The 2026 MLB season gets rolling again in full Friday after a Mets vs. Phillies appetizer on Thursday night coming out of the All-Star break. There are 15 games on the Friday MLB schedule, including a Rays vs. Red Sox doubleheader and a potential 2026 World Series preview. The latter is a rematch of the Dodgers vs. Yankees matchup in the 2024 Fall Classic, with the first game of the three-game set on tap for 7:05 p.m. ET. There's also an interleague showdown between first-place teams as the Braves host the Guardians, among many other intriguing series starting Friday.
The Yankees vs. Dodgers series opener is basically a pick 'em, with Los Angeles -110 on the money line and New York at -109 in the consensus MLB odds. The Over/Under for total runs scored is set at 9. Place your wagers on Friday's MLB games with the latest DraftKings promo code for $200 in bonus bets after you bet $5+:
SportsLine expert Adam Thompson has been digging into the odds from all 15 games and has unearthed his best bets for Friday. An analytics-driven exploiter of matchups, Thompson specializes in the NFL, NBA and MLB. He also has delivered consistent winners in college basketball, horse racing and golf.
Over the past two seasons, Thompson is up over 70 units in MLB and over 60 units in the NBA. You can find more of his picks at SportsLine, and in the member-exclusive SportsLine Discord server, a community of sports betting enthusiasts and SportsLine experts.
Here are Thompson's best bets and analysis for Friday's MLB games.
Best MLB picks for Friday, July 17
Rockies ML (-112, FanDuel)
The Reds are 4-10 over the last two-plus weeks. At Coors Field they'll throw Brady Singer, who has a sub-3 ERA since the start of June but is 0-5 with a 6.75 ERA in nine road starts. He's had issues with lefty-dominant orders, and Colorado will have six left-handers in its lineup, including three of its top four.
The Rockies' offense has been hitting but not scoring, due to a lack of clutch hits. But from a metrics standpoint, here is a good spot to keep it going. In July, the team's home OPS is .998 and its OPS vs. right-handers is .845. Those splits are far higher than those of the Reds.
Touted prospect Gabriel Hughes threw six quality innings vs. the Dodgers in his first start, this after a three-inning, zero-run relief spot vs. the Giants. He's backed by a bullpen that's actually delivering (2.13 ERA in July).
Tigers ML (-110, FanDuel)
The Tigers laid a pair of eggs against the Phillies to close out the first half, but prior to that had won nine of 10, averaging 6.1 runs per game. They've especially crushed left-handers, to the tune of an .858 OPS. That's bad news for Angels LHP Reid Detmers, who has allowed five runs in three of his last four starts and has yet to earn a win at home.
So we'll happily back Troy Melton, who is 5-1 with a 1.82 ERA in eight starts, and a Tigers bullpen with a 2.97 ERA in July. They can combine to hold down an Angels team that's dropped 10 of 12 and was held to three or fewer runs in eight of those games.
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Nationals ML (-136, FanDuel)
Only three teams scored 500 runs before the All-Star break -- the Dodgers, Pirates and these Nationals. Only two teams allowed more than 500 -- the Nationals again, and the Athletics.
But the A's don't score. They've lost 13 of 14 and haven't put a crooked number on the scoreboard in five straight. They've managed more than two runs just once in their last eight games.
Neither team has a bullpen, so starter stamina is an asset here. Nationals RHP Cade Cavalli has gone six-plus innings in three of four and allowed three runs or fewer in six straight. A's LHP Gage Jump hasn't lasted six innings in his past four outings. Washington's home OPS and OPS vs. left-handers in July are over 1.000.
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