Top MLB Picks and Predictions Today (Giants Upset, Astros and Marlins Two Favorites to Back on Thursday)

And just like that, Major League Baseball is back!

Several MLB teams are in action on Thursday following the All-Star break, and we have a pair of doubleheaders to dive into and bet.

The BetSided team of Joe Summers, Peter Dewey and Donnavan Smoot have you covered with some of their top picks with odds from WynnBET and consensus sportsbooks:

New York Yankees vs. Houston Astros Prediction and Pick

New York and Houston have played some tough battles so far this season, and things won’t get much easier for the Yankees in Houston against Cristian Javier (6-5, 3.22 ERA) in Game 1. 

Javier spun seven innings of no-hit ball with 13 strikeouts in the Astros’ combined no-hitter against New York back on June 25. 

The Yankees have not looked as dominant in the month of July as they did earlier in the season, and Javier has shown he can shut this team down. 

Houston is also elite at home this season, going 28-14 in the first half of the season at Minute Maid Park. 

These teams played close games in their first series this season, but with the Yankees’ run line juiced all the way to -194, I think the play is to take Houston to win outright. 

The Astros have held New York to just 15 runs in five games this season, and 13 of those runs came in just two games. 

Lean: Astros ML (-126) -- Peter Dewey

Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record here.

San Francisco Giants vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Prediction and Pick

This just doesn't make any sense. By any measure, Carlos Rodón is one of the very best pitchers in MLB. He has the second-best FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) and the eighth-best expected ERA among all qualified pitchers, all while striking out over 11 batters per nine innings.

Plus, Rodón had a few days to stew over his All-Star snub and should come out with a vengeance. He held the Dodgers to two hits over six scoreless innings last month and allowed one run or fewer in six of his last seven starts.

Mitch White, on the other hand, has not been good. He's got a 4.22 expected ERA and just gave up 10 hits and six runs to the Cardinals. Los Angeles is 2-4 in his last six starts, and at a bare minimum he's at a significant disadvantage to Rodon.

Give me the value on the visitors to start the second half of the season with an impressive road upset.

Pick: Giants (+146) -- Joe Summers

Follow all of Joe Summers' betting picks here.

Texas Rangers vs. Miami Marlins Prediction and Odds

I’ll give Jon Gray some credit. He’s dropped his ERA every single month this season – which isn’t hard considering how poorly he started this year. Despite his improvement (7.00 ERA to 3.71 ERA), I’m going to fade him and the Rangers. 

Pablo Lopez is top 20 in the majors in ERA (2.86) and WHIP (1.07). On top of that, he’s been fantastic in July. He’s only given up 8 hits and four runs across three games while sporting a 2.20 ERA. Lopez is looking elite right now, making it easy for me to side with him and the Marlins. 

Miami is a small favorite, but this is a spot where it thrives. The Marlins are 17-11 SU as home favorites this year, cashing at a 60.7% rate. With low juice, I’ll trust Lopez to lead them to a win. 

Lean: Marlins ML (-120) -- Donnavan Smoot

You can find Donnavan Smoot’s full betting record here.