Saturday Sep. 12 MLB Expert Betting Picks as Playoff Pushes Intensify

The Chicago Cubs are tied with the Philadelphia Phillies for the top National League wild-card spot and homefield advantage in a series that will likely be between those two teams. The Cubs broke a four-game losing skid by routing the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday and will look to create more momentum during Saturday’s middle game of the series.

Chicago was outscored 26-15 during its skid before punishing Pittsburgh in a 12-2 triumph. The Cubs have scored 10 or more runs three times against the Pirates this season but on Saturday they will be up against Pittsburgh ace Paul Skenes.

The Texas Rangers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2023 World Series and the teams are facing each other this weekend hopeful of moving toward capturing wild-card berths in their respective leagues. The Seattle Mariners are in desperation mode after Friday’s loss but send right-hander Bryan Woo against the Athletics, something that is typically a winning proposition.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES AT CHICAGO CUBS

Alex Bregman was a big disappointment in the first half of the season but suddenly has 25 homers after hitting a two-run shot on Friday. Bregman has 16 homers since the All-Star break and he had 30 RBIs in August and that count now sits at a respectable 84.

Skenes (10-11, 3.83 ERA) is having the worst of his three big league seasons as the dominating stretch everyone was waiting for never occurred. The right-hander also has had issues against the Cubs, going 2-4 with a 3.45 ERA in nine career starts and he lost both starts so far this year, compiling a 5.06 ERA despite 21 strikeouts in just 10 2/3 innings.

The Pirates had put together four straight wins and nine in the past 11 games before being shellacked. Bryan Reynolds is a hitter to watch after going deep Friday and he is batting .326 with three homers, five doubles and seven RBIs in 43 at-bats against the Cubs this season.

Bryan Reynolds to hit one or more home runs, +569 (DraftKings)

TEXAS RANGERS AT ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

Arizona rolled to a 9-1 victory in the series opener and has won five of its past six games. The Diamondbacks are a half-game behind the San Diego Padres in the NL wild-card race and both teams have been playing well of late.

And look who Arizona fans like again? Three-time All-Star Ketel Marte. Go figure. The player who went AWOL last month and then missed time with a knee injury delivered two doubles and three RBIs on Friday to gain sustained cheers from the home fans.

The Rangers have lost three straight games and are now sit three games behind the Cleveland Guardians for the final AL wild-card spot and three games in back of the Houston Astros in the AL West. At four games below .500, Texas needs someone like Corey Seager (four homers this month) to go on a rampage and carry the team into a long stretch of winning.

Teams to score over 8.5 runs, -115 (DraftKings)

SEATTLE MARINERS AT ATHLETICS

The Mariners had slim playoff hopes when September began and the Athletics have repeatedly delivered blows by winning four of five meetings this month. The worst punch came Friday night when Seattle moved ahead in the top of the 10th and Donovan Walton led off the bottom of the inning with a walk-off, two-run homer to give the A’s a 6-5 victory. The Athletics have won seven of their past nine.

Now the Mariners call on Woo to save the day because sitting 10 games below .500 with 14 games remaining is a pretty bad predicament. But Woo beat the A’s last week while allowing just one hit over eight shutout innings. The right-hander is 8-1 with a 1.95 ERA and 0.87 WHIP in 11 career starts against the Athletics.

Walton and Lawrence Butler (who also homered) both had three hits on Friday as the A’s play more like a playoff contender than the Mariners, who are six games behind the Guardians in the wild-card race. Seattle came within one victory of reaching the World Series last year but another setback Saturday would give them 80 losses before they reach 70 wins.

Mariners to win minus 1.5 runs, -110 (DraftKings)