There are just eight days left in the MLB regular season. Playoff spots are being clinched, others remain hotly contested, and October baseball is on the horizon.
With a full Saturday slate spread out across the day, our analysts have been looking everywhere for edges and have found three in particular with value: Angels vs. Twins, Rockies vs. Cubs and Cardinals vs. Padres.
Here are our best bets from the MLB slate on Saturday, September 23rd.
MLB Best Bets
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 |
|---|---|---|
  | 2:10 p.m. | |
  | 2:20 p.m. | |
  | 8:40 p.m. | |
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. | ||
Angels vs. Twins
This one is pretty simple: The Minnesota Twins clinched the AL Central title on Friday night. That means it's the hangover game.
The Twins still have an outside shot at the No. 2 seed in the American League, which would give them a bye to the ALDS. But with those odds somewhat slim, I'd expect a getaway day-esque lineup on Saturday afternoon, particularly with it being a day game following a night game.
I can't really defend the Kenny Rosenberg vs. Sonny Gray matchup. Rosenberg is a Quad-A pitcher and Gray has been solid all season long. The Twins have the edge over the moribund Angels in every aspect of this game if you're assuming the normal lineups and pitcher usages.
I'm not. If you want to wait until lineups come out, I won't begrudge you, but I'm locking in the Angels at a solid underdog price right away, assuming they'll have a chance to steal a win against a Twins team that was maybe partying a little bit on Friday night and not super eager to come to work on Saturday morning.
Lines are all over the place as of this writing, but I'll take the Angels moneyline at +170 or better.
Pick: Angels ML (+188)
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Rockies vs. Cubs
By Kevin Rogers
The Cubs rebounded from a pair of home losses to the Pirates by shutting out the Rockies on Friday, 6-0.
Colorado sends right-hander Chris Flexen to the mound on Saturday. He started in a 6-4 home win over Chicago on September 12. The Rockies trailed 2-0 early before scoring four runs in the fourth inning to take the lead for good.
In Flexen’s last five starts, the Rockies own a 1-4 record with the lone win coming over the Cubs, but Colorado has scored five runs or more four times, so the run support has been there.
Marcus Stroman started on Opening Day for the Cubs and began the season with consecutive scoreless efforts against the Brewers and Rangers. The right-hander went through five straight starts in late April and early May without a win but rebounded with seven wins in a row from May through June.
Stroman sustained a right rib fracture in August and headed to the bullpen for a couple of appearances, but his last three starts saw him allow five runs or more prior to his injury.
Last season, Stroman defeated the Rockies at Wrigley Field as a -120 favorite in a 2-1 victory but is now over a -200 favorite in his first start in more than five weeks.
Let’s back the Rockies here to bounce back and beat the Cubs. I would play it to +180.
Pick: Rockies ML (+200)
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Cardinals vs. Padres
By D.J. James
The San Diego Padres remain a long shot for an NL wild-car spot, but they're also the hottest team in baseball and absolutely hammer right-handed pitching and they'll face a subpar one on Saturday in the St. Louis Cardinals' Jake Woodford.
Nick Martinez will go for the Padres, and he has been pretty solid. He has a 3.73 ERA against a 4.32 xERA this season. His barrel rate is 7.5%, his average exit velocity allowed is 85 mph and his hard-hit rate is 30.1%. His 53.8% groundball rate is encouraging against a team, like the Cardinals who have slumped at the plate as of late (96 wRC+).
The Padres have a 113 wRC+ and .762 OPS off of righties in September. They have a 10.5% walk rate and 19.7% strikeout rate. This is more than enough to get the job done against Woodford, who has bounced between the rotation and bullpen this year and is only likely to go a couple of innings.
Even if he gets through those unscathed, the Cardinals' bullpen has been a mess, too, with a 4.57 xFIP compared to the Padres' 4.00.
Take the Padres to -180.
Pick: Padres ML (-162)
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