All-Star break. He still has 42 dingers on the season, so it's a matter of time before he gets it going again, and this matchup against the Rays could be the perfect occasion to snap his power drought. The Rays will have Drew Rasmussen on the mound. He has gone 9-5 with a 2.81 ERA and 93 strikeouts across 105.2 innings this season. Even though Raleigh has yet to homer against the 30-year-old right-hander, Rasmussen has given up 10 homers already in 2025, though none in his last four starts. That's his second-longest stretch of the season, but it remains to be seen if it's sustainable when facing one of the game's elite power hitters this Friday.
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Toronto Blue Jays vs. Los Angeles Dodgers: Max Scherzer to record under 5.5 strikeouts, -130 @ bet365
Scherzer remains a quality pitcher that can dismantle any offense any day of the week. However, it's worth noting he's simply not the dominant ace he was during the prime years of his career. Even though his 4.39 ERA shows signs of a clear decline, it's worth mentioning that he's been doing a fine job for the Blue Jays of late. Scherzer has three quality starts over his last four outings while posting a 4.13 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 28:2 K:BB in 24 innings over that four-start stretch. He's recorded 44 strikeouts across 41 innings this season, but he's failed to record more than five punch outs in three of his last five appearances -- and in five of his eight starts overall. Considering that he'll face the Dodgers, who have one of the best lineups in the NL, and that this game will be played on West Coast time, don't be surprised if the 41-year-old hurler falls short of the projected line of 5.5 strikeouts.
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Washington Nationals vs. San Francisco Giants: Rafael Devers over 1.5 total bases, +105 @ bet365
Devers has reached base safely in six games in a row, hitting .261 with a .849 OPS, a homer, five RBI and a 9:5 K:BB in that stretch. The star third baseman has failed to record more than 1.5 total bases in his last three games, but he has a strong chance to do so against a struggling Nationals pitching staff. Devers is hitting .254 with a .790 OPS since the All-Star break, and while those numbers aren't eye-popping by any means, he's capable of producing even better. The fact that he's seeing the ball well of late gives him a solid chance to turn things around after a couple of subpar performances earlier this week in the series against the Pirates, where he went 1-for-10 at the dish but reached base in five of his 14 plate appearances.
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MLB Picks Recap
- Tampa Bay Rays vs. Seattle Mariners: Cal Raleigh to homer, +235 @ bet365
- Toronto Blue Jays vs. Los Angeles Dodgers: Max Scherzer to record under 5.5 strikeouts, -130 @ bet365
- Washington Nationals vs. San Francisco Giants: Rafael Devers over 1.5 total bases, +105 @ bet365
