Atlanta Braves to beat St. Louis Cardinals

The Braves won the first of this four-game series 4-0 and look good value to earn another victory on Friday.

The Cardinals have now lost five consecutive road games and are set to start Carlos Martinez, who has struggled all season.

The 29-year-old right-hander is 3-7 with a 5.82 ERA and has taken the loss in three consecutive starts, allowing 17 runs across just 11.2 total innings during that stretch.

Martinez takes on Atlanta left-hander Max Fried, who has been more solid, going 3-4 so far with a 4.62 ERA.

Minnesota Twins to beat Texas Rangers

The Rangers are bottom of the AL West with a 25-43 record, having lost three games in a row and seven of their last nine.

The Twins are also last in their division and are 27-41 on the season, but they are coming off a 7-2 road win over the Seattle Mariners and should have a clear pitching advantage in this match-up.

Starting for Minnesota will be Jose Berrios, who is 7-2 after going 4-0 over his last five starts. The right-hander boasts a solid 3.49 ERA and hasn’t taken a loss since 20 April.

Texas starter Mike Foltynewicz, meanwhile, is 1-7 on the season with a 5.48 ERA. He’s on a run of three consecutive losses and lasted just 2.2 innings in his last start, having given up eight runs on eight hits against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Chicago White Sox to beat Houston Astros

Houston won the first game of this series on Thursday, but it’s worth backing Chicago to level the series in this meeting of two of the AL’s best teams.

The Astros have been very impressive of late, but the White Sox are on a run of six wins in eight games, they’re an AL-leading 43-26 on the season and have one of the best pitchers in baseball on the mound for this game.

Carlos Rodon is 6-2 with an excellent 1.89 ERA, and he’s coming off a gem of a start against the Detroit Tigers. He allowed just one hit in seven innings, with two walks and nine strikeouts.

The Astros will start Luis Garcia, who is also having a good season with a 5-4 record and 2.98 ERA, although he did last just 4.1 innings in his last start after allowing four runs on six hits.

Los Angeles Dodgers to beat Arizona Diamondbacks

The Dodgers lost the final game of a three-game set against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday, but they had won seven of their last eight before that defeat and should bounce back against the Diamondbacks.

Arizona has lost 14 consecutive games to drop to 20-50 on the season, the worst record in either league.

Trevor Bauer gets the start for the Dodgers, and although he’s taken the loss in his last two starts he still maintains an impressive 2.64 ERA.

He faces Caleb Smith, who has a 3.61 ERA and has recently been moved from the bullpen into the rotation. He’s gone 0-2 in his four starts this season and gave up four runs on five hits in 4.1 innings against the Los Angeles Angels last Saturday.