Saturday July 27 Best Sports Betting Picks & Predictions for MLB, Olympics

The Paris Olympics ramp up Saturday with tons of competition. Due to the time difference, a lot of events will be finished before people wake up.

But we do see an intriguing basketball matchup at a convenient time as Giannis Antetokounmpo takes on the whole country of Canada. Well, he does have some Greek teammates, but they aren’t familiar names like Canada’s roster.

The United States has its first matchup on Sunday against Serbia in Group C play. The Americans haven’t been all that formidable during the tune-up contests but figure to pack a little more intensity with the games now counting toward a medal run.

There is the usual packed Saturday baseball schedule, so we’ll look to find some winners there as well.

CANADA VS. GREECE

Giannis will recognize a lot of the faces when Greece and Canada meet in the Group A matchup. 

NBA MVP runner-up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the star of the Canadians, with Jamal Murray, Andrew Nembhard and Nickeil Alexander-Walker among the other backcourt players.

Swingmen RJ Barrett and Lu Dort are dangerous players, while the frontcourt includes Kelly Olynyk and Dwight Powell. And then there’s the enforcer, Dillon Brooks, surely ready to sidestep all the Olympic sportsmanship rules if there is a loose ball to grab or an opponent to shove.

Giannis will not have his brother, Kostas, around, but Greece also has veteran point guard Nick Calathes. 

Now 35, Calathes stood out at Florida and played two NBA seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, but spent most of his pro career playing in Europe. 

There’s just too many weapons on the Canada roster, which is why the country is viewed as one that can give the U.S. a run for the gold medal. We see Canada winning by double digits.

Canada -7 spread, -110 (DraftKings)

PITTSBURGH PIRATES VS. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

It’s always good to spot a hot pitcher against a team likely without a few key bats. Right-hander Brandon Pfaadt has been mowing down hitters lately and seems like a good bet to do so for six (maybe seven) innings against Pittsburgh.

Pfaadt has given up just four hits while tossing 13 shutout innings over his last two starts. He dominated the Atlanta Braves’ lineup for six innings on July 11 while giving up three hits and was even better his last time out when he allowed one hit in seven innings against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday.

It goes even deeper. Over his last four starts, Pfaadt has allowed two runs and 16 hits in 23 1/3 innings, striking out 25 and walking just three. And he gets to face the Pirates without All-Star Bryan Reynolds (bereavement) and probably Rowdy Tellez (back spasms).

At the same time, the Diamondbacks are always capable of scoring only a few runs; they won Friday’s game 4-3. Count on Pirates left-hander Marco Gonzales to keep it close and both bullpens to excel.

Under 8.5 total runs, -115 (DraftKings)

WASHINGTON NATIONALS AT ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

Blake Irvin was cruising along splendidly during a three-start stretch in which he gave up two and five hits over 20 innings. Just as quickly, the 6-foot-6 right-hander gave up six earned runs and nine hits in each of his following two outings, watching his EFA soar from 2.80 to 3.49.

But Irvin, in his second big league season, bounced back by allowing two runs and five hits over seven innings in a no-decision against the Cincinnati Reds last Sunday. It looks like he may be back in form despite serving up two homers for the third straight start.

The Nationals are kind of a hard team to figure out. They got no-hit on Thursday by Dylan Cease of the San Diego Padres and then had 18 at-bats with runners in scoring position during Friday’s 10-8, 10-inning road win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado are having underwhelming seasons for the Cardinals, but both slugged homers on Friday. St. Louis right-hander Kyle Gibson pitched well his last time out but gave up four runs in three of his previous four starts. We see a good price on Washington that’s worth taking.

Nationals moneyline, +114, (DraftKings)