:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71317029/1418326073.0.jpg "MLB picks today: Best bets, player props predictions, odds for Friday, September 2")
The MLB has a full 15 games on its schedule for Friday, September 2, and every game will be played at night. One of the top series to track tonight and into the weekend is the one featuring the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox in a crucial three-game set between American League Central opponents. Both are chasing the Cleveland Guardians with a little more than a month to go.
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, September 2
The Twins have a significant pitching edge in this spot, and that will be the reason they pick up a win and pull further ahead of the White Sox in the AL Central. Sonny Gray will get the start for Minnesota with rookie Davis Martin getting the ball for Chicago. Gray is putting together a strong season in Year 1 with the Twins and has a 3.04 ERA, and this will be the 10th MLB appearance for Martin with a 4.62 ERA. He allowed five runs (three earned) over three innings of work in Saturday's loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals have a fairly even pitching matchup (Adrian Sampson vs. Jordan Montgomery) on Friday night, but the difference will come at the plate. St. Louis has one of the top offenses in baseball, ranking fourth in runs per game (9.2), while Chicago ranks 23rd with 4.2 runs per game. The Cardinals knocked around Sampson a couple weeks ago, as he allowed five runs on eight hits over just 3.1 innings of work, and they should be aggressive at the plate in this spot.
These are two of the worst offenses in the league, and this number is far too high. The Detroit Tigers score 3.3 runs per game, which is the fewest in baseball, and the Kansas City Royals rank 24th with 3.9 runs per game. Kansas City scored just three runs combined in the final two games of its series against the White Sox, and Detroit was shut out by the Seattle Mariners on Thursday. There is not a ton of power in either offense, so let's go with the under.
The Houston Astros starter did not make his season debut till last month, and his strikeout numbers are down compared to his career numbers. McCullers has a 10.0 K/9 through his seven-year career, but he has a 7.3 K/9 through three starts this season. This is as good of a spot as any to get his strikeout numbers back on track against a Los Angeles Angels offense that strikes out 9.7 times per game, which is the most in the league.