Top MLB Picks and Predictions Today (Yankees Are BACK, Trust Yu Darvish, Corbin Burnes on Thursday)

Looking to bet on the 11-game slate in Major League Baseball on Thursday?

The BetSided team has you covered, sharing our favorite picks and prediction for the games on Aug. 18:

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Milwaukee Brewers Odds, Prediction and Pick

• Run Line: Dodgers -1.5 (+155) | Brewers +1.5 (-190)

• Moneyline: Dodgers: +105 | Brewers: -115

• Total: 7.5 (Over +100/Under -120)

I expect this to be the best game of the series, as Milwaukee gets its ace to go to war against the most potent lineup in all of baseball.

Corbin Burnes isn't quite having the otherworldly season he did last year, but he's still one of MLB's premier pitchers and is fully capable of shutting the Dodgers down.

He certainly has an advantage over Andrew Heaney, who lacks the stamina to go deep into games and has an expected FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) above 4.84 in two of his last four outings.

That being said, the Brewers don't hit lefties well. They're 24th in OPS against southpaws over the last three weeks, so Heaney will have ample opportunity to keep Milwaukee's lineup at bay until Los Angeles' bullpen takes over.

Because I believe in Burnes' ability and don't believe in the Brewers' lineup against left-handed pitchers, I'm inclined to back the under. However, once each bullpen gets involved, things can get dicey.

Thus, I'll side with the No Run First Inning as my best bet in this matchup. Burnes is a certified monster, and Heaney should do his part in keeping this game scoreless early on.

Pick: No Run First Inning (-130) - Joe Summers

Follow all of Joe Summers' betting picks here.

Toronto Blue Jays vs. New York Yankees Odds, Prediction and Pick

• Run Line: Blue Jays +1.5 (-175) | Yankees -1.5 (+145)

• Moneyline: Blue Jays: +128 | Yankees: -138

• Total: 8.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Jose Berríos has really struggled this season, and he’s given up a home run in seven straight starts. Despite that, the Jays are finding ways to win games he pitches, going 16-7 in his 23 outings. 

The Yankees are 1-1 in Frankie Montas’ two starts since the trade deadline, but he looked to find something against Boston, using his splitter to induce several key strikeouts. 

New York’s bats had gone dormant before Wednesday’s comeback win. The team scored three or fewer runs in seven straight games prior to yesterday’s outburst. 

I think that is a good sign for New York, who tagged Berrios for five runs in his last outing against them. 

LEAN: Yankees ML (-138) -- Peter Dewey

Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record here.

Washington Nationals vs. San Diego Padres Odds, Prediction and Pick

• Run Line: Nationals +1.5 (+152) | Padres -1.5 (-185)

• Moneyline: Nationals +330 | Padres -380

• Total: 8.0 (Over -105 / Under -115)

Juan Soto has played three games against his former team already this season and the Padres are up in the season series, 2-1. In those three games, Soto has four hits, two RBI and notably a .500 OBP. Not enough evidence to say that Soto owns his former team, but he may be seeking revenge for not receiving the long-term offer he wanted. 

Anibal Sanchez is the pitcher that Soto will face tonight. After not pitching in 2021, Sanchez has made six starts for the Nats this season and worked to a 7.20 ERA and 0-5 record. He did pitch a bit better his last time out, a Nationals win over the Padres, but is clearly not expected to do anything but eat innings and cash paychecks. 

Yu Darvish was on the losing side of that 4-3 Washington win five days ago and it dropped his record to 10-6. Darvish has a 3.40 ERA on the season, which jumped after giving up four runs over six innings to the Nats. Though he did have nine strikeouts in that one. 

Unless the run line jumps to -2.5 for San Diego then I don’t see much value in betting this one. It seems like San Diego will win big and the books have hedged well against that. The best bet I can see is Darvish over 6.5 strikeouts. He has gone over that total in seven of his last nine starts. 

Pick: Darvish Over 6.5 Ks (-105)  -- Josh Yourish

Follow all Josh’s bets HERE

Join Ben Heisler and Peter Dewey at 5 p.m. ET for today's episode of "Daily Betslip," as they share their best bets for Thursday night , breakdown the Game of the Night between the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves, as well as along reveal their favorite plays for NFL Comeback Player of the Year.