MLB Picks: Betting Picks for Saturday, August 15

MLB Betting Expert Daniel E. Dobish looks to stay hot on Saturday night with a handful of picks and parlay possibilities for two west coast games.

August 15, 2026

MLB Picks: Betting Picks for Saturday, August 15

By:

Daniel Dobish

August 15, 2026

MLB Picks

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MLB Picks Today: Expert MLB Picks for
Saturday, August 15

It's another Saturday in Major League Baseball (MLB), and we have 15 total games. There are five first pitches at 4:10 p.m. ET or earlier, including the Washington Nationals and New York Mets on FOX Sports 1. We also have three national-regional games, with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates and the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers meeting at 7:15 p.m. ET.

We were spinning our wheels again last week, going 2-2 (50.0%, -25) for the second straight weekend. Still, that's 22-9 (71.0%, +1,190) in the past seven Saturday columns, which is a decent long-term run with zero losing weeks.

Let's continue to keep building our bankroll for the rest of the season!

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Kansas City Royals at Los Angeles Angels: Expert Betting Tips and Analysis

At 9:38 p.m. ET., the Royals (50-73) and Angels (48-75) meet in the middle contest of a three-game series. On the surface, this might not look like the most interesting game, but let's look a little further.

Kansas City picked up a 7-6 win as slight underdogs (-104) on Friday night as the Over (8.5) cashed, as 2B Michael Massey went 3 for 4 with a home run and two RBI. 1B Jac Caglianone stayed red-hot with a 3 for 4 evening, belting his 22nd home run with a two-run homer and five RBI.

For the Angels, former FAU standout 1B Nolan Schanuel went 2 for 4 with a double, a run scored and four RBI, while RF Josh Lowe ended up belting a solo home run.

The win for the Royals halted a four-game losing streak, and Kansas City is still 4-10 in the past 14 outings. The Over is 4-1 in the past five games, too. In this series, the Royals have won five in a row, while the Over has cashed in all five meetings, including 4-0 this season.

The problem for the Royals is that the Angels will use LHP Reid Detmers (3-8, 4.00 ERA, 1.10 WHIP). That looks like a good matchup, but remember that the Royals are 9-27 vs. LHP, the worst record in the majors against southpaws. K.C. is the only team yet to win double-digit games against left-handed starting pitchers.

Let's back the Angels on the moneyline, and we'll go low on the total, too.

MLB Best Bets for Royals at Angels:

Angels ML (-143 at Caesars Sportsbook)
Under 8.5 Runs (-120 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

Texas Rangers at Athletics: Saturday Night Baseball Insights

The Rangers (60-63) and the Athletics (48-74) meet at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, with a first pitch set for 9:40 p.m. ET.

The A's lead the season series 5-3, including a convincing 8-3 victory as slight underdogs (+106) in Friday's series opener. 1B Jeff McNeill had a monster game, going 4 for 5 with a pair of doubles, a home run and three RBI, while DH Carlos Cortes ended up 1 for 2 with a double, a walk and three RBI.

For the Rangers, 1B Jake Burger smacked his 20th home run, and he went 1 for 3 with three RBI, while 3B Ezequiel Duran ended up 2 for 4 with a double and a run scored.

The Rangers are skidding hard, dropping each of the past four games, while averaging just 1.8 runs per game (RPG). The Under has cashed in five in a row, and eight of the past nine games, for Texas.

For the A's, they were able to slap the brakes on a three-game losing streak, although the offense has posted four or more runs in each of the past six games. It's the pitching which has been shaky lately, allowing 98 runs in the past 13 games since July 31, or 7.7 RPG. The Over is 3-1 in the past four games, 6-2 in the previous eight contests, or 9-3-1 across the past 13 outings.

Rangers LHP MacKenzie Gore (6-9, 4.43 ERA, 1.24 WHIP) makes the start for the visitors, while RHP J.T. Ginn (8-6, 3.41 ERA, 1.21 WHIP) goes for the home side. The A's are just 16-30 vs. LHP this season, so this is a tough sell to take the A's. But, Gore is also 3-7 with a 5.48 ERA on the road in 14 starts, while Ginn is 6-2 with a 3.31 ERA in nine starts and 11 appearances at home.

Take the A's, and let's go with the Under, as we still shouldn't see double-digit run totals, especially with how the Texas offense is struggling.