MLB picks, predictions, best bets for Thursday, August 7: Pirates vs. Reds, Mariners vs. White Sox and more

After an action-packed Wednesday, which saw a no-hitter by Cleveland Guardians' Gavin Williams get spoiled in the ninth innings and Shohei Ohtani hitting a home run on his 1,000th hit, baseball fans get a little break with just a four-game slate.

The Mariners-White Sox and Athletics-Nationals are to conclude their series while the Pirates-Reds and Braves-Marlins head for their series openers.

Here are the picks, predictions and best bets from Thursday's games compiled using ESPN, Caesar's DraftKings, bet365 and FanDuel Sportsbooks.

MLB picks, predictions, best bets for Thursday, August 7

#1. Pirates vs. Reds

Picks: Pirates ML (-175), Under 7.5 runs

Prediction: Pirates 4, Reds 3

Best Bet: Oneil Cruz o0.5 Total RBIs (+160)

Pirates' ace Paul Skenes takes the mound, leading the NL with a 2.02 ERA, but struggling with a 6-8 record. Thursday's start will be the 24th this season, one more than his Rookie of the Year-winning last season. His matchup with Reds' offensive leader, Elly De La Cruz, will be one to watch out for. Cincinnati remains just outside the NL Wild Card spots with a 60-55 record.

#2. Mariners vs. White Sox

Picks: Mariners ML (-290), Under 7.5 runs

Prediction: Mariners 4, White Sox 2

Best Bet: Eugenio Suarez u1.5 Total Bases (-175)

New additions Eugenio Suarez and Josh Naylor have homered in the first two games of the series. The Mariners' offence has combined for 16 runs over the first two games and is expected to do the same behind starter Logan Gilbert (3-4, 3.45 ERA). He will duel Shane Smith (3-7, 4.25 ERA) from the White Sox.

#3. Braves vs. Marlins

Picks: Braves ML (-115), Under 8.5 runs

Prediction: Braves 4, Marlins 3

Best Bet: Eury Perez u5.5 Strikeouts Thrown (-102)

After several years, the Marlins find themselves ahead of the Braves in the NL East standings in August. After sweeping the Yankees, they were able to get a game out of the Astros. Eury Perez (4-3, 2.70) for Miami battles Atlanta's Carlos Carrasco (2-2, 5.68 ERA) in what is expected to be a closely fought encounter.

#4. Athletics vs. Nationals

Picks: Athletics ML (-135), Over 9.5 runs

Prediction: A's 6, Nationals 5

Best Bet: Josh Bell o0.5 Total RBIs (+190)

The A's and Nats head for the series decider on Thursday after Washington's walk-off win in Game 2 broke their six-game losing streak. After 16 runs in the opener, the Athletics' offence was restricted to a one-run game. They will be facing Nationals' Mitchell Parker (7-11, 5.35 ERA) and trying to back up their starter, Jacob Lopez (4-6, 3.99 ERA).

About the author

Nikhil Parshy is a baseball and ice hockey journalist at Sportskeeda, and after starting out as a cricket reporter, he has been an analyst with SK since November 2022. His interest in the sports were piqued a few years back after watching highlights on YouTube and he has followed the game ever since.

The Chicago Cubs breaking the 108-year curse in 2016 to lift the World Series remains Nikhil's favorite baseball moment. Two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani has been his favorite player ever since he started following the game, while the LA Dodgers are his favorite team.

As a writer, Nikhil maintains a strong attention to detail and rigorously cross-checks information. He seeks to strike a balance in his writing such that the regular reader gains an insight into player profiles, while also keeping in mind that the non-regular reader is not put off by jargon and shallow analysis.

Nikhil is an avid public speaker, and when not writing about baseball, he regularly participates in debates and quizzes.

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Edited by Veer Badani