Wise n' Shine: NFL predictions and MLB picks for Friday, August 18

Welcome to another fabulous Friday of sports, Pickswise Nation. We’re back to a massive slate of MLB games today, and we also have some action on the gridiron as two NFL games take place tonight. Let’s get straight to making your next bet better!

About Last Night

NFL preseason Week 2 starts with a… tie?
It wasn’t the most exciting start to Week 2 of the preseason as the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles tied 18-18 last night. However, Pickswise bettors were winners as our pick of Under 38 cashed, albeit with a little bit of sweating involved!

Small and relatively uneventful MLB slate
Thursday’s MLB slate was a small one, but it got even smaller after the Tigers and Guardians were postponed due to rain. That means only 5 games took place yesterday which made for a relatively quiet night. Patrick Corbin and Adam Wainwright both did well (that felt weird to say) and Lance Lynn continued to shine in L.A. There is good news from yesterday’s small slate, however, and it’s that we have 16 games in store tomorrow instead of the normal 15.

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Today’s Slate

NFL Preseason continues
Football is so badly back. After Thursday night’s game between the Browns and Eagles started painfully slow, we have 2 more games on deck tonight as the Panthers take on the Giants and the Bengals battle the Falcons. Check out all of our NFL picks for this week’s preseason action.

Massive 16-game MLB slate
The MLB has a huge day in store with 16 games happening, and there is plenty of exciting action around the country. The Red Sox-Yankees rivalry continues at Yankee Stadium, the Mariners and Astros meet in an AL West clash and the Tigers and Guardians play twice. Check out all of today’s MLB picks.

Best Bet of the Day

MLB: Milwaukee Brewers vs Texas Rangers: NRFI (-115)
8:05 pm ET, BSSW

Brandon Woodruff made two starts at the beginning of the season and was placed on the 60-day injured list shortly after with shoulder pain. However, Woodruff is back from his shoulder injury, and some might forget how dominant the right-hander is when healthy. He had a 0.79 ERA and 0.88 WHIP after his first two starts of the 2023 season, and looking back to last year, he was 13-4 with a 3.05 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 27 starts. Although Andrew Heaney does not possess the same first-inning dominance as Woodruff, he does have several other factors to his advantage. The southpaw has a 2.54 ERA in 6 starts since the all-star break and has held hitters to a .231 batting average. Expect a slow start to this interleague game.

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Must-read

Week 1 of the NFL regular season is rapidly approaching, so make sure to check out all our NFL preview content in our NFL Betting Guide including the latest additions of the team previews for the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions. If you’re a UFC fan and getting ready for Saturday night’s fights in Boston, make sure to check out our UFC 292 best bets along with our UFC 292 4-fight parlay.

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

Stat of the Day

Seattle’s Julio Rodriguez became the first player with a 5-hit day game following a 4-hit night game since Juan Pierre in 2002.

Quote of the Day

“I see their awareness, speed and strength – and that’s how I get a good tell on them.”

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill on not watching film, but playing Madden the night before a game instead.

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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.