MLB Best Bets August 27: Yankees, Brewers Lead Wednesday's Top Picks

The pitching matchup favors a low-scoring affair with Max Fried coming off his best performance in over a month, shutting out the Red Sox for six innings in his last start.

Cade Cavalli has been exceptional since joining the rotation with two shutouts in four starts and is missing bats while drawing weak contact.

Fried holds a significant platoon advantage over Washington's best hitters and has historically dominated the Nationals with an 8-5 career record against them.

Both bullpens should be relatively fresh as neither team used their best arms in Tuesday's game, adding to the likelihood of quality relief pitching.

The Yankees' power surge has been notable, but Cavalli's recent form suggests he can limit damage, while the Nationals' offense remains inconsistent on the road.

Eric Lauer has been dominant at home this season with a 2.45 ERA in seven appearances and the Blue Jays have won four of his last five starts.

Minnesota's Zebby Matthews struggles on the road with a 5.77 ERA in seven road starts and has allowed 62 hits in just 52.2 innings pitched overall.

The Twins have been decimated by trades, parting with key bullpen pieces and Carlos Correa, while sitting just above the last-place White Sox in their division.

Toronto leads the AL East by five games over Boston and shows no signs of letting up, with the offense producing consistently at Rogers Centre.

The Twins hit just .229 against left-handed pitching this season, playing directly into Lauer's strengths as a southpaw with solid strikeout numbers.

Both starting pitchers have shown recent vulnerability, with Sonny Gray allowing 15 hits and 9 runs over his last 10 innings in two consecutive poor outings.

The Cardinals offense has exploded for 10 runs over the past two days, while the Pirates are batting .298 over their last six games during a hot streak.

Pittsburgh's Carmen Mlodzinski has been effective but typically works short outings, meaning heavy reliance on a Pirates bullpen with a 4.14 ERA.

Gray previously struggled against Pittsburgh earlier this season, allowing 4 runs in 6.1 innings, while the Pirates have won 6 of their last 8 games.

The over has hit in 3 of 5 meetings between these teams this year, and both bullpens have shown inconsistency in recent games.

Framber Valdez is primed for a bounce-back performance after struggling recently, having dominated the Rockies historically with a 3-0 record and 1.93 ERA in three career starts.

Chase Dollander has been brutal for Colorado with a 6.91 ERA and already got shelled by Houston in July, allowing 6 runs in just 2.2 innings.

The Astros lineup exploded against Dollander previously and should feast again on a pitcher who has allowed 22 runs in his last five starts spanning 19.2 innings.

Houston leads the AL West and needs wins to maintain their advantage, while Colorado has been eliminated from playoff contention and is playing out the string.

The Rockies bullpen ranks among the worst in MLB, meaning even if Dollander keeps it close early, relief pitching will likely surrender the game.