We have a 15-game slate today, starting early with Angels vs Blue Jays at 3:07 p.m. ET and closing with Braves vs Dodgers at 9:10 p.m. ET.
Our experts have analyzed the matchups and found great options for Saturday.
Below are 4 expert MLB picks and predictions for today's slate of games.
MLB Best Bets Today
The team logos in the table below represent the matchups 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 |
|---|---|---|
  | 4:10 PM | |
  | 6:05 PM | |
  | 7:15 PM | |
  | 9:10 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 Best Bet
By Sean Paul
The Nationals have been pretty impressive compared to expectations. They have the second-best record in the National League East, which sounds better than it is, but the rest of the division is terrible besides the Braves.
All it takes is one strong series to get the Nats above .500, though.
The primary issue for Washington is pitching, and Zack Littell is the worst pitcher in the majors thus far in 2026.
Littell outperformed his expected numbers in Tampa, but this year his ERA is 7.24, with an 8.36 xERA and an 8.42 FIP. Littell has an impossibly bad 3.42 HR/9, as he gave up multiple homers in five of his seven outings this year.
Furthermore, Littell ranks in the 1st percentile in average exit velocity, sixth in barrel rate, and third in strikeout rate. So, he doesn’t strike out batters and gets hit as hard as any other pitcher. No wonder his numbers are this ghastly.
I also have very little faith in this Washington lineup. Over the last two weeks, it ranks 21st in MLB with a 93 wRC+. Swinging and missing is a real issue for the Nationals, who sport a 25% strikeout rate over that span (2nd worst in MLB).
James Wood is still putting up elite numbers, posting a 142 wRC+ with a 23% walk rate in his last 16 games.
Walks have played an integral role in the Nationals' improved offensive numbers. For the year, they walk 9% of the time, which is below league average. Since April 20th, they’re walking more than 10.4% of the time — fifth best in MLB.
Janson Junk has morphed into a reliable rotation option for the Marlins. The 30-year-old boasts a 2.82 ERA with a 3.36 xERA and a 3.45 FIP. I don’t think this is a fluke. Just look at Junk’s Stuff+, which is up to 102 from 96 last year, and his fastball velo is up to 94.6, up a whole mile from last year.
Plus, he generates ground balls at a 50.4% rate, up from 40% last year. Junk doesn’t quite live up to his last name.
Usually, pitchers who run a ground-ball rate in the 50% range just pepper their sinkers. That's not the case for Junk, who throws a sinker just 2% of the time.
His versatile pitch mix keeps hitters on their toes, despite not featuring a sinker often. He’s not an Eury Perez or Sandy Alcantara type, but an enhanced version of the strike-throwing, innings-eater archetype.
Lineup-wise, the Marlins are basically without the two players I thought would be their two best hitters. One, Agustin Ramirez got sent down for top catching prospect Joe Mack. The other, Kyle Stowers, has struggled to regain the All-Star form he showed in 2025. He missed three weeks due to injury, but has a 42 wRC+ in 16 games.
So, it's no surprise the Marlins rank 23rd in wRC+ since April 20th. Liam Hicks is putting this lineup on his back with help from high-average hitters Xavier Edwards and Otto Lopez. They just don't hit for slug, as the Marlins have a .112 ISO in that span.
How crazy is this? The Marlins, who seldom hit homers against Littell, who loves to give up homers. I think it benefits the Marlins more because Littell is likely nearing DFA territory. He's been terrible, and I can't justify betting on a soft-tosser with an ERA close to 8.00.
Pick: Marlins ML (-170 or Better)
Check out Paul's full Nationals-Marlins preview here:
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Matt Trollo's Rockies vs Phillies Pick
By Matt Trollo
Aaron Nola is coming off six shutout innings in Miami, but has only one other start allowing less than three runs.
Ironically, it was against these Rockies at Coors, but the difference between Nola’s high ERAs in the past and this year is that in 2026, he’s running an underlying career worst 4.42 xERA with the lowest ground ball rate of his career (39.8%) and worst K-BB (16.8%) since his rookie season.
Another clear indicator of decline is Nola’s career-worst pitch modeling grades (4.33 Bot ERA, 101 Pitching+).
I realize I just mentioned Coors as one of the rare spots where Nola has succeeded this year, but this Colorado offense has shown a bit more spunk than it has in recent seasons, especially against RHP (98 wRC+, projected LU 100 wRC+ vs RHP since last year, 108 wRC+ L30 days overall).
I also realize this is Kyle Freeland on the other side, but his numbers aren’t far off Nola’s this year. His SIERA is only 0.14 runs worse, and his xERA is only 0.18 runs worse.
Additionally, we’re getting road Freeland, where opponents’ wOBA against him is historically 19 points lower than at Coors. Kyle Freeland has been essentially a league-average pitcher away from Coors in recent seasons.
The Phillies have also struggled to the tune of just a 73 wRC+ vs LHP this season.
That should positively regress. They aren't that bad, but there are enough warning signs for a large favorite, and we haven’t even gotten into Colorado playing the better defense.
The Phillies do have the better bullpen, but they haven’t been great, and the full game price is so much better than F5 that it’s worth the risk.
Pick: Rockies ML (+145 or Better)
Check out Trollo's full Opening Pitch for Saturday here:
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Tony Sartori's Cardinals vs Padres Prediction
By Tony Sartori
Through 85 combined plate appearances against Dustin May, the current Padres roster owns a .434 slugging percentage and a .408 xSLG.
Meanwhile, the current Cardinals roster owns a .455 slugging percentage and a .583 xSLG in 35 combined plate appearances against Randy Vásquez.
If May is chased early, St. Louis could be in trouble. This season, the Cardinals' bullpen ranks 25th in ERA and 27th in xERA.
Pick: Over 8 (-120 or Better)
Check out Sartori's full Cardinals-Padres preview here:
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Sean Zerillo's Braves vs Dodgers Projection
By Sean Zerillo
I project some value on the Dodgers ML in this game.
While the consensus line sits around -170, I project the Dodgers as -195 favorites, representing about a 3% edge against the market.
As a reminder, you can see all of Zerillo's MLB game projections with an Action PRO Subscription. Find his projected lines every day on the PRO Projections tab.
Pick: Dodgers ML (-180 or Better)
Check out Zerillo's full betting card for Saturday in the Action Network App:
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