Wise n' Shine: NFL picks and MLB best bets for Thursday, August 17

Welcome to another terrific Thursday of sports, Pickswise Nation. We have a smaller slate of MLB games today, but we do have more NFL preseason action as the Browns and Eagles play tonight. Let’s get straight to making your next bet better!

About Last Night

Braves keep winning
The Braves can’t be stopped right now. After defeating the Yankees 2-0 on Wednesday, the Braves are now 12.5 Games up in the division and closing in on 80 wins. They are now expected to win 106 Games on the season and are +290 to win the World Series. Around the league, the Nationals upset the Red Sox 6-2, the Astros dominated the Marlins 12-5 and the A’s blanked the Cardinals 8-0.

Now you can bet any of our MLB predictions at FanDuel Sportsbook, which has a great new-customer offer to take advantage of. If you sign up for FanDuel right now, you can get a No Sweat Bet of up to $1,000! Click here to join FanDuel right now and learn more.

Today’s Slate

NFL preseason action resumes
Week 2 of the NFL preseason begins today as the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles play at 7:30 pm ET on NFL Network. Check out all of our NFL picks.

Small 6-game MLB slate
Unlike most days of the week, we have a very limited MLB slate on Thursday. Only 6 games are on the schedule with the first starting at 2:10 pm ET in Kansas City. Check out all of today’s MLB picks.

Best Bet of the Day

MLB: Boston Red Sox -1.5 over Washington Nationals (-120)
4:05 pm ET, MASN

Chris Sale missed over two months for the Red Sox due to a shoulder injury that many thought could end his season. However, the lefty returned last week against the Royals and took a no-hit bid into the 5th inning before allowing a home run. Sale struck out 7 and did not allow a walk as he looked like he was back in his prime. If the Red Sox are going to make a postseason push and attempt to steal a Wild Card spot, these are the types of games in which Boston needs to win. Meanwhile, Patrick Corbin has a 6.42 xERA and 5.24 WHIP, which means the Nats pitcher has been getting extremely lucky. Corbin ranks in the 1st percentile in xBA and 2nd percentile in xSLG. His season is hanging on by a thread, and since the Sox have Trevor Story back, take Boston to bring Corbin back to reality.

You can bet on this Red Sox vs Nationals pick over at Caesars, which has a great sign-up offer where you can get up to $1,250 back on your first bet! Click here to sign up for Caesars right now.

Must-read

Thursday’s MLB slate isn’t the biggest, but our baseball expert still has an MLB mega parlay that pays out at nearly 9/1 odds! On top of that, all our NFL preview content is in our NFL Betting Guide including the latest additions of the team previews for the LA Rams and Chicago Bears.

Head over to the Analysis tab for even more great Sports betting content as it arrives throughout the day.

Stat of the Day

Following Wednesday’s 2-0 loss to the Braves, the Yankees fall below .500 the latest in a season since September 5, 1995.

PointsBet is one of the fastest-growing Sportsbooks in America, and with a sign-up offer for up to $500 in bonus bets, it’s easy to understand why! Join PointsBet right now to earn some bet credits.

Pickswise is the home of free Sports picks, news, and best bets. Check out our expert NBA picks, MLB picks, NHL picks and Soccer picks for the latest Game picks.