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Free MLB Picks Tuesday 8/25/2020 and Opening Line Report

by Jason Radowitz - 8/24/2020

jose ramirez cleveland indians

Tuesday’s MLB slate features plenty of ace pitchers and many edges that can be taken advantage of. Above all of that, we’ll also get to watch Matt Harvey’s second start with the Royals after the first start was average at best. The Twins and Indians will continue competing for the No. 1 spot in the AL Central. AL Cy Young hopeful Shane Bieber will take the hill for the Indians and go up against Rich Hill, who has been everything but an ace this season in two starts. There are so many games that we can’t cover every game in the MLB daily. Here are leans for five games on the MLB slate.

Twins vs Indians 8/25/20 (Twins -165, 8)

The Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians are fighting for the top spot in the AL Central. The standings include the Twins at the top, the Indians in second and the White Sox, who have been hot recently, in third. Both teams need this series to stay ahead in the standings.

Shane Bieber will get the call for the Indians at home in this one. Bieber is 5-0 in six games this season with a 1.11 ERA and a 1.77 FIP on the season. He’s striking out 14.39 batters per nine innings and has left every runner on base this season.

Meanwhile, Rich Hill will take the hill for the Twins. He’s 1-1 in two starts this season and has an ERA of 4.7 with an FIP of 5.65. He’s averaging just 3.52 strikeouts per nine innings while walking 4.7 per nine innings. The Indians offense has been one of the worst offenses in the league this season but should be able to get after Hill at home.

Key trends: Twins are 6-2 in their last 8 overall (Not including Monday’s game.)

Early lean: Indians, Under

Athletics vs Rangers 8/25/20 (Athletics -170, 9)

The Athletics are on their way into the playoffs with a fantastic 20-9 record before Monday’s game against the Rangers. The Rangers, on the other hand, have really struggled this season, and as of late, with eight straight losses before Monday’s match-up.

For Tuesday’s game, the Athletics will pitch Sean Manaea, who is 1-2 in six starts this season. He’s been having a rough go around this season and has an ERA of 6.39. However, his FIP is 4.08, which proves he’s been better and unlucky this season. He’s walking only 1.78 batters per nine innings and is getting more than 50 percent of ground balls on the season.

Kyle Gibson will take the mound for the Rangers. He’s 1-2 in five starts this season and still has thrown more innings than Manaea. Gibson also has a solid ground ball rate near 50 percent but is striking out 6.75 batters per nine innings along with walking 3.38 batters per nine innings.

Right now, how can you trust this Rangers offense? They’ve been miserable and played really bad over the weekend against the Mariners.

Key trends: Athletics are 42-16 in their last 58 vs. American League West. (Not including Monday’s game.)

Early lean: Athletics, Under

Royals vs Cardinals 8/25/20 (Cardinals -192, 9)

Matt Harvey is back on the mound for the Royals this season. In his first start for the Royals, he looked fine to begin the game but started allowing the long balls. His strikeout rate was higher than expected, but he allowed plenty of power for the Reds in that first start of the season. Harvey didn’t get a single ground ball in that start, which is concerning.

For the Cardinals, Adam Wainwright will take the mound. Wainwright has started three games and is 2-0 with a 2.00 ERA along with a 3.39 FIP. Wainwright’s strikeout rate is low, but he’s getting 52.8 percent of ground balls and has a BABIP of .189 in those three starts, while also limiting the walks.

The Cardinals are 9-8 on the season and have played only 17 games due to COVID. They’ll need to pick it up in the win column if they’re going to want to be in the playoffs. They’ll need to take advantage of match-ups like these and win this game.

Key trends: Cardinals are 4-0 in their last 4 interleague games as a favorite. (Not Including Monday’s game.)

Early lean: Cardinals, Over

Rockies vs Diamondbacks 8/25/20 (Rockies -125, 9.5)

The Rockies have surprised the league a bit. To start the season, the Rockies were extremely hot and winning most games. Now they sit at 13-15 and are struggling to win many games. However, the Diamondbacks are also 13-16 and have a losing record due to their poor offense recently.

The Rockies will pitch German Marquez, who is 2-4 with a 3.15 ERA. He’s pitched well this season with 8.51 strikeouts per nine innings and 2.43 walks per nine innings. He’s going up against an offense that really struggled over the weekend. However, Marquez has struggled keeping runners on base, with 58.40 percent left on base and the other percent allowed to score.

Alex Young will get the call for the Diamondbacks. Young is more of a relief pitcher than a starter but has been slotted in as the starter for a couple weeks now. Young is 1-1 in nine games and two starts with a 4.50 ERA and a 6.06 FIP. Young has a high strikeout rate and low walk rate but tends to allow the long ball a little too often as he allows three home runs per nine innings this season.

The Rockies, behind Marquez, should capitalize and hit some long balls in this one.

Key trends: Rockies are 4-1 in their last 5 road games vs. a left-handed starter.

Early lean: Rockies, Under

Dodgers vs Giants 8/25/20 (Dodgers -210, 9)

The Dodgers have a very high winning percentage and have been slotted as one of the favorites to win the World Series. They’ll take on a Giants team that was hot all of last week, ending the weekend off on a huge winning streak.

The Giants are looking to get back or close to .500 on the season with Johnny Cueto on the mound. Cueto is 2-0 with a 4.35 ERA on the season. He’s striking out 7.84 batters but walking 3.48 batters per nine innings. Cueto doesn’t get a high ground ball rate but has an FIP of 4.04, which is respectable.

On the other hand, Julio Urias will pitch for the Dodgers. He’s also 2-0 with a 2.74 ERA and a 3.65 FIP. His strikeout numbers are down, but he’s walking only 2.74 batters per nine innings and has done a good job holding runners on base and keeping them away from home plate.

The Giants have been pesky, but the Dodgers have serious depth in their lineup that gives any pitcher worry. Cueto has looked good against the Dodgers earlier this season. However, facing a pitcher already on the season benefits the hitters.

Key trends: Dodgers are 39-12 in their last 51 vs. a team with a losing record.

Early lean: Dodges, Over

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