Welcome to the weekend in Major League Baseball. It’s a huge day with some excellent matchups ahead including the Braves and Rays, Cubs and Yankees and Mets and Padres. Let's get into my MLB best bets for Saturday, and be sure to also visit our MLB predictions for all of today's games.
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Boston Red Sox -1.5 (-118) over Oakland Athletics
Available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing
James Paxton will make his first start for the Red Sox since being named the Pitcher of the Month in June. The southpaw has been a pleasant surprise for Boston this season with a 2.70 ERA and a 3.28 xERA through 9 starts. In June, the Big Maple was 3-0 with a 1.74 ERA and a 0.77 WHIP in 5 starts. He gave up only 18 hits during the 31 innings in June, and he capped off an excellent month with 7.2-scoreless innings against the Blue Jays last week. That start against Toronto happened 8 days ago, so you may be wondering why the extended rest for the Canadian. Don't worry, it was nothing bad — Paxton was on the paternity list. So that means his first start since having a kid will be on extra rest at home. That sounds like an opportunity for a lights-out start if you ask me.