:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71260889/usa_today_18890138.0.jpg "MLB picks today: Best bets, player props predictions, odds for Friday, August 19")
The MLB has a full slate of action with 15 games scheduled to be played on Friday, August 19. The Chicago Cubs will host a day game against the Milwaukee Brewers with the rest of the contests being played at night. The top series to watch this weekend might be the one between the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians as the two are in contention to win the American League Central.
Here we're going to be tracking all the best MLB picks based on the odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook for today's action.
MLB picks for Friday, August 19
The Toronto Blue Jays crushed the New York Yankees in Game 1 of this series as New York's struggles continue on. The Yankees lost 12 of their last 15 games, and the issues have come at the plate, scoring three or fewer runs in eight of their last nine matchups. This is not a great spot for the lineup to snap out of it against Kevin Gausman, who has a 3.16 ERA through 22 starts this season.
The St. Louis Cardinals are one of the hottest team in baseball, and they're in a great position to extend their winning streak against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night. St. Louis scored at least five runs in its previous four games including 13 in Thursday's win over the Colorado Rockies. Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas has a 3.44 ERA this season, while Arizona rookie Tommy Henry will make his fourth career start.
Both offenses will struggle to reach double-digit matchups as the Brewers scored just 2.6 runs over the past week, while the Cubs scored just three runs in both of their last two matchups. Brewers starter Aaron Ashby (4.24 ERA) allowed two runs over six innings in his last start, and Keegan Thompson (3.67 ERA) is coming off a rough outing with the Cincinnati Reds but should get back on track against a struggling offense.
The Baltimore Orioles starter's strikeout total is unusually low heading into this matchup with the Boston Red Sox and is worth the juice. He has a 7.6 K/9 but struck out at least four batters in 10 of his last 12 starts. Lyles threw just 4.1 innings in his last start and still struck out nine hitters against the Tampa Bay Rays.