MLB Betting Picks Today: Tarik Skubal Prop Leads Thursday's Top Bets

Tarik Skubal is supposed to be the type of ace pitcher that makes losing streaks end. Thursday night is his time to prove it when the Dodgers attempt to avoid being swept in a three-game set by the visiting St. Louis Cardinals.

The Dodgers have allowed 21 runs while losing the first two games of the series and have dropped six of their past eight games. Los Angeles has fallen four games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for best record in the National League and also is in jeopardy of falling behind the Atlanta Braves.

The Tampa Bay Rays own the top record in the American League as they begin a four-game series with the host Texas Rangers. The Seattle Mariners are huge disappointments but could take advantage of the injury plagued Athletics.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS AT LOS ANGELES DODGERS

Skubal is 1-2 with a 3.00 ERA in five starts for Los Angeles since being acquired from the Detroit Tigers at the trade deadline. He has struck out 37 in 30 innings while walking just seven but hasn’t displayed his Cy Young form of the past two seasons.

St. Louis has won four of its last six games to get back to .500 and the Cardinals are hanging around in the NL wild-card race. The 2-0 start on a nine-game road trip certainly is the start of a big opportunity for St. Louis as three games apiece against the beleaguered Colorado Rockies and the no-direction San Francisco Giants are still ahead.

The Cardinals are 3 1/2 games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks for the third and final wild-card spot. Perhaps one of the more stunning accomplishments of the season is St. Louis’ Alec Burleson driving in 101 runs, second-most in the majors.

Tarik Skubal to record nine or more strikeouts, +102 (DraftKings)

TAMPA BAY RAYS AT TEXAS RANGERS

The Rays hold a 3 ½-game lead over the New York Yankees in the AL East despite just losing two of three games to the visiting New York Mets. The Rays were thumped 10-4 on Wednesday, marking the fourth time they have allowed 10 runs since the All-Star break.

The Rays have left-hander Shane McClanahan (10-6, 3.19 ERA) starting the opener and he will look to frustrate the Texas bats though Jake Burger and Ezequiel Duran each have homered off him. The Rangers scored 23 runs while winning three straight games before being routed 9-2 by the visiting Athletics on Wednesday.

Texas stands two games behind the Houston Astros in the AL West and 1 ½ games behind the Cleveland Guardians for the third and final wild-card spot. Right-hander Cal Quantrill (6-5, 3.01) lost to the Brewers in his last turn after throwing 13 scoreless innings while winning consecutive outings against the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Angels.

Teams to combine for 8 or fewer runs, -117 (DraftKings)

ATHLETICS AT SEATTLE MARINERS

The Mariners fell one victory short of reaching the World Series last year and were supposed to be one of the best teams in the AL this season. But they have a shaky 66-74 record after winning their past two games and are five games behind the Astros in the AL West and 4 ½ back in the wild-card chase.

If Seattle is going to make a run, it needs to sweep all four games of this road set against the A’s, who are a glorified Triple-A team due to injuries. The Athletics have lost catcher Shea Langeliers, first baseman Nick Kurtz, shortstop Jacob Wilson, designated hitter Brent Rooker and left fielder Tyler Soderstrom for the season and dropped five straight games before beating Texas.

Right-hander Jack Perkins (3-10, 6.42) has fared well lately but gave up 17 earned runs in 13 1/3 innings during a three-start span at the outset of August. Seattle’s Randy Arozarena has taken Perkins deep twice and the Mariners will look to ride the coattails of scoring 25 runs while taking two of three from the host Boston Red Sox.

Mariners spread minus 1.5 runs, +109 (DraftKings)