MLB Picks Today: Expert Picks for
Saturday, September 19
Some teams are starting to get down to a single-digit amount of games left in the 2026 Major League Baseball (MLB) season. Plenty of teams are eliminated from the postseason, while others are jockeying for one of the final wild-card spots. It should make for a fun sprint to the finish line of this marathon.
Last Saturday, it was another winning column at 3-1 (75.0%, +200), improving to 6-2 (75.0%, +347) in September, while going 35-16-1 (68.6%, +1,790) in the past 13 columns. Let's get started!
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Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati Reds: Expert Betting Tips and Analysis
The Cubs (85-69) and the Reds (72-82) meet at Great American Ball Park on Saturday at 6:40 p.m. ET.
Chicago enters in a three-game way for a wild-card spot in the National League, tied with the Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres. The Cubs are 40-36 on the road, while posting a plus-141 run differential.
The Reds are already eliminated from the postseason chase, but that hasn't stopped them from relishing the job of spoiler. Cincinnati (+124) picked up a 6-4 victory on Friday night in the series opener, and it has won three of the past four meetings, while the underdog is 5-2 across the past seven in this series since July 10.
The Over has cashed in five consecutive meetings, too, with 74 combined runs, or 14.8 runs per game (RPG). The 10 runs scored in Friday's game was actually the lowest total in the five-game run.
On Saturday, we get a matchup of southpaws, as LHP Matthew Boyd (8-5, 4.16 ERA, 1.24 WHIP) takes the ball for the Cubbies, and he is 1-4 with a 5.14 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 42 IP across the past seven starts. For the Reds, LHP Nick Lodolo (3-5, 5.12 ERA, 1.49 WHIP) goes, and he is 0-3 with a 6.09 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in 34 IP across his past seven outings.
The Cubs are 24-26 inside the division, which is a major reason they're 11 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers, who claimed the division title. Chicago is 26-18 vs. LHP, though, and that's a major reason why they're going to be playoff-bound. Cincinnati is just 18-23 vs. LHP, and 19-31 against Central Division foes.
We're backing the Cubs, and we're going Over until that wave crashes.
MLB Best Bets for Cubs at Reds:
- Cubs ML (-134 at BetRivers, FanDuel)
- Over 9.5 Runs (-110 at Bet365)
Miami Marlins at San Diego Padres: Saturday Night Baseball Insights
The Marlins (76-78) and Padres (85-69) meet at Petco Park in San Diego at 8:40 p.m. ET.
Miami has been eliminated from the postseason, while San Diego, as mentioned above, is in a three-way tie for the top wild-card spot in the NL. San Diego is 14-15 against NL East teams, while Miami is 18-11 against the West, so that's a bit concerning.
The Marlins turn to RHP Eury Perez (7-11, 3.99 ERA, 1.24 WHIP) for the road start, while the Padres counter with RHP Casey Mize (6-9, 3.69 ERA, 1.14 WHIP), the pitcher they acquired from the Detroit Tigers at the non-waiver trade deadline for games just like these.
Mize hasn't given the Padres a great return, however, as he is 2-3 with a 5.97 ERA and 1.49 WHIP in 37.2 IP in eight starts with San Diego.
While Miami is out of the postseason hunt, they're a respectable 4-2 in the past six games, playing a huge part in the NL West, with two wins over the Los Angeles Dodgers and two wins over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the span. The Over has a 3-2 edge in the past five games, and 9-3 across the past 12 outings. In Perez's past four starts, the Over is 4-0, too.
For San Diego, it won 8-2 in the series opener, and it is taking advantage of a soft part of the schedule when it needed it most. It is 11-1 in the past 12 games since Sept. 6, while the Over is on an amazing 9-0-1 run in the past 10 contests. The Over has cashed in five straight starts by Mize, too.
Our best bet here is to go Over, and go at it hard. And, we'll take the Padres as moderate favorites despite Mize's uneven performances.
MLB Best Bets for Marlins at Padres:
- Padres ML (-150 at Bet365)
- Over 7.5 Runs (-115 at BetRivers, FanDuel)
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Best MLB Parlays Today
4-Leg MLB Giant Parlay (+764 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Cubs ML (-134) at Reds
- Over 9.5 (-115) - Cubs at Reds
- Over 7.5 (-118) - Padres vs. Marlins
- Padres ML (-156) vs. Marlins
2-Leg MLB Sides Parlay (+186 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Cubs ML (-134) at Reds
- Padres ML (-156) vs. Marlins
2-Leg MLB Totals Parlay (+245 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Over 9.5 (-115) - Cubs at Reds
- Over 7.5 (-118) - Padres vs. Marlins
