MLB Picks: MLB Betting Picks for Saturday, July 25

MLB Betting Expert Daniel E. Dobish looks to stay hot Saturday. He offers a pair of picks and predictions for two divisional games, including Cubs-Pirates.

July 25, 2026

MLB Picks: MLB Betting Picks for Saturday, July 25

By:

Daniel Dobish

July 25, 2026

MLB Picks

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MLB Picks Today: Expert MLB Picks for
Saturday, July 25

It's Saturday night, and we have some exciting games on the slate. With the World Cup in the rear-view mirror, we get more nationally-televised baseball. On FS1, the San Diego Padres and Miami Marlins meet at 4:10 p.m. ET. And, at 7:15 p.m. ET on the FOX national/regional games, the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets meet, and the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers battle.

Last week we posted a 3-0-1 (100.0%, +300) record last Saturday, improving to 15-4 (78.9%, +1,033) across the previous four weekend columns. We also cashed last week's 2-leg Under (+290) parlay, hitting our totals parlay for the second consecutive weekend.

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

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Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh Pirates: Expert Betting Tips and Analysis

The Cubs (58-45) and Pirates (53-51) meet at PNC Park at 6:40 p.m. ET, and it's a heck of a pitching matchup on Saturday night.

LHP Shota Imanaga (6-8, 3.91 ERA, 1.11 WHIP) makes the start for the visitors. After a slow start, he is 2-2 with a 2.31 ERA and 1.18 WHIP across the past seven starts over 39 innings, as he heats up with the weather.

The Pirates haven't handled the twig very well against southpaws, going just 9-21 vs. LHP this season. That's the third-worst mark in the National League against lefties.

Pittsburgh has All-Star RHP Paul Skenes (9-8, 3.43 ERA, 1.04 WHIP) on the hill for the home side. He has a 3-3 record across the past seven starts in 39.1 IP, but he also has a 4.58 ERA in the span.

For whatever reason, when Skenes is on the bump, the Pirates seem to relax and forget how to hit. He's used to it by now. Pittsburgh really struggles against southpaws, too, and that's great news for Chicago. We're going to back the Cubs on the road in this middle game of the series. The Cubbies are 6-3 across the past eight games, and the Under is 7-4 in the past 11 outings.

The Pirates have plated just two runs in the past two games, and they're 2-4 in the past six contests, while the Under has hit in three straight outings, while going 5-2 in the past seven games.

As an added bonus, if you're looking for a player prop, Jared Triolo has hit safely in six straight games, going .500 (9-for-18) with two doubles and five RBIs, while striking out just three times in the span. He is hitting .273 vs. LHP, as opposed to just .236 vs. RHP.

Anyway, let's back the Under, in addition to betting the road team.

MLB Best Bets for Cubs at Pirates:

Cubs ML (+115 at Bet365, BetMGM and Caesars Sportsbooks)
Under 8 Runs (-112 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

Seattle Mariners at Texas Rangers: Saturday Night Baseball Insights

The Mariners (51-53) and Rangers (52-51) tangle in Game 2 of a wraparound series at Globe Life Field at 7:15 p.m. ET in one of the national/regional games on FOX.

Texas opened up a 1.5-game lead in the American League West Division over Seattle, who is a half-game clear of the third-place Houston Astros, as there is a logjam at the top of the standings.

Seattle rolls with RHP Bryan Woo (7-6, 4.16 ERA, 1.09 WHIP for Game 2, while Texas counters with RHP Nathan Eovaldi (9-8, 4.21 ERA, 1.21 WHIP). While the overall numbers look to give Woo and the M's an advantage, the splits paint a different picture.

Woo has managed a subpar 5.45 ERA and 1.31 WHIP across the past seven starts, but he is even worse on the road. At home, Woo is 6-0 with a 2.20 ERA and 0.77 WHIP across 57.1 IP in nine starts, but on the road, he is 1-6 with a 6.28 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in 53 IP in 10 starts. Those are stark splits, and a reason to bet against Woo every time he is on the road.

For Eovaldi, he is 4-2 with a 4.43 ERA and 1.25 WHIP across 40.2 IP in the past seven outings, while he is 4-2 with a 4.60 ERA and 1.14 WHIP across 43 IP at home. It's not great, but it's better than Woo's road numbers.

We're going to likely get a high-scoring game, too, and if you're been following Texas lately, that's not a surprise. The Under cashed in Wednesday's series finale against the Chicago White Sox, halting a 12-game Over run, but the total went high Friday in a 5-4 win. The Over is now 13-1 in the past 14 games for the Rangers, including each of Eovaldi's past four starts.

Let's go high on the total, for sure, and we'll side with the Rangers due to Woo's struggles on the road.