Top MLB Picks and Predictions Today (Back the Dogs on Monday Night)

Eight games await us baseball bettors this Monday night, although with the exception of the Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays, there's not many games that offer very tantalizing matchups.

Fortunately, that's why betting makes things more fun! Our team broke down the full eight-game slate throughout the day, finding their favorite bets to help make some potentially lopsided matchups a bit more interesting.

Here are the BetSided team's top bets for Monday's action.

Astros vs. Tigers Odds, Prediction and Pick

Framber Valdez (2.64 ERA) has been phenomenal all year for the Astros.

It will be tough for the Tigers to get much off him, but it's worth a note that Detroit is much better against left-handed pitchers. Their OPS increases from .599 against RHPs, which ranks dead last in the Majors, to .710 against lefties;a significant difference.

Their numbers are only slightly worse than the Astros numbers vs. lefties, and today, Houston faces left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (4.13 ERA) for the Tigers.

The matchup seems completely lopsided, but I actually think it's slightly closer than the odds indicate. With us getting plus-money on the Tigers +1.5 run line, I'm willing to take a shot. - Iain MacMillan

Cubs vs. Mets Odds, Prediction, and Pick

It's tough to find betting value with New York so let's look to the total instead. Javier Assad has been solid in a few starts with the Cubs, posting two shutouts before the Reds tagged him for four his last time out.

However, Assad showcased solid control and can limit damage against the Mets' inconsistent lineup of late. New York exploded out of a week-long slump against the Marlins over the weekend, but I expect a slow start with Assad if he's in control.

Meanwhile, Bassitt should continue his fine form vs. an underwhelming Chicago offense. He's lowered his ERA from 3.79 to 2.28 since the All-Star break and the Cubs should have little answer for him, hitting .247 as a team since August 28th and striking out on more than 28% of at bats.

I'll bank on a slow start and grab the first five under 4.5 runs. - Reed Wallach

Rangers vs. Marlins Odds, Prediction and Pick

Taking the under on a total of seven is gross. But judging by the way these two teams are hitting, it's likely the right play.

Both the Rangers and Marlins rank bottom-six in runs scored since the start of the month, as well as bottom-three in weighted-runs-created-plus (wRC+), and weighted-on-base-average, or wOBA.

The Rangers, despite paying out the you-know-what for prime power hitters this offseason are bottom-four in isolated power, or ISO, and Miami leads baseball since September 1st with a strikeout rate of 29.1%.

I also like both pitchers tonight, even though they're coming back off the injured list. Braxton Garrett has a 2.45 ERA at home, while Jon Gray show mow down the Marlins' hitters with a ton of strikeouts.

Because I don't expect either pitcher to go deep coming off injury, along with worries that a bad bullpen could mess this whole thing up, I'll go under on the first five innings, rather than for the full game.