A veteran baseball analyst has picked the San Diego Padres and Cincinnati Reds as his top bets for Friday's MLB action on August 1, 2025. With a personal record of 56-36 on MLB best bets this year, the handicapper remains confident in his selections as the second half of the season continues.
The first recommendation focuses on the "Padres" to cover the -1.5 run line against the "Cardinals." San Diego has been on an impressive streak lately, having just swept the Mets and gaining ground on the division-leading "Dodgers." Meanwhile, St. Louis was recently swept by the Marlins and continues to fall further from Wild Card contention.
Nick Pivetta will take the mound for San Diego, bringing his excellent home performance record with a 2.07 ERA at Petco Park. He'll face Matthew Liberatore, who holds a 4.04 ERA this season for the Cardinals.
Interestingly, the analyst's second pick involves the "Reds" to lead after five innings against the struggling "Braves." Cincinnati is hunting for the final NL Wild Card spot, while Atlanta has lost 8 of their last 11 games and sits 16 games under .500.
The pitching matchup features Brady Singer for Cincinnati, who has allowed three runs or fewer in 11 of his last 13 starts, against Atlanta's Bryce Elder, who carries a concerning 6.29 ERA with 3.6 walks per nine innings.
The handicapping team as a whole has been remarkably consistent with a 111-79-7 record in their prediction series this season. Can these trends continue as August baseball heats up? Friday's full slate of games will put these predictions to the test.
