MLB Best Bets Today | Odds, Picks for Saturday, September 2
Pictured: Cody Bellinger. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
The first full Saturday of the college football season is garnering the bulk of the attention (we see you, Colorado), but there's still baseball being played — and MLB best bets for today, including odds and picks for Marlins vs Nationals and Cubs vs Reds!
The Saturday, September 2 MLB slate features a full 15 games and numerous betting opportunities. Our MLB betting experts have looked over the latest MLB odds and made picks in Marlins vs. Nationals and Cubs vs. Reds for their MLB best bets today.
Continue reading as today's best MLB bets are below.
MLB Best Bets Today | Odds, Picks for Saturday, September 2
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 |
|---|---|---|
  | 4:05 p.m. ET | |
  | 6:40 p.m. ET | |
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. | ||
Marlins vs. Nationals
By D.J. James
The Nationals have struggled at the plate lately and will be tasked with facing a solid Miami pitching staff on Saturday.
Trevor Williams, who isn't having his best season, will get the home start for Washington. Williams pitched to a 5.32 ERA over 22 innings in August, numbers that were right in line with his expected metrics.
The real mismatch in this game is each team's offensive performance. No, Miami doesn't posses the most loaded lineup in baseball, but the Marlins do have strength at the top. Conversely, the Nationals have been weak throughout.
As a result, the Marlins moneyline is the best bet for this game.
Miami, since August 1, has a 89 wRC+ with a .705 OPS and a sub-20% strikeout rate off of righties. However, in the past two weeks, the Marlins have picked it up. Since August 16, they have six batters with an xwOBA over .335 off right-handers and two more over .315.
Williams boasts a 4.82 ERA against a 5.30 xERA on the season. He also has a 10.2% barrel rate, which is career high, and his Average Exit Velocity is 88.2 mph. His Hard-Hit Rate (38.1%) is also a career high. If that wasn't bad enough, his 17.2% strikeout rate is the lowest mark of his career.
Miami's moneyline is the best bet in this game and I'd play that down to -170.
Pick: Marlins Moneyline
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Cubs vs. Reds
By Kevin Rogers
The Cubs and Reds split a pair of games on Friday as Cincinnati rallied against the Chicago bullpen for two runs in the ninth to steal the second game of the doubleheader.
Javier Assad has pitched well lately for the Cubs, including a 3-0 mark in the first five innings in his past three road starts. Assad is coming off his best start of the season as he tossed seven innings and gave up one run on three hits in a win at Pittsburgh.
The Cubs have been impressive in the first five innings recently, posting a 10-3-2 record in the past 15 games. On the flip side, the Reds have been dreadful offensively in the first five innings lately, scoring a total of three runs in the past nine games.
Cincinnati's Andrew Abbott hasn’t escaped the fourth inning in each of his past two starts. Additionally, he's given up 10 hits and six runs in his past 7 1/3 innings.
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