MLB picks: Yankees vs. Marlins, Brewers vs. Braves

Let’s get the weekend started on the right foot with our best bets in baseball for Friday night!

First, we’ll preview the interleague series opener between the New York Yankees and the Miami Marlins. Then we’ll dig into the matchup between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Atlanta Braves.

New York Yankees (53-48) at Miami Marlins (44-58), 7:10 p.m. ET

The Marlins appear to be offering good value as sizable home underdogs against the new-look Yankees on Friday night.

Jameson Taillon starts for visiting New York, and his 2021 road splits are anything but inspiring. He’s 2-3 with a 6.08 ERA and 1.43 WHIP through eight appearances outside the Bronx. Backing him up is a Bombers bullpen that ranks 26th by ERA (5.72) since the All-Star break.

Miami may have just dealt Starling Marte away, but their offense has been invigorated by the return of third baseman Brian Anderson. He’s 6-for-16 (.375) with a pair of home runs since returning from an injury that kept him sidelined for two months.

Zach Thompson counters for the Marlins, and the 27-year-old rookie has given a good account of himself through seven starts, authoring a 2.45 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. He’s also struck out 36 batters through 33 innings.

The Miami relief corps has pitched decently over the last two weeks, recording a 3.66 ERA (12th).

MLB pick: Marlins +138

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Milwaukee Brewers (61-42) at Atlanta Braves (51-52), 7:20 p.m. ET

The Braves are 1-10 in their last 11 games when trying to reach .500 this year (they’ve yet to hold winning record in 2021), and it looks like the Brewers will hand them another loss on Friday night.

Corbin Burnes gets the nod for Milwaukee here, and he’s 3-0 with a 0.99 ERA through four starts in July. He’s struck out 31 batters in that span while walking only four. Burnes has been at his best on the road in 2021, producing a 0.78 WHIP.

Behind Burnes is a stellar Brewers bullpen that owns the second best ERA in the majors since the All-Star break (2.31).

Touki Toussaint takes the hill for Atlanta, and though he owns a 1.32 ERA through two outings this year, his overall body of work is far from inspiring. Toussaint had a 5.62 ERA in 2019, and an 8.88 ERA in 2020.

Look for the surging Rowdy Tellez – who’s batting .500 over the last week with four homers – to make an impact in a Milwaukee win.

MLB pick: Brewers -137