MLB Picks: Betting Picks for Saturday, August 22

MLB Betting Expert Daniel E. Dobish looks to stay hot Saturday, providing a pair of same-game parlay opportunities for a couple of key AL East battles.

August 21, 2026

MLB Picks: Betting Picks for Saturday, August 22

By:

Daniel Dobish

August 21, 2026

MLB Picks

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MLB Picks Today: Expert MLB Picks for
Saturday, August 22

We're hurtling toward the finish line in the 2026 Major League Baseball (MLB) season. On Saturday, we have the usual 15 games on tap, with three afternoon games, and 12 games with a first pitch of 6:05 p.m. ET or later. The final game is at 8:40 p.m. ET, though, so no traditional West Coast games with a late start.

The Washington Nationals and Miami Marlins can be viewed at 4:10 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1, while the national-regional games on FOX at 7:15 p.m. ET feature either the San Francisco Giants-Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs-Seattle Mariners and/or Pittsburgh Pirates-Los Angeles Dodgers.

Last Saturday we bounced back from a couple of 2-2 weekends, going 3-1 (75.0%, +200), improving to 25-10 (71.4%, +1,390) across the previous eight Saturday columns. That's also straight Saturday columns without a losing record.

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

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Toronto Blue Jays at New York Yankees: Expert Betting Tips and Analysis

The Blue Jays (63-67) and the Yankees (73-55) meet at Yankee Stadium at 1:35 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon in the middle contest of a three-game series.

On Friday, the Yankees (-190) picked up a 3-1 victory behind RHP Cam Schlittler (6 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 4 K), as RF-LF Spencer Jones socked a two-run homer to star on offense.

It was a tough pill to swallow for Toronto, as it actually outhit New York at a 9-to-4 margin, with CF Brett Bateman collected a single, a double and a triple with a run scored in five at-bats out of the leadoff position. DH Jesus Sanchez ended up 2 for 4 with a double out of the cleanup spot.

New York has won four of the past six meetings, with the underdog holding a 5-4 edge in the past nine in the series since May 20. The Under has cashed in three of the past four outings, while going 6-3 in the same nine-game span since May 20.

The Blue Jays have alternated losses and wins in each of the past six games. On the road, Toronto is 7-5 in the past 12 outings. Despite the Under on Friday, the Under is 6-1 in the past seven on the road, while going 8-2 in the past 10 away from home.

Toronto will have to contend with LHP Ryan Weathers (5-7, 3.56 ERA, 1.19 WHIP), and the Blue Jays are just 30-34 on the road, 22-22 inside the AL East and 18-17 vs. LHP this season.

The Blue Jays will use All-Star RHP Dylan Cease (7-5, 2.42 ERA, 1.06 WHIP). He is second in the majors with 201 strikeouts so far this season. On the road, Cease is 6-1 with a 1.71 ERA in 10 starts with one complete game, and he has struck out 89 batters in 63.1 IP, while teams are hitting just .155 against him. He has allowed just three homers on the road this season, too.

The Blue Jays are a big bargain as underdogs with Cease on the mound. Let's roll with Toronto at plus-money, and we'll go with

MLB Best Bets for Blue Jays at Yankees:

Blue Jays ML (+105 at Caesars Sportsbook)
Under 7 Runs (-115 at Bet365, Caesars and Fanatics Sportsbooks)

Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles: Saturday Night Baseball Insights

The first-place Rays (76-52) take on the Orioles (62-67) at Camden Yards on Saturday at 7:05 p.m. ET.

Tampa Bay has a three-game lead over the aforementioned Yankees in the AL East, but it's no thanks to the last-place Orioles. Baltimore won 5-3 as slight favorites (-116) on Friday in the series opener, and the O's have topped the Jays in seven of the past eight meetings since May 25, including a three-game sweep at Camden Yards back on May 25-27. The Over has cashed in three in a row, and five of the past six in the series, too.

The Rays have dropped three of the past four games, and six of the past eight outings, all on the current homestand, after a stellar 9-0 road trip from Aug. 3-12. Oh, those wacky and unpredictable Rays!

The Orioles are 14.5 games back of the Rays for first place, but they're actually still very much in the hunt for a wild-card spot, just 1.5 games back entering play.

Tampa Bay uses LHP Shane McClanahan (9-6, 3.25 ERA, 1.12 WHIP), but he is a dismal 2-5 with a 4.31 ERA on the road in 48 IP across 10 starts. And, while he is 1-0 against the O's this season, he has a 4.61 ERA across 13.2 IP in three outings.

Baltimore counters with the surprising RHP Brandon Young (9-3, 3.52 ERA, 1.35 WHIP), and while he is 2-2 at home in 11 starts, he has a 3.39 ERA, slightly better than his overall mark.

The O's are just 17-22 vs. LHP, and 16-21 inside the division, but they've dominated the Rays this season, while McClanahan has been subpar on the road. We have to take Baltimore until Tampa Bay is finally able to solve the O's. Let's go high on the total, too, as it has dominated lately.