It is the last day of the regular season! There are still playoff spots to be played for and everything comes down to this. We have made our best MLB picks for the top five games scheduled for Sunday, October 3rd.
Look below to find our free MLB Picks for the five best games on today’s schedule!
Tampa Bay Rays @ New York Yankees – 3.05PM EDT
This Sunday afternoon game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees will be the third and final game of both the series as well as the regular season. The Rays have won both games so far in this series, winning the first 4-3, and the second much more convincingly, 12-2.
Katherine Mouradian
Will this series knock the Yankees out of playoff contention? Before this series they had a fairly good gap to the other teams for the first AL Wild Card spot, especially considering there were only three games left for every team, but losing the first two games is not helping their case. They now have teams like the Red Sox, Blue Jays and Mariners even closer and if they don’t win this game they could miss out on a Wild Card spot altogether. The Rays have won seven of their previous 10 games in total, and they have won three of their previous five games on the road.
The Yankees have won two of their previous five games with the Rays, and they have won four of their previous eight games playing at home. The Yankees were completely embarrassed last time out, losing by 10 runs! Tonight’s game will be their last chance to get a win in the books and hopefully cement their name in the Wild Card spot. Can they do it? Well, if you asked me before this series started, or even before I watched yesterday’s game, I would have said, now I’m not so sure. Now the Rays are not just playing for the win, but also playing to knock the Yankees out of the playoffs, with that extra incentive and Wacha seems to enjoy playing against the Yankees, he has a 1-0 record and a 2.16 ERA in four games against them throughout this season. Give me the Rays.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Tampa Bay Rays (+132)
Deep to right Rizzo. pic.twitter.com/FZjtZzieT2
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 2, 2021
Mike Su
The Yankees fell in a blowout loss to the Rays. The Yankees were utterly embarrassed and failed to clinch a Wild Card playoff berth. Now they sit equal with the Red Sox and just 1 game ahead of the Blue Jays The Yankees could very well find themselves out of the playoffs. In the final game of the regular season, the Yankees will be starting Jameson Taillon. Taillon doesn’t give me a lot of confidence that he will be enough to hold off the Rays to get a win here.
Tailoon has a below average 4.4 ERA and 1.21 WHIP this season. Although he has a decent 8-6 record, he hasn’t played well against the Rays with 7 runs allowed in 9 innings against them. On the other side, the Rays will be starting Michael Wacha. Wacha has been bad with a 5.26 ERA and 1.35 WHIP in 119 innings leading to a 3-5 record. Although Wacha hasn’t been good, he does have a talented bullpen behind him, and if he can hold the ship he may be enough to hold off the Yankees. We saw the Rays flex their muscles last game, however, in this matchup, I think the desperate Yankees should pull out the win.
Mike’s MLB Pick: New York Yankees (-156)
Boston Red Sox @ Washington Nationals – 3.05PM EDT
This Sunday afternoon game between the Boston Red Sox and the Washington Nationals will be the third and final game of both the series as well as the regular season. The Red Sox have won both of the games in this series so far, winning the first game 4-2, and the second game 5-3.
Katherine Mouradian
While the Yankees are stumbling, the Red Sox are cruising towards an AL Wild Card spot, and may very well take over the Yankees for the first Wild Card spot if the Yankees lose their last game. It’s all very close for a Wild Card spot in the AL, so the Red Sox don’t want a hiccup in their final game, they need to be clinical and have their eyes on the prize right until the last pitch has been thrown. The Nationals will once again try to play for pride for their home crowd, as they are out of playoff contention.
The Red Sox have won nine of their previous 11 games against the Nationals, and they have won three of their previous five games on the road. The Nationals have won none of their previous four games in total, and have won none of their previous five games at home. It’s the Red Sox offense that will get them over the line in this game again, they are averaging 5.11 runs per game, while the Nationals average is 4.48. The Red Sox are also second in the league when it comes to their slugging percentage, and third when it comes to batting average. I’ll be taking the Red Sox to cover the spread, yet again!
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Boston Red Sox -1.5 (TBA)
Mike Su
The Red Sox are looking good after beating the Nationals while the Yankees lost. Although it isn’t over yet, the Red Sox now have a much better chance of pulling out a playoff berth than before. In fact they could even steal home field advantage for the Wild Card game. The downside is that they could also fall out of playoff contention if the star aligned so this is a must win. In this crucial game the Red Sox will be starting Chris Sale who has been good in limited time.
Sale has a 2.9 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 40 innings of play, leading to a 5-1 record. Sale has been good throughout his 11 year career with a 3.02 ERA average. Sale should have an easy time disposing of this Nationals team that has nothing to play for. The National are starting rookie Joan Adon who hasn’t had a single pitch in the major league and faces a formidable opponent in the Boston batting unit. I think this will be an embarrassing blowout for the Nationals to end the season.
Mike’s MLB Pick: Boston Red Sox -1.5 (TBA)
San Diego Padres @ San Francisco Giants – 3.05PM EDT
This Sunday afternoon game between the San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants will be the third and final game of both the series as well as the regular season. The Giants took out the first game of this series, winning 3-0. The Padres fought back in the second game, winning in the 10th innings, 3-2.
Katherine Mouradian
Things. Just. Got. More. Interesting. The Giants lost to the Padres, and the Dodgers won their game against the Brewers which means there is still a chance for the Dodgers to finish the season on the same record as the Giants. So, it makes this game for the Giants extremely important. The Padres have won one of their previous five games playing at home, and they have won four of their previous nine games against the Giants. The Giants have won six of their previous eight games playing at home, and they have won nine of their previous 11 games in total.
This game means something to the Giants, and this should really have the Padres shaking in their boots. The Giants will probably be a bit annoyed that they couldn’t officially wrap up the question of if they are the best team in the NL West (and the entire league) yesterday, but they have another chance today. Getting the win here, even if the Dodgers win means the Giants are confirmed for the spot in the NL West. Webb has also been good all season for the Giants, and their playing at home as well. I’m predicting that the Giants will put on a fantastic performance for their fans in the last game of the regular season.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: San Francisco Giants -1.5 (+112)
Extra extra. #PadresWin pic.twitter.com/RTIsyjAL9M
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) October 2, 2021
Mike Su
The Giants play the Padres for the final time this year in a game that may decide on whether they play in the playoffs as the number 1 seed or as a Wild Card. The Dodgers technically still have a chance at winning the NL West and thus the National League conference if they win their final game and the Giants lose this game against the Padres. In an overtime victory, the Padres upset the Giants and now look to spite their inter-division rival by pushing them out of the first seed. Although this is an unlikely outcome, it is still possible so look for the Giants to put all of their best men forward to seal the victory. I expect a fast start and a big early lead.
The Giants are starting one of their best, Logan Webb. Webb has been a freak this year with a 2.93 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 150 strikeouts in 141 innings, leading to a 10-3 record. The Padres, who have nothing on the line in this matchup, will be starting Reiss Knehr. Knehr has been below average in very limited playing time with a 4.85 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and just 18 strikeouts in 26 innings. The rookie presents a wild card as he could turn out to be phenomenal and get a winner he could be embarrassed by the league’s best. Although it would be cool for the Dodgers to win and the Giants to lose in a wild end to the season, I think the Giants win this to hold on.
Mike’s MLB Pick: San Francisco Giants -1.5 (+112)
Baltimore Orioles @ Toronto Blue Jays – 3.07PM EDT
This Sunday afternoon game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Toronto Blue Jays will be the third and final game of both the series as well as the regular season. The Blue Jays have been good enough to win the first two games of this series, winning the first 6-4, and then the second much more convincingly, 10-1.
Katherine Mouradian
The Blue Jays continue to do what they need to, to keep their Wild Card playoff hopes alive, and with the help of two losses to the Yankees, their job is made just that little bit easier. They still have to face stiff competition from the likes of the Red Sox and the Mariners, but a win in the last game of the regular season might just be enough to get them in, especially if other results go their way as well.
The Orioles have won four of their previous 10 games overall, and have won just one of their previous six games against the Blue Jays. The Blue Jays have won seven of their previous 11 games playing at home, and have won five of their previous seven games overall. Playing at home, I’m going to side with the Blue Jays, they also have a hot offense that I think will help carry them over the line, especially if Ryu can’t fire the pitches in like he has been doing all season. Give me the Blue Jays!
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Toronto Blue Jays (-360)
Mike Su
The Blue Jays are now within striking distance of the Red Sox and Yankees for a wild card berth. The Blue Jays are just 1 game behind both for a wild card spot and with a game against the Orioles, they should have a great chance to sneak into the playoffs. In this crucial game, the Orioles are starting Hyun Jin Ryu to bring them home. Ryu has been one of my favourite pitchers to bet on this season as he always seems to pull out a win when I need it.
Although his statistics aren’t very impressive as he has a 4.39 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 13-10 record, I think he will be enough to beat this Orioles team. In their last match, the Blue Jays destroyed the Orioles with a 10-1 beatdown. Although I don’t think the same will happen, the Blue Jays should still win by a big margin. I think the batting will be the key to this game and the league’s best home run hitter Guererro Jr should do the job. I think this is going to be a high scoring affair where the Blue Jays win by at least 2 runs.
Mike’s MLB Pick: Toronto Blue Jays -1.5 (-178)
Milwaukee Brewers @ Los Angeles Dodgers – 3.10PM EDT
This Sunday afternoon game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers will be the third and final game of both the series as well as the regular season. The Dodgers have won both of the games so far in this series, winning the first game, 8-6, and the second game, 8-3.
Katherine Mouradian
Well, of course this battle between the Dodgers and the Giants is going down to the last game! If the Dodgers can win this game, and the Giants lose their final game of the regular season, then both teams will be on the same record for the year. Both games are going to be played at pretty much the same time, so it will be very interesting to see how this one shapes out. Meanwhile, the Brewers go into the playoffs without much form, and will need to find some quickly by winning their last game of the regular season.
The Brewers have won just one of their previous nine games against a team with a winning record, and they have won only one of their previous five games overall. The Dodgers have won 41 of their previous 53 games in total and have won 39 of their previous 52 games playing at home. The great record for the Dodgers playing at home continues, and now with a slightly greater chance to end on the same record as the Giants, there is much more to play for. The Dodgers are 11th in the league when it comes to their team batting average, whereas the Brewers are 27th. I’m expecting this to play a major part in getting the Dodgers the win they need. Back the Dodgers to win their final game of the regular season.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 (TBA)
Make it 1,000!
Congrats to @escobardelapica on his 1,000th career hit.#ThisIsMyCrew pic.twitter.com/NkDYlqjIYG
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) October 3, 2021
Mike Su
The Dodgers got a big win over the Brewers, which put them within a game of the Giants. Even if they don’t win this game and secure the NL West division and the number 1 seed, the Dodgers could still use a win against one of their likely playoff opponents. However the Dodgers won’t be thinking about that and will be trying to go for the win to secure their 9th straight NL West title. In order to get the win, the Dodgers are starting Walker Buehler.
Buehler has been insane this year with a 2.49 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 15 wins, which all rank in the top 5 in the league. Buehler will be looking to end the season with a bang. Surprisingly, Buehler hasn’t pitched against the Brewers this year so there is an element of unknown in this matchup. In his last matchup in last year’s playoffs Buehler held the Brewers to 2 runs in 4 innings which is decent. I think we will get a similar performance here as the Dodgers look to beat a big rival in a crucial matchup. The Dodgers should win a tight one.
Mike’s MLB Pick: Los Angeles Dodgers (TBA)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
