Wise n' Shine: MLB picks, soccer predictions & golf best bets for Thursday

Good morning, Pickswise Nation! Yesterday might have seemed like a quiet summer Wednesday, but it brought us the first perfect game in the MLB for more than a decade from Domingo German of the Yankees, while the Chicago Blackhawks selected a special talent in Connor Bedard with the first pick in the NHL Draft. Today we have another solid MLB slate plus PGA Tour golf and The Match featuring Steph Curry vs Patrick Mahomes, so let’s get straight to making your next bet better.

About Last Night

Perfect day for German and our MLB Best Bets!
Domingo German’s 99-pitch perfect game helped the Yankees to an 11-0 win over the Oakland Athletics. It was also a perfect day for our 3-star plays as we went 3-0 on our Best Bets and have now cashed 5 of the last 6. Our MLB expert Keith Schmelter also went 3-0 in his MLB Best Bets article. On top of that, we cashed our MLB parlay at +473 odds.

Bedard chosen to turn around Blackhawks
Connor Bedard is tagged as the brightest prospect in the NHL since Connor McDavid (no pressure there…) and he was taken first in last night’s NHL Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks. The second pick was much more of a surprise as the Anaheim Ducks picked center Leo Carlsson 0ver Adam Fantilli, who went to the Blue Jackets with the third pick. The Avalanche are the +800 favorites for the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks at +9000.

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Today’s Slate

12-game MLB slate
Today’s MLB slate provides plenty of early action with 6 afternoon games including the Athletics trying to get a hit against the Yankees at 3:37 pm ET. Check out all of today’s MLB picks.

There’s golf and soccer too
Our golf expert Diane Knox Balas has golf predictions for the Rocket Mortgage Classic, which starts today, but that’s not the only event on offer as The Match VIII features Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors against Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs. Check out our The Match VIII predictions. In the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the United States got back on track last night with a 6-0 win over St. Kitts and today we have soccer predictions for Haiti vs Mexico.

Best Bet of the Day

MLB: Chicago Cubs ML over Philadelphia Phillies
8:05 pm ET

Taijuan Walker starts for the Phillies and has a 4.10 ERA and 1.24 WHIP. His percentiles are quite concerning, as he ranks in the lower end for the majority of them. He has a record of 8-3, but has been given great run support in essentially every start with his team scoring 5+ runs in 7 of his 8 wins. Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks has an impressive 2.60 ERA and 0.98 WHIP. He is not a big strikeout pitcher, but limits hard-hit balls and keeps them in the park, with only 1 home run allowed through 6 starts. Hendricks has the ability to go deep into a game as well. Check out our full Phillies vs Cubs predictions.

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Must-read

You can read our MLB mega parlay and YRFI/NRFI Best Bets for today’s baseball and don’t miss our Golf previews of the Rocket Mortgage Classic and The Match VIII plus our soccer preview for Haiti vs Mexico.

Look out for more great betting content as it comes in throughout the day on our Analysis tab.

Stat of the Day

The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani is 10-of-21 lifetime against today’s White Sox starter Lance Lynn with 3 home runs.

Quote of the Day

“He’s a pretty special player, a very special person. We’ll let him determine how special that first season is.”

Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson selected Connor Bedard with the first pick of the NHL Draft.

Pickswise is the home of free sports picks, news and best bets. Check out our expert NFL Picks, NBA Picks, MLB Picks and NHL Picks pages for our latest game picks.