Baseball betting – Fourth of July MLB picks

What a Saturday. Preparing for NASCAR betting at night by watching America’s pastime during the day? Not too shabby. Let’s make some MLB picks for Saturday’s games.

Milwaukee Brewers @ Chicago Cubs

Saturday, July 4, 1:00 p.m. ET
Braden Looper (6-4, 4.90) vs Rich Harden (5-4, 4.57)

Be careful with Saturday’s baseball lines. It may seem logical to bet on the better pitcher in Rich Harden, especially at home, but it could be a trap. Braden Looper is actually a Wrigley Field dynamo despite his horrible road numbers this year overall. He has a 3.06 ERA at the Friendly Confines and a 2.57 ERA against the Cubs all-time, so he could lead the Brewers to an upset.

Remember, Rich Harden isn’t in 2008 form. He’s serving up tons of homers and the Brewers have loads of power, so we could see lots of balls leaving the yard.

Best MLB predictions pick: Brewers

Toronto Blue Jays @ New York Yankees

Saturday, July 4, 1:05 p.m. ET

Roy Halladay (10-2, 2.56) vs Chien-Ming Wang (1-6, 10.06)

Do the Yanks have an opportunity to upset one of the game’s top aces on Saturday? Doc Halladay is only one start removed from his DL stint and may be on a pitch count again. Chien-Ming Wang is slowly improving, at least to the point of adequacy. In his last 15.1 innings, he has a 4.76 ERA and 1.45 WHIP. Those are hardly impressive numbers, but they’re certainly a major step up from his humiliating early-season totals.

Still, even if Wang’s sinker sinks on Saturday, he’s matched up against one of the best in the business. As your handicapping software will tell you, Roy Halladay doesn’t flinch against the Yankees despite their reputation and prodigious power. Overall versus the Bronx Bombers in his career, he’s 16-5 with a 2.79 ERA and five complete games in 31 starts. That’s a full season’s worth of outings, meaning Doc Halladay amazingly has a Cy Young-caliber season under his belt if he faces only the Yankees. Don’t bet against him on Saturday.

Best MLB predictions pick: Blue Jays