We have a full 15-game slate today, starting early with Nationals vs. Marlins at 12:45 p.m. ET and closing with Tigers vs. Royals on Sunday Night Baseball at 7:20 p.m. ET.
Our experts have analyzed the matchups and found great options for Sunday.
Below are five expert MLB picks and predictions for today's slate of games.
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 | |
  | 1:40 PM | |
  | 2:10 PM | |
  | 4:10 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 Nationals vs Marlins ML Pick
By Sean Paul
The Nationals will give Cade Cavalli the ball to finish the series. Cavalli has the making of a top-of-the-rotation arm. He averages just shy of 97 mph on his four seamer with a towering 6'4", 223 pound frame.
The 27-year-old has a 4.15 ERA with a 3.78 xERA and a 3.10 FIP. A big part of FIP is tied to home runs and Cavalli has given up just one in 34 ⅓ innings. In 2025, Cavalli struck out just 7.40 per nine, which is up to a dazzling 10.38 this year. However, his BB/9 also jumped from 2.77 to 4.41. That leads to some shorter outings from the Nationals’ best starter.
Over the last two weeks, the Nationals have fallen in love with the three true outcomes, ranking 14th in MLB with 20 homers, 28th with a 24% strikeout rate and fifth with a 10.7% walk rate.
I don’t expect the Nationals to hit many long balls in the series finale, as Marlins hurler Sandy Alcantara is a master at keeping the ball on the ground. Unfortunate luck has been the story of the past few seasons for Alcantara. He has a 4.01 ERA with a strong 3.45 xERA and a 3.85 FIP this year.
Now, a lot is left to fate since Alcantara pitches to contact, as his 6.27 K/9 is well below league average. The good news for Alcantara is that his HR/9 is down to 0.70 from 1.13 last year.
The improvements Alcantara has made in 2026 have made him a legitimate top of the rotation arm again. He limits teams to a 5.5% barrel rate (73rd percentile) with a 36.8% hard hit rate (63rd) and a 47% ground ball rate (70th). Soft contact on the ground means good things for Sandy.
The line prices the Marlins at -134, which I think is strong value. Cavalli has some serious blow up potential with his walk issues — and Alcantara could limit a Nationals lineup that’s been very home run or bust of late. If Alcantara stays in the zone, he’ll contain this Washington lineup.
Pick: Marlins ML (-134; play to -160)
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Tanner McGrath's Rays vs Red Sox Best Bet
This game triggered one of our Action PRO betting systems, powered by Evan Abrams.
The Series Unders Off Low-Scoring Games system focuses on regular-season MLB matchups in which both teams are entering the second or later game of a series after producing minimal offense in their previous game.
When teams come off one- or two-game streaks of low scoring, particularly early to mid-series, the market can overcorrect or undervalue continued offensive stagnation.
This model anticipates that trend to persist—betting on the under when recent results and situational rhythm point to a slow-paced, low-output environment.
Pick: Under 8.5 (-122)
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Minion SGP Playbook for Astros vs Reds
By Ryan Minion
For the first leg of our SGP, I will be taking a shot on no run to be scored in the first inning of the game (NRFI).
Despite a very mediocre start to his 2026 campaign, I still have faith in Andrew Abbott, who has been sensational over his first few seasons in the Big Leagues.
Abbott is currently posting career-low numbers across the board, including a 5.13 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP.
While Sunday afternoon’s contest looks like a prime bounce-back spot for Abbott, Kai-Wei Teng has been quite impressive over his first few appearances in 2026.
The Taiwan product saw limited action in his first two campaigns in San Francisco, but has found a rhythm at the bump in his first year in Houston.
The Astros have been using their 27-year-old right-hander as an opener, which seems like a great fit for him thus far. He pieced together impressive outings against the Dodgers and Red Sox.
Given Abbott’s matchup with a struggling Astros’ lineup and the current form of Houston spot-starter Kai-Wei Teng, the NRFI will be a great building block for our SGP.
While Kai-Wei Teng has been very impressive, I don't expect the Astros youngster to spend more than a couple frames on the bump, which opens up an opportunity for Reds’ superstar Elly De La Cruz to pounce upon a struggling Houston bullpen.
The 24-year-old is off to a scorching start to his fourth season in the Big Leagues as Elly has smashed 10 homers and 29 RBIs over the Reds’ first 40 games, ranking among the top 12 MLB hitters in both categories.
Given his power, exceptional base-running ability, and stolen-base prowess, I favor targeting the Reds’ youngsters in the HRR (Hits + Runs + RBIs) player-prop market.
Pick: NRFI (-108) // Elly De La Cruz Over 1.5 HRR (-130)
Read Minion's full Astros-Reds breakdown here:
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Doug Ziefel's Yankees vs Brewers Pitcher Prop
By Doug Ziefel
The Yankees enter this series finale in a precarious position, as their bullpen is taxed after five arms were used to record the final nine outs once Cam Schlittler departed.
That means the Yankees are going to need some length out of Carlos Rodon, who is making his season debut. While Rodon is not fully stretched out, he did work up to 83 pitches in his final rehab start, which puts him in a position to give at least five innings, even if he's not the most efficent.
That window of work is what he needs to go over his strikeout prop this afternoon. Rodon recorded at least five strikeouts in 25 of his 33 starts last season.
Rodon's Stuff+ has been above average throughout his entire career, and if his stuff hasn't diminished much, he has the potential to set down plenty of Brewers on strikes, as there are a few bats that have plenty of swing and miss in them despite the team's excellent strikeout rate.
Back Rodon to exceed his strikeout line this afternoon with confidence.
Pick: Carlos Rodon Over 4.5 Strikeouts (-124, DraftKings) | Play to -140
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Tony Sartori's Braves vs Dodgers Best Bet: (EDITORIAL LANGUAGE)
By Tony Sartori
After two poor seasons, right-hander Bryce Elder appears to have returned to the form he showed when he broke onto the scene in 2022 and 2023. Through his first eight starts of 2026, Elder is 3-1 with a 2.02 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP.
His underlying metrics are equally impressive. Entering this matchup, the right-hander ranks in the 82nd percentile or higher in xERA, xBA and barrel rate.
This success is likely to continue against the Dodgers, a team he fared well against in his most recent meeting. In that outing, Elder allowed just two runs on four hits across five innings en route to a 4-3 victory.
Meanwhile, left-hander Justin Wrobleski takes the mound for Los Angeles. Despite his strong results to begin 2026, his analytics suggest he is likely to regress toward the pitcher he has been over the past two seasons.
Wrobleski enters this matchup with a 4.24 xERA and a .270 xBA, both of which rank in the bottom half of the league. The southpaw also ranks in the second percentile in strikeout rate, 46th percentile in hard-hit rate and 37th percentile in groundball rate.
Of course, the Dodgers possess one of the best lineups in baseball. However, the Atlanta Braves have performed even better so far.
This season, Atlanta ranks ahead of Los Angeles in runs scored per game, hits per game, slugging percentage and home runs. Not only are the Braves’ hitting statistics stronger this season, but Elder’s analytics are also much better than Wrobleski’s.
That leaves the bullpen, which is another edge for Atlanta. Entering this matchup, its relief staff ranks ahead of the Dodgers’ in ERA, xERA and xFIP.
Pick: Braves +1.5 (-147 | Play to -155)
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