MLB picks: Giants vs. Braves, Astros vs. Rangers

We’ve sifted through a busy Friday MLB schedule, crunched the numbers, and came up with our top two plays of the night!

Leading off is our look at the series opener between the San Francisco Giants and the Atlanta Braves. Then we’ll dive into a Lone Star State showdown between the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers.

San Francisco Giants (83-44) at Atlanta Braves (68-58), 7:20 p.m. ET

The Braves can pick up a valuable victory over the MLB-best Giants at Truist Park on Friday night.

Kevin Gausman will toe the rubber for visiting San Francisco, and the former Brave has recorded just one quality start over his last seven outings. This is due mainly to his running elevated pitch counts in that span, but his ERA has risen from 1.73 to 2.47.

Gausman will likely struggle against an Atlanta offense that’s sixth in runs per game at home in 2021 (5.13). He’ll have to watch out for Braves third baseman Austin Riley, who’s 17-for-41 (.415) with four homers over the last two weeks.

Meanwhile, Max Fried seeks his fifth straight win on the mound for Atlanta. He’s produced a microscopic 0.67 ERA in August and is fresh off a “Maddux,” as he recorded a shutout of the Baltimore Orioles on only 90 pitches last Friday.

Don’t be surprised if the Giants – who were in Queens, NY less than 24 hours ago – come out looking flat.

MLB pick: Braves -117

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Houston Astros (75-52) at Texas Rangers (44-83), 8:05 p.m. ET

The Rangers could ambush Jake Odorizzi and the in-state rival Astros at Globe Life Field on Friday night.

Jake Odorizzi owns an alarming 5.31 ERA through 42 1/3 innings on the road in 2021. Texas tagged him for three runs in just 4 2/3 innings when they met at Minute Maid Park on July 23. Rangers shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa – who had one of the three RBIs against Odorizzi – is currently batting .361 during a nine-game hitting streak, so look for him to make an impact here.

Glenn Otto makes his MLB debut for the Rangers less than a month after being shipped over from the New York Yankees in the Joey Gallo trade. He looked sharp in four starts at Triple-A Round Rock, going 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA and 1.000 WHIP. Houston won’t know what to look for with Otto, so the 25-year-old rookie has the leg-up at least the first time through the order.

MLB pick: Rangers +140 (first five innings)