Free MLB Picks Today for Sunday, September 17th, 2023

Our free MLB picks are out for Sunday, September 17th, 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!

Boston Red Sox @ Toronto Blue Jays – 1:37PM ET

Tony Battalio

The Boston Red Sox will be looking to keep their faint playoff hopes alive with a victory over the Toronto Blue Jays and the finale of this series on Sunday afternoon on the road in Canada. It has been a very average season for Boston, as they just have not been good enough playing in the toughest division in all of baseball this season, and it will likely cost them a postseason appearance, despite the likelihood of them posting a winning record this season. They will be looking to get back to .500 with a victory in the finale of this series as well as they have been struggling coming down the final stretch of the year. 

Toronto comes into this game looking to regain their lead in the American League wildcard race and pick up a series ending victory over the Boston Red Sox here on Sunday afternoon at home. Toronto is currently tied with the Seattle Mariners for the third and final wildcard spot heading into the weekend, and they will be looking to regain that spot with a quality performance over the Boston Red Sox here on Sunday afternoon. That is exactly what I expect, as I look for the Toronto Blue Jays to pick up a comfortable victory over the struggling Boston Red Sox here on Sunday.

Cincinnati Reds @ New York Mets – 1:40PM ET

Tony Battalio

It has been a roller coaster of a season for the Cincinnati Reds but they will be looking to pick up a quality victory here on Sunday afternoon on the road in New York City as they continue their late season push for a playoff spot. Coming into the finale of this series on Sunday afternoon Cincinnati sits outside of the National League wildcard spots, but it has the tightest race in all of baseball so they cannot afford to drop games coming down the final stretch of the season. Cincinnati is currently tied with the Arizona Diamondbacks for the third wildcard spot in the National League and they will be looking to break the tie with a victory here on Sunday.  

It has been an awful year for the New York Mets after coming into the season with one of the highest payrolls in all of baseball. They have been a complete disappointment on the field, and after trading away their to superstar, starting pitchers at the trade deadline at signals, the closing of a competitive window for the New York Mets for the time being. It awaits to be seen if there will be any more movies made by the New York Mets over the off-season, but at this point in the year they will be playing to build momentum for next season, regardless. Unfortunately for the New York Mets, I don’t see them picking up the victory here in this one as I look for Cincinnati to grab a much-needed win on Sunday afternoon.

Texas Rangers @ Cleveland Guardians – 1:40PM ET

Tony Battalio

The Texas Rangers will be looking to bounce back after a rough showing against Cleveland on Saturday night, where they were very unproductive at the plate, and they could only manage to score a single run. Texas had an incredible opening couple of months to the season but I have been very sluggish during the back half of the year and as of right now they are barely hanging onto their playoff spot at the moment. They will be looking to pick up a much-needed victory over Cleveland to wrap up the series on Sunday to avoid being swept by the Guardians over the weekend. As they look to extend their lead in the American League wildcard race and close the gap in the American League West division title race. 

The Cleveland Guardians have had a stressful season after coming into the year with plenty of expectations. They were expected to be the top team in the American League Central division, but coming into the finale of the series against the Texas Rangers on Sunday their playoff hopes are hanging on by a thread. As their magic number is down into single digits and they trail Minnesota by over six games coming into the finale of the series. However, they have looked a lot better over the last two days as they have picked up a couple of victories in the first two games of this series, and I expect them to complete the three game sweep with another victory here on Sunday as well. 

Houston Astros @ Kansas City Royals – 2:10PM ET

Tony Battalio

The defending World Series champions currently leads the American League west division by half of a game over the Texas Rangers and one and a half games over the Seattle Mariners. They will be looking to pick up a crucial victory here on Sunday afternoon as they look to extend their lead within the division before heading into the final two weeks of the season. After a slow start to the year, they have picked it up over the last couple of months and they looked to be closing in on yet another American League West division title if they can finish the regular season strong. 

Kansas City comes into the finale of this series looking to play spoiler and pick up a momentum boosting victory over the defending World Series champions on Sunday afternoon at home. They have had a rough season and they have been stuck in what seems like an endless rebuilding mode ever since they lifted the World Series trophy back in the mid 2010s. Unfortunately for Kansas City, they have been one of the least productive lineups in all of baseball this season, and they are going against Framber Valdez in this game on Sunday. I don’t look for that to end well for them as I have Houston picking up the victory to wrap up the series. 

Chicago Cubs @ Arizona Diamondbacks – 7:10PM ET

Tony Battalio

The Chicago Cubs will be looking to pick up a quality victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the finale of their series here on Sunday night at Chase Field. Chicago is right in the middle of the National League wildcard race and they are still within striking distance of the National League Central division title as well and they will be looking to pick up a crucial victory here on Sunday. They currently hold a one and a half game lead over the other teams in the National League wild card and they will be looking to keep the momentum rolling here on Sunday with a victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

For the Arizona Diamondbacks, every game coming down, the final stretch of the season gets more and more important as they get closer to the final weekend of the year. They are right in the mix to make the playoffs this season, but they will have to finish the year strong and it starts with picking up a victory over the Chicago Cubs here on Sunday night at home. Arizona comes into this game tied for the third wildcard spot in the National League and they will be looking to pick up a key victory to put some distance between themselves and the Cincinnati Reds here on Sunday. That is exactly what I expect as I have Arizona picking up the victory here in this one.

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