MLB picks: Rockies vs. Braves, A's vs. Royals

Here are our top two picks and plays for Tuesday’s MLB action!

Leading off is our look at the series opener between the Colorado Rockies and the Atlanta Braves. Then we’ll dive into a matchup between the Oakland A’s and the Kansas City Royals.

Colorado Rockies (66-78) at Atlanta Braves (76-66), 7:20 p.m. ET

The Braves are being dangled at a bargain price against the Rockies on the moneyline, and bettors should take advantage.

Jon Gray gets the nod for Colorado, and he’s actually pitched better at Coors Field this year than he has on the road. Gray has a 4.68 ERA as the visitor in 2021, as opposed to his 3.79 ERA in Denver. His opponent batting average also spikes from .201 to .287 when he travels.

Gray will take on an Atlanta offense that’s averaged 5.86 runs per game over its last seven contests (5-2 record). He catches reigning MVP Freddie Freeman at the wrong time, as the Braves first baseman has a 1.002 OPS in September.

Touki Toussaint will take the hill for Atlanta, and after putting up a 2.74 ERA in August (23 innings), he’s off to a bumpy start in September (7.50 ERA). But an outing against the Rockies’ moribund road offense – which is 29th in baseball by runs per game at 3.40 – could be just what the doctor ordered.

MLB pick: Braves -165

Oakland A’s (77-66) at Kansas City Royals (65-78), 8:10 p.m. ET

The runs should come in bunches as the A’s visit the Royals at Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday night.

Frankie Montas will have the assignment for Oakland, and he’s well on his way to his third straight month with a sub-3.00 ERA. The A’s desperately need him to pitch deep into this game, as their bullpen has been incredibly leaky over the last two weeks. Only the Baltimore Orioles relief corps (8.19 ERA) has a worse ERA in this span than Oakland’s (7.20).

The Kansas City offense is not going quietly in September, averaging 5.3 runs per game over their last 10 tilts (6-4 record). Outfielder Andrew Benintendi – batting .354 with three homers and 15 RBI this month – is leading the charge.

Jackson Kowar counters for the Royals, and his rookie season has been a nightmarish one based on his 0-3 record and 9.53 ERA over five outings. The A’s should waste no time tagging him for runs here, as they did on June 12 of this year (four earned over 1 1/3 innings).

MLB pick: Over