MLB Picks Today: Best Bets for Saturday's Baseball Slate

The Saturday MLB card showcases plenty of important matchups with playoff implications.

The Braves and Phillies continue their weekend series after Atlanta captured Friday’s opener to extend its lead atop the NL East to five games. Left-hander Martin Perez takes the mound opposite Zack Wheeler for a 6:05 PM ET first pitch at Citizens Bank Park.

Out west, the Yankees try to bounce back from their series opening loss to the Padres at Petco Park. San Diego sits one-half game ahead of Arizona for the final Wild Card spot in the National League.

We’ll break down two plays for the Saturday action. Remember to monitor the odds throughout the day, as the props, sides, and totals market are constantly changing.

Here are the free MLB picks for Saturday, September 5. Odds Courtesy of DraftKings.

Best MLB plays today

• Rays (-110) at Rangers
• Diamondbacks (-108) at Astros

Rays (-110) at Rangers - 7:05 p.m. ET

These American League squads have split the first two games of their series in Arlington. Tampa Bay (84-57) continues to own the top record in the AL following Friday’s 7-6 victory to improve to 10-11 since August 14.

Texas (70-72) sits three games back of Houston for first place in the AL West as the Rangers send out Jacob deGrom to the mound tonight.

The two-time Cy Young Award winner is coming off a dominating start against the Athletics, tossing seven scoreless innings in an 8-1 home rout. However, the Rangers haven’t won consecutive starts by deGrom since prior to the All-Star break.

Drew Rasmussen continues to be Tampa Bay’s top starting pitcher, as the Rays are 8-0 in his past eight outings. The right-hander is limiting opponents to a .249 wOBA and is posting an incredible 4.7% walk rate.

Let’s back Rasmussen and the Rays at this cheap price to knock off the Rangers again.

Diamondbacks (-108) at Astros - 7:15 p.m. ET

Houston (73-69) is looking to pull away atop the AL West, winning seven of its past nine games. The Astros held off the Diamondbacks (74-68) in Friday’s series opener, 3-1, sending Arizona to its fourth defeat in the last five outings.

Brandon Pfaadt was pitching out of the bullpen early in the season, but has quietly turned into Arizona’s most reliable starter. The D-backs are 10-2 in his past 12 appearances with both losses coming in one-run setbacks to the Dodgers and Phillies.

One of the biggest improvements Pfaadt has made since last season is limiting opponent’s xSLG, dropping from .494 in 2025 to .389 this season. Also, opponents have compiled a hard-hit rate of 33.7% against Pfaadt, while Houston owns the ninth-lowest hard-hit rate in the league.

The Astros won each of Ethan Pecko’s last two starts against the Yankees and Mets on the road, but his xERA sits at 7.29. Let’s look at Arizona to rebound tonight against Houston.