Free MLB Picks Today for Tuesday, September 26th, 2023

Our free MLB picks are out for Tuesday, September 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!

Cincinnati Reds @ Cleveland Guardians – 6:10PM ET

Tony Battalio

The Cincinnati Reds will be needing to pick up a victory in the opening game of this two game series against Cleveland on Tuesday night if they want to keep their faint playoff hopes alive. They had plenty of opportunities over the weekend to pick up some victories against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and put themselves in a great position to make the postseason this year but they were unable to capitalize, and they blew a couple games throughout the series which has left them on the brink of elimination coming into Tuesday night against Cleveland. Every game for the remainder of the season is a must win game for the Cincinnati Reds and they have no other choice if they want to make the playoffs this year.

There’s a lot you can say about the Cleveland Guardians this season, but they have plenty of expectations coming into the year and they were unsuccessful at living up to those expectations. They were playing in the worst division, and all of major league baseball this season, and they were unable to capitalize on that as they blew several key games throughout the season, because of their bullpen, which allowed the Minnesota Twins to come in, and win the American League Central division. Now Cleveland will be looking to spoil the playoff hopes for Cincinnati and I expect him to grab a victory in the opening game of the series on Monday to do just that.

Pittsburgh Pirates @ Philadelphia Phillies – 6:40PM ET

Tony Battalio

After a fantastic start to the season, the Pittsburgh Pirates weren’t able to maintain the momentum necessary to get themselves into a solid position to make the playoffs this year. Now they have an opportunity to finish out the regular season strong and gain plenty of momentum heading in the next season. Pittsburgh has shown a lot of progress in their rebuild throughout the year and before long they could potentially become a contender once again in the National League. However, they will have their hands full during this series with the Philadelphia Phillies throughout the week as Philadelphia is still competing for a playoff spot this season.

The Philadelphia Phillies will be looking to pick up a crucial victory in the opening game of the series against the Pittsburgh Pirates here on Tuesday night at home as they look to clinch themselves a spot in the National League wildcard coming into the final week of the season. Philadelphia had a slow start to the year but they picked it up over the summer and they now find themselves in a perfect position to defend their National League pennant and return to the World Series. I look for Philadelphia to have a quality team performance in the opening game of this series against Pittsburgh and pick up a much needed victory to open up the series.

Miami Marlins @ New York Mets – 7:10PM ET

Tony Battalio

The Miami Marlins had a fantastic start to the season, but they had a massive collapse coming out of the All-Star break and it has put them on the outside looking in the National League wildcard race with a week remaining in the regular season. Every game from here on out for Miami is a must win game if the Marlins want to grab a top three spot in the National League wildcard standings. They come into the opening game of the series against the New York Mets currently sitting in fourth place as they find themselves one game behind the Chicago Cubs for the third spot in the wildcard standings. They will be looking to grab a much-needed victory here on Tuesday night on the road against New York.

The New York Mets have been a complete disappointment this season after they came into the year with one of the highest payroll in baseball and lofty expectations of making a deep playoff run. After their performance this season, and after they traded away both Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander at the trade deadline it is clear that the Mets are nowhere close to competing for a World Series over the next few seasons. They will be looking to spoil the Miami Marlins playoff hopes with some quality performances throughout the week, and it starts with grabbing a victory here on Tuesday night at home. Unfortunately for the New York Mets, I don’t see that happening as I have the Miami Marlins picking up the win.

Arizona Diamondbacks @ Chicago White Sox – 7:40PM ET

Tony Battalio

The Arizona Diamondbacks come into the opening game of the series against the Chicago White Sox looking to bounce back after they were defeated by the New York Yankees on Monday afternoon, in the finale of that series. The Arizona Diamondbacks will have to be nearly perfect throughout the remainder of the regular season if they want to clinch a spot in the top three of the National League wildcard race. They come into the opening game of the series against the Chicago White Sox currently sitting in second place of the National League wildcard race as they are tied with Chicago for second, and hold a one game lead over the Miami Marlins as well. 

The Chicago White Sox have absolutely nothing left to play for this season after a less than impressive year that will see them finish towards the bottom of one of the worst divisions in all of baseball. They will be looking to build up momentum towards next season as well as help spoil the Arizona Diamondbacks playoff hopes with some solid performances throughout the week. It starts with grabbing a victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks here on Tuesday night at home, as Chicago will be looking to string some victories together over the final week of the regular season. Unfortunately for the Chicago White Sox, I don’t see that happening as I have the Arizona Diamondbacks picking up the victory here in this game.

San Diego Padres @ San Francisco Giants – 9:45PM ET

Tony Battalio

The San Diego Padres had plenty of expectations coming into the season, but they have not lived up to those expectations throughout the year. They have been playing solid baseball as of late, as they come into the second game of the series as winners of nine out of their last 10 games on the season, but it may be too little, too late for San Diego. The Padres will be looking to pick up a crucial victory over the San Francisco Giants here on Tuesday night in the second game of the series, as San Diego looks to keep their faint playoff hopes alive as we head into the final week of the regular season. 

The San Francisco Giants had a solid season up until the last month of the year but they have been faltering as of late and it is likely going to cost them a playoff spot in the National League. The final week of the season will be all must win games for San Francisco if they want to find a way to clinch a spot in the National League wildcard race over the next six days. I will be looking to pick up a crucial victory over the San Diego Padres in the middle game of the series here on Tuesday night at home and that is exactly what I expect as I look for San Francisco to grab the victory here in this one on Tuesday evening. 

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