Free MLB Picks Today for Saturday, August 26th, 2023

Our free MLB picks are out for Saturday, August 26th, 2023! Make sure you check our MLB picks before the action kicks off.

Look below to find our free MLB picks for the five best games on today’s schedule!

Washington Nationals @ Miami Marlins – 4:10PM ET

Tony Battalio

The Washington Nationals will be looking to pick up a solid victory in the second game of the series against the Miami Marlins on Saturday afternoon. Washington is still having a rough season, but they have shown plenty of progress in their rebuild compared to last year and they are not far off from competing for a potential playoff berth through the National League wildcard. Washington will be looking to derail Miami in the second game of this series on Saturday afternoon and potentially play spoiler to their playoff hopes as the season is quickly coming to an end. 

It has been a solid season for Miami, but a rough stretch coming out of the All-Star break has put their playoff status in danger. They will be looking to recover over the weekend against Washington as they look to get themselves reinserted in the National League wildcard race. At the moment Miami is still within striking distance of getting themselves into the playoffs this season, but they will have to string some more wins together and grabbing a victory over Washington in the second game of the series will be a step in the right direction. I expect Miami to grab the victory here on Saturday against Washington.

New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays – 4:10PM ET

Tony Battalio

The New York Yankees will be looking to deliver a solid performance in this game against Tampa Bay on Saturday afternoon on the road at Tropicana Field. The Yankees have plenty of work to do if they want to make an appearance in the postseason this year as they have fallen behind the rest of the pack in the American League thanks to several injuries that haunted them both before and after the All-Star break. The Yankees are the only team in the American League East division with a losing record and it is likely going to be the reason they miss out on the postseason this year as they just simply do not have enough time or fire power to recover and make the playoffs. 

Tampa Bay has been fantastic this season and they will be looking to power through and get back into first place in the American League East division coming down the final stretch of the season. They are currently in second place, but they are well within striking distance of Baltimore for first and I have plenty of opportunities to pass Baltimore over the next month and a half. It’ll be interesting to see how they continue to respond without Wander Franco in the lineup as it is likely, we won’t see him again for the remainder of the season, or potentially even longer. Tampa Bay will be looking to bounce back after their loss on Friday and that is exactly what I expect him to do here in this game on Saturday afternoon.  

San Diego Padres @ Milwaukee Brewers – 7:10PM ET

Tony Battalio

There were plenty of expectations coming into the season for the San Diego Padres, but they have not lived up to those expectations at all. It seems very likely that a couple of their key pieces will be traded away during the off-season if they fail to reach the playoffs this year, and they may enter sort of a soft rebuild mode in the future. Right now they’re focusing on getting their season back on track and somehow finding a way to make the top three wild card spots in the National League with about a month and a half remaining in the season. San Diego will be looking to bounce back from their loss on Friday in this game on Saturday night.

Milwaukee will be looking to capitalize against a struggling San Diego team as they look to extend their lead within the National League Central division. The Brewers have been playing consistent baseball throughout the year and they will be looking to keep it rolling in the second game of this three-game weekend series here on Saturday evening at home. The Brewers currently possess a small lead over the red hot Chicago Cubs and they will be looking to keep Chicago at a distance coming down the final stretch of the season. Milwaukee will be looking to pick up a second consecutive victory over San Diego and that is what I expect here in this one as I have the Brewers grabbing the win.

St.Louis Cardinals @ Philadelphia Phillies – 7:15PM ET

Tony Battalio

It’s been a rough season for the St. Louis Cardinals, and for the first time in a long time, it seems as if this historic franchise will be transitioning into a rebuilding mode. They had plenty of expectations coming into the season, but I have not lived up to those expectations as they find themselves in the bottom of the standings in the National League Central division. They will be looking to play spoiler throughout the remainder of the season, and it starts with the second game of the series against Philadelphia on the road here on Saturday evening as they look to pick up a victory over the red hot Phillies.

Philadelphia has been one of the hottest team in baseball as of late and they will be looking to pick up a victory in this game on Saturday night at home against the St. Louis Cardinals. Philadelphia picked up a solid victory over St. Louis on Friday night and they will be looking to replicate that performance here on Saturday and officially clinch. The series before heading into Sunday’s finale was an opportunity to sweep the Cardinals. That is exactly what I expect from the Philadelphia Phillies as I look for them to pick up another comfortable victory over the St. Louis Cardinals here on Saturday night. 

Cincinnati Reds @ Arizona Diamondbacks – 8:10PM ET

Tony Battalio

It has been a roller coaster of a season for the Cincinnati Reds but they have been handling things well over the last week and a half or so. They will be looking to keep winning baseball games to put themselves back in a position to compete for a playoff spot in the National League as the season is about to enter its final month. Earlier this season, there was not much hope for the Cincinnati Reds, and it looked like they were heading for another rebuilding season before they called up a trio of young rookies that have completely flipped around the trajectory of the year. Now the Reds come into this game with a record of 67-63 through their first 130 games of the 2023 Major League Baseball season.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are still looking to get back on track after a rough stretch of play coming out of the All-Star break. They have been playing well over the last week and a half and they will look to keep the momentum rolling here on Saturday night at home against the Cincinnati Reds as they look to pick up another victory to get themselves back into the picture in the National League West title race and National League wildcard race as well. Arizona comes into this game with a record of 68-61 through their first 129 games of the 2023 Major League Baseball season. I expect them to grab the victory over Cincinnati here on Saturday night at home to pick up their 69th victory of the season.

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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.