MLB picks, predictions, best bets for Thursday, July 3: Rockies vs. Astros, Mets vs. Brewers and more

There are only three weeks of action left before the MLB All-Star break. It's the time of the year when the front office gets extra busy looking for talent to bolster their roster for the potential postseason or trade their assets, considering the future.

Thursday offers several interesting matchups to hook you to the screen. Let's see how each one of these matchups is expected to go.

Rockies vs. Astros

Prediction: Astros 7–4

Best Bet: Yainer Diaz over 1.5 total bases (−235)

Prop Play: Christian Walker to homer (+280)

The Colorado Rockies are one of the worst teams in the majors this year and are expected to struggle against the Houston Astros on both sides of the plate. Kyle Freeland is having a bad year and is once again expected to give away a lot of runs, as the Astros are likely to take a win here.

Mets vs. Brewers

Prediction: Mets 5–4

Best Bet: David Peterson under 4.5 earned runs

Pick: Pete Alonso to get 1+ RBI

David Peterson is expected to fare well against the Milwaukee Brewers. Mets will enjoy good offense from Pete Alonso, who has been driving in a lot of runs of late. Jose Quintana, being a lefty, could get in trouble against the first baseman.

Overall, it's expected to be a tight game, one that the Mets should win.

Blue Jays vs. Yankees

Prediction: Yankees 6–5

Best Bet: Aaron Judge 1.5+ total bases (+100)

Pick: Judge anytime HR

It's expected to be another close game between AL East rivals. The Blue Jays may struggle against Clarke Schmidt of the Yankees and with Aaron Judge looking in a home run mode, the Yankees should earn a hard-fought victory here.

Braves vs. Angels

Prediction: Braves 5–3

Best Bet: Jo Adell HR (+330)

Pick: Braves moneyline

Jurickson Profar and Matt Olson would like to hit against left-hander Jose Soriano of the Angels. On paper, the Braves are a much better team than the team in Anaheim and that will reflect in the final scorecard.

Diamondbacks vs. Giants

Prediction: Giants 5–4

Best Bet: Eugenio Suárez HR

Pick: Giants moneyline

Robbie Ray will be on the mound for the Giants and he has been excellent this season. He should be able to hold his own against the Diamondbacks and help the Giants to a victory.

Cubs vs. Cardinals

Prediction: Cubs 7–2

Best Bet: Cubs ML –275

Pick: Cubs team total over 4.5 runs

The Cubs will have rookie Cade Horton on the mound. The Guardians may struggle to get things going against him and with Steven Kwan having a tough run at the plate, the offense will be hard to come by.

Meanwhile, with the imposing presence of Kyle Tucker, the Cubs are in a much comfortable seat.

Here are picks, predictions and best bets for other games:

Mariners vs. Royals

Prediction: Mariners 4–2

Best Bet: Logan Evans over 5.5 Ks

Total: Under 7.0

Dodgers vs. White Sox

Prediction: Dodgers 8–3

Best Bet: Dodgers ML –292

Pick: Andy Pages over 0.5 total bases

About the author

Krutik Jain is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. It was in 2018 when the baseball bug bit Krutik, and already a cricket fan, he credits baseball's rules and Clayton Kershaw's pitching to have hooked him to the game.

A Kershaw and Mookie Betts fan, Krutik rates his favorite team LA Dodgers triumphing over Tampa Bay Rays in the 2020 World Series as his best baseball moment so far. His answer to the perennial "one player from the past you could meet" question is Jackie Robinson. Despite never having seen him play, Robinson's impact, legacy and trail-blazing journey have left an indelible impact on Krutik.

A rigorous fact-checker, Krutik likes reporting on the technical aspects of the game as well as off-field elements. When not watching baseball, Krutik is busy playing cricket, staying up to date with the happenings around the world and hiking.

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Edited by Dipayan Moitra