It's Sunday, and we have an exciting 15-game slate of Major League Baseball ahead of us.
Our staff of baseball bettors has expert picks from the first game, Reds vs. Nationals (12:15 PM ET at Nationals Park), through Sunday Night Baseball with Astros vs. Padres at 8:20 PM ET (Petco Park).
Read on for our 5 MLB Best Bets Today.
MLB Best Bets Today
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our MLB betting staff is targeting from today's slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 12:15 PM | |
  | 1:35 PM | |
  | 2:15 PM | |
  | 4:10 PM | |
  | 8:20 PM | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our MLB Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Tony Sartori's Reds vs Nationals Best Bet
By Tony Sartori
It remains to be seen what the Nationals decide to do with their pitching situation, as they landed on Brad Lord as their starter today.
That said, there are a few reasons to be optimistic about Washington as an underdog.
First, the only pitcher on the Nationals’ roster with worse analytics than Reds SP Brady Singer is Miles Mikolas.
Second, the Reds have consistently struggled to produce runs.
Pick: Nationals ML (+105 or Better)
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Sean Paul's Braves vs Yankees Best Bet
By Sean Paul
The first two games of the Yankees and Braves series have been total pitcher duels. To be fair, most Yankees games have gone that way of late due to their offensive struggles.
That’s why I’m targeting a prop for Sunday’s series finale that goes against the Yankees offense.
No team in the league has been more strikeout-prone than the Yankees since July 1st, punching out 26.9% of the time. Striking out isn’t the only issue for New York, which ranks 26th with an 81 wRC+ in that span.
If Grant Holmes can give the Braves a strong five innings as usual, I expect him to reach the 5-6 strikeout threshold needed to secure a winner in the Bronx.
You can pick him at 4.5 or play to 5.5.
Pick: Grant Holmes Over 5.5 Strikeouts (+125)
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Ryan Minion's Rockies vs Cardinals Best Bet
By Ryan Minion
Michael Lorenzen will start for Colorado, while Michael McGreevy will start for St. Louis.
I want to fade Lorenzen, and I think Jordan Walker is a good candidate to back.
Lorenzen throws a six-pitch mix, but you’ll mostly see a changeup (20% usage), four-seam (19% usage), or sinker (19% usage).
Walker has crushed changeups this season (.522 SLG, .429 wOBA), while everyone has crushed Lorenzen’s fastball mix (.419 xwOBA allowed on four-seam, .389 xwOBA allowed on sinker).
Lorenzen is a soft-tossing righty with a brutal batted-ball profile, while Walker leads baseball in average bat speed (79 MPH). This is not a good matchup for the former.
Pick: Jordan Walker Over 2.5 Hits+Runs+RBIs (+108)
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Doug Ziefel's Dodgers vs Diamondbacks Best Bet
By Doug Ziefel
Eduardo Rodriguez's xERA of 4.32 and xFIP of 4.34 tell a much more realistic story of how fortunate he's been throughout the 2026 season. The Diamondbacks lefty has benefited greatly from hitters chasing and producing soft contact.
Falling behind quality lineups can often prove fatal for a starter, and that's what we saw in Rodriguez's last outing against San Diego. He surrendered seven runs on 11 hits and still managed to pitch into the sixth inning.
Today he faces a Dodgers lineup that can do an equal amount of damage, as Los Angeles is fifth in wRC+ against lefties.
Last night's low-scoring affair allowed the Diamondbacks to rest their bullpen for this series finale, so it's likely we see a quicker hook on Rodriguez when he inevitably is forced to work through traffic.
Pick: Eduardo Rodriguez Under 17.5 (-105 or Better)
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Frank Ammirante's Astros vs Padres Best Bet
I'm going with Astros ML in this matchup.
This is a bet on Cristian Javier and Houston's edge in the bullpen. Javier is showcasing an improved arsenal since returning to the rotation, featuring a new cutter. He's displaying excellent command, yet has issued no walks in these two starts.
This is a major development because Javier has always struggled with walks. Facing the Padres in a pitcher-friendly environment, I'm betting on a quality outing here.
I know that Randy Vasquez has performed better lately, but he typically doesn't pitch deep into games and isn't projected to tonight, as his outs prop is at 14.5.
Considering these factors, we'll ride with the Astros here.
Pick: Astros Moneyline (+105)
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