We've got a full, 15-game slate on tap for Tuesday, August 25, starting early with Red Sox vs Cubs (6:40 PM ET, LoanDepot Park) and closing with Cubs vs Diamondbacks (9:40 PM ET, Chase Field).
We've compiled our four favorite picks for today's slate below.
So, read on for our 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 |
|---|---|---|
  | 6:40 PM | |
  | 7:15 PM | |
  | 7:40 PM | |
  | 9:40 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. | ||
Sean Paul's Red Sox vs Marlins Best Bet
By Sean Paul
I think anything below -165 is a solid number for Boston.
Winning road games in MLB can be difficult, but everything here points to the road team.
Payton Tolle is a stud and a budding star against a lineup that struggles to hit left-handed pitching overall and also has some swing-and-miss issues.
Read Paul's full Red Sox-Marlins preview here:
Pick: Red Sox ML (-165 or Better)
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Jon Anderson's Dodgers vs Braves Best Bet
By Jon Anderson
On the Braves side, it's a much different kind of pitcher. Bryce Elder takes the hill with his 19.5% K% and 1.23 WHIP. He has held down the fort and given Atlanta consistent innings this year, and the ERA is under four. But he's not a tough matchup for anybody, much less the high-powered Dodgers lineup.
Shohei Ohtani is swinging a good bat lately, he looks to be healthy, and this is the kind of smash matchup he feasts on.
Against softer-tossing righties like Elder, Ohtani has a .461 xwOBA with an 18.3% Brl% on a 31% FB% and a 57% Hard Hit%. Insane numbers. I think it's a home run spot for Ohtani, but the +230 price is usually not worth betting.
Freddie Freeman, hitting behind him in the batting order, also has some great numbers in matchups like this. So I want to pair these two up to take advantage of Elder.
My main bet is just leaning into the matchups for Ohtani and Freeman. Take them both for 2+ H+R+RBI and parlay them together. Ohtani at -159, Freeman at -134. That parlays to +146.
Read Anderson's full Dodgers-Braves preview here:
Pick: Parlay: Freddie Freeman Over 1.5 HRR & Shohei Ohtani Over 1.5 HRR (+140 or Better)
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Nick Martin's Orioles vs Cardinals Best Bet
By Nick Martin
The Orioles managed a 5-5 record throughout a very strenuous ten-game stretch that featured seven matchups versus the Rays and three versus the Yankees, keeping their hopes of stealing a playoff spot moderately realistic.
The Cardinals, meanwhile, have played to a 22-28 record since July 1st, as their production has sputtered after a surprisingly strong start to the season.
Though not too many people will be keen to back Chris Bassitt in 2026, the right-hander is backed by a lineup that has been very hard on lefties of late and that should fare quite well versus Matt Liberatore.
Baltimore holds a 116 wRC+ against left-handed pitching since July 1st and ranks first in MLB with a 41.8% hard-hit rate during that span.
Losing Adley Rutschman certainly lowers the lineup's upside, but part of the Orioles' thinking in looking toward the future and dealing Rutschman was the belief that Samuel Basallo is a legitimate offensive talent. Basallo is now back in the lineup following a lengthy absence, giving Baltimore another potential source of production.
Through a hefty sample of 125 innings Liberatore has struggled to an ERA of 5.04 with a WHIP of 1.44, and he's been hard-hit 41.7% of the time while walking 8.1% of batters faced. The Cardinals have hit to a wRC+ of 92 versus right-handed pitching since June 1st, slugging just .371 while ranking 19th in expected weighted on-base average in that span.
Without overselling Bassitt, he's still managed to limit hard contact fairly effectively with his deep arsenal of pitch mixes and shapes, as he has a barrel rate of just 4.4% and been hard-hit just 35.8% of the time.
His stuff is far from overpowering and things can go south in a hurry when he's not commanding his curveball, but that's a livable concern with the Orioles priced as underdogs versus Liberatore and a stale offense.
Check out all of Martin's best bets for Tuesday in today's edition of The Leadoff:
Pick: Orioles ML (+105 or Better)
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Tanner McGrath's Cubs vs Diamondbacks Best Bet
Our own Sean Zerillo projects some value on the Under in this game.
Per BARTOLO, our new PRO baseball betting tool, Zerillo projects just 7.7 runs for this matchup.
These are two underrated starting pitchers. Clay Holmes has been lights out over his past two starts (one earned run across 12 innings). Brandon Pfaadt has a 1.79 ERA since returning from injury at the end of June — including his most recent start against Boston, where he allowed five earned runs despite eight strikeouts and no walks.
While these two bullpens are around league-average (the Cubs are below-average, while the Diamondbacks are above-average), both are fully rested entering this matchup.
If you'd like access to all this information and more, I reccomend getting an Action PRO subscription and checking out BARTOLO today.
Pick: Under 8 (-102 or Better)
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