Friday July 12 Best Sports Betting Picks & Predictions For MLB & WNBA Games

Forget grammar; the true trouble with these “Caitlin Clark 4 President” signs lies in the Constitution.

The Indiana Fever phenom still needs roughly 12 ½ trips around the sun to reach her 35th birthday.

Defying convention and NCAA and WNBA defenders is one thing, but centuries-old documents? Boy, can they be pesky.

One night after a presidential press conference grabbed the nation’s attention, Clark and Co. bounce into prime time Friday against the visiting Phoenix Mercury. We look at that game and the start of the final weekend series of baseball’s first half. Let’s hit the trail.

PHOENIX MERCURY AT INDIANA FEVER, 7:30 p.m. ET

No, Clark isn’t 35, and she probably didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, either, with the Fever rounding out a three-game homestand.

But she did combine for 36 points, assists, and rebounds in the Fever’s comeback road victory at Phoenix on June 30, playing 39 minutes while reportedly battling illness.

Clark surely felt better six days later, becoming the first rookie in the history of the “W” to post a triple-double. She had 29 points, 13 assists and five boards in Wednesday’s loss to Washington. 

That defeat stunned the Fever, sure, but they’re still in WNBA playoff position entering the final week before the All-Star and Olympic break.

Shaking the defense of Mercury’s Kahleah Copper will be a barrier, but here’s forecasting Clark meets the challenge before a home crowd and a foe fronted by Diana Taurasi, a player Clark grew up idolizing.

Fever +2.5, Caitlin Clark over 35 points, assists, and rebounds as two-leg parlay (+190, BetMGM)

PITTSBURGH PIRATES AT CHICAGO WHITE SOX, 8:10 p.m. ET

Turnabout is an underrated pizza, pasta, and Italian beef joint in the south Chicago suburb of Lemont. More commonly, though, it’s also fair play. So goes the saying that the Pirates are likely to relearn.

After grinning behind rookie right-hander Paul Skenes’ seven no-hit innings at Milwaukee on Thursday, Pittsburgh pivots from watching an All-Star pitcher to facing one. Lefty Garrett Crochet, one of the lone White Sox bright spots in an abysmal first half, gets the start, and he’s a far cry from the guy the Buccos blasted in a 2021 relief appearance.

Crochet does have an injury history the organization is managing, and he needed 93 pitches to complete four innings in Saturday’s no-decision at Miami. He fanned five in that start, just two better than his season low. Expect the major league leader in strikeouts to regroup here, but with second-half health a consideration, Crochet’s K tally should only get a marginal boost.

Garrett Crochet under 7.5 strikeouts (+120, DraftKings)

ATLANTA BRAVES AT SAN DIEGO PADRES, 9:40 p.m. ET

The Braves and Padres have lost a combined six games in a row in this meeting of National League wild card contenders and are both coming off shutout losses.

Atlanta has been hitting well otherwise, but the slump goes deeper for San Diego, which has been outscored 19-4 over the past three games.

While the Padres expect second baseman Xander Bogaerts (fractured shoulder) to return from a seven-week absence, he’ll need time to start connecting, even against so-so Braves starter Spencer Schwellenbach (2-4, 5.02 ERA).

San Diego counters with fellow righty Randy Vasquez (2-4, 4.66), who, like Schwellenbach, is coming off a quality start. This one won’t be a slugfest.

Under 8.5 runs (-115 with BetMGM)