Our free MLB Picks are out for Wednesday, September 22nd, 2021! We have hand-picked today’s five best games, so make sure you check our MLB Picks before the action kicks off.
Look below to find our free MLB Picks for today!
Toronto Blue Jays @ Tampa Bay Rays – 3.10PM ET
The Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays have split the opening two games of this series and play the rubber this afternoon. While Tampa has all but secured their postseason slot, on top of the AL East, Toronto needs to win to hold on to a Wild Card slot and would relish the opportunity to defeat the Rays in a three-game series for the second time in as many weeks.
Tim Newton
With Toronto yet to officially name their starting pitcher for this clash, it is hard to get a real idea of how the game might pan out. However, I am with them to pick up a second straight win and take the series. They come into this game with the best OPS in the majors, along with scoring the third most runs this season.
They now face Luis Patino, who has a 4.73 ERA for the season and that only gets worse when looking at his recent form. Over his last seven games, Patino’s ERA is 5.08 and he has given up 10 runs across just 13 innings of work in his three September games. That should give the Blue Jays a perfect opportunity to get off the leash in this clash and put some solid runs on the board.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Toronto Blue Jays (TBA)
Katherine Mouradian
Things are all leveled up at one game apiece, as the Blue Jays took out the second game. The Rays are secure in the top spot in the AL East, but the Yankees are still hot on the heels of the Blue Jays for the final Wild Card Spot. The Blue Jays are peaking at the right time and they have only lost three games the entire month of September so far. Let’s now look into some of the key stats for this final game of the series.
It was a FUN day for @Alek_Manoah6!
WATCH: https://t.co/BW8dy9ZZlI pic.twitter.com/mmHBxFeQaa
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) September 22, 2021
The Blue Jays have won 10 of their previous 11 when it comes to the third game of a series, and they have won nine of their previous 11 games on the road. Over to the Rays, they have won 48 of their previous 77 games at home, and they have won 46 of their previous 68 games in total. With so much at stake for both teams, it will be interesting to see how that one shakes out. But I’m going to have to stick with the Blue Jays, they are hotter than hot, and as of the last game attested to, the Blue Jays can win against one of the best teams in the league. I’ll be on the Toronto Blue Jays.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Toronto Blue Jays (TBA)
Mike Su
After a win against the Rays, the Blue Jays remain 1.5 games behind the Red Sox and half a game ahead of the Yankees in the Wild Card standings. The Blue Jays haven’t moved in the standings due to the fact the Red Sox and Yankees all picked up wins. In another game against the Rays, the Blue Jays will be taking another crack to try and catch up to the Red Sox and at the very least build a cushion between themselves and the Yankees. The Blue Jays have been able to put up consistent runs against the Rays in this series, with the key deciding factor being their pitching.
The Blue Jays’ top 6 defense needs to step up and continue to hold off the Rays’ 2nd ranked batting unit. The Blue Jays will be deploying Julian Merryweather. Merryweather has barely played during his 2 seasons in the MLB with just 20 innings played. In those 20 innings Merryweather has a career 4.42 ERA and 1.23 WHIP. These are below average figures and don’t bode well as this inexperienced pitcher will be facing the defending champions and their top tier batting lineup. In a matchup where the Blue Jays need superior pitching to get a win, they are turning to an unknown who I don’t trust. Therefore I have to go with the Rays to bounce back and win this one.
Mike’s MLB Pick: Tampa Bay Rays -1.5 (TBA)
St Louis Cardinals @ Milwaukee Brewers – 7.40PM ET
The St Louis Cardinals just keep on winning. They have now won 10 straight games and also put themselves four games clear of the closest team that is chasing them for the last National League Wild Card. They now continue to put that streak on the line against divisional rivals, the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers, who have now dropped three straight games.
Tim Newton
It is hard to back against the Cardinals at the moment. They are winning everything and should find themselves in front at the end of the game in this one. Neither team is starting a pitcher that inspires me with a bunch of confidence so I have to back the form that St Louis brings into this. They have kept the Brewers to just three runs across the first two games of this series and have scored 5+ runs in six of their last eight, including the opener of this series.
With both starting pitchers having an ERA over 4.00, I’m expecting this one to be a bit more free flowing, compared to last night’s 2-1 result. This should allow the Brewers to regain some form with the bat, but also should be another opportunity for the Cardinals to put some runs on the board in a big win.
Tim’s MLB Pick: St Louis Cardinals / Over 9.5 (+270)
Katherine Mouradian
The Cardinals continue their winning ways, and not even a team that has already qualified for the playoffs, in the Brewers, can stop them. The Cardinals have won the first two games of this series, and with two more games to go, the Cardinals will be eying off a series win and potentially a sweep in this series. The Cardinals have won four of their previous five games played on a Wednesday, and they have won all four of their previous clashes when it comes to the third game of the series.
Over to the Brewers now, they have won 21 of their previous 28 when it comes to the third game of a series, and they have won seven of their previous eight games on a Wednesday. Mikolas has been a bit inconsistent for the Cardinals, but last time out he had a good game with 5.2 innings, three hits, no earned and two walks, for a win over the Padres. So, if Mikolas can start well, then I’m expecting another Cardinals win here.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: St Louis Cardinals (-106)
Mike Su
The Cardinals are coming off a tight win against the Brewers which puts them on a 10 game winning streak. The Cardinals bested one of the league’s best pitchers, Brandon Woodruff, in a low scoring affair. Jake Woodford had a masterclass pitching 5 innings and allowing no runs against the Brewers formidable attack. This was a crucial win for the Cardinals who are extending their lead for the final Wild Card spot in the National League playoffs. In their next game, the Cardinals will try to make it 11 wins in a row behind Miles Mikolas.
Mikolas has been below average in limited playing time. Mikolas has a 4.5 ERA and 1.31 WHIP in 32 innings this season, leading to a 1-2 record. This doesn’t inspire much confidence as he faces one of the best teams in the MLB. Mikolas did have a good showing against the Padres in his last pitching display with a 5 innings performance that led to 3 strikeouts and no allowed runs. Despite this, I have no confidence in Mikolas as in the 4 prior games to that, he allowed an average of 4 runs per game in roughly 4 innings. I think the Brewers stop their skid and win this one.
Mike’s MLB Pick: Milwaukee Brewers (-110)
Los Angeles Dodgers @ Colorado Rockies – 8.40PM ET
While it was closer than some may have expected, the Los Angeles Dodgers took the opener of this three-game series against the Colorado Rockies. It was a 10th-inning win for LA and has seen them move to just 0.5 games behind the Giants for top place in the NL West.
Tim Newton
I like the Dodgers to win this and win big. Last night’s result was a little too close for comfort and they will want to ensure victory a lot earlier in proceedings. While the Rockies are a tough team to face in Colorado, I think their pitching decision to send out German Marquez with the ball first up plays against them. Through 30 games this season, Marquez is 12-10 with a 4.16 ERA, however when you look at his last seven games, he is just 2-2 with a massive 7.08 ERA. Given the Dodgers have a top 10 OPS and have scored the fifth most runs this season, they seem like the perfect team to take advantage of this weak spot for the Rockies.
Add in the fact that LA are starting Walker Buehler, who is 14-4 with a 2.39 ERA from his 30 starts this season, and the Dodgers look to be big winners here. I am worried by the fact that the Rockies are 45-25 ATS at home this season, while LA are just 36-37 ATS on the road, but they are that much better than Colorado in this matchup and should be winning by at least two runs.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 (-134)
Katherine Mouradian
It was a win for the Dodgers in the first game of this series against the Rockies, but it certainly didn’t come easily, with the game needing to be decided in the 10th innings. The Dodgers are now just half a game behind the Giants for the top spot in the NL West and they will be going into their last few games of the regular season with their eyes on the prize. The Dodgers have won 50 of their previous 64 when it comes to the second game of the series, and they have won seven of their previous eight games played on a Wednesday.
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) September 22, 2021
Looking at the Rockies now, they have won none of their previous four home games when playing a team with a winning record or a team with a right handed starter. Marquez has pitched well for the Rockies, but last time out on the road against the Nationals he had a bit of a shocker. The Dodgers should be able to get the win here and continue to put pressure on the Giants.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 (-134)
Mike Su
The Dodgers have brought themselves within just one game of the Giants for the NL West division lead and the National League first seed. The Dodgers have been in great form lately with a 3 game winning streak and 9 wins in their last 10 games. Granted the Dodgers have had easier competition lately against the Reds, Rockies and Diamondbacks. In their second game against the Rockies, the Dodgers will be looking to take the lead.
The Dodgers will be turning to Walker Buehler to lead the charge as the starting pitcher. Buehler has been a top 3 pitcher in the league this season with a 2.39 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 14-4 record this season. Despite his dominance overall, he hasn’t played his best against the Rockies. In 2 games against the Rockies this season, Buehler has allowed 4 runs in 13 innings, which is good but not up to the level of play we are used to from him. However, despite this somewhat decreased production in the past, Buehler will still destroy this Rockies unit especially with so much on the line.
Mike’s MLB Pick: Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 (-134)
Seattle Mariners @ Oakland Athletics – 9.40PM ET
This AL West showdown continues and the Seattle Mariners will want to keep their momentum rolling. They have claimed the first two games of this four game series against their divisional rivals, the Oakland Athletics, and have won seven straight against the A’s for the season.
Tim Newton
Oakland entered this series on a five-game winning streak but have looked extremely ordinary through the first two games. Seattle has outscored them 9-3 so far this series and this has resulted in both sides sitting three games back from the last American League Wild Card slot.
Looking ahead to tonight’s game, Seattle seems to have the edge again! Cole Irvin has been just a mediocre pitcher for Oakland this season, evidenced by his 10-13 record and 3.94 ERA. That has ballooned out to 5.82 over his last seven games and in his three meetings with the Mariners this season, he has given up 11 runs on a massive 22 hits in just 11.2 innings of work. That shows that Seattle has his number and they should be able to add another win to the ledger in this one.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Seattle Mariners (+120)
Katherine Mouradian
The Mariners have been performing pretty well as of late, and considering they are up against a team like the Athletics, it’s great for fans to see them get wins in the first two games of this series. This means both the Mariners and the Athletics are three games behind the Blue Jays for the last Wild Card spot in the AL. The Mariners have won four of their previous five games on a Wednesday and have won four of their previous five games on the road.
Looking at the Athletics now, they have won 37 of their previous 54 games on a Wednesday, and they have won five of their previous seven when it comes to the third game of a series. I’m leaning towards the mariners to make it three from three, especially considering the odds available for them. Also, the mariners have won five of their previous six meetings in Oakland. I’ll be on the Mariners.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Seattle Mariners (+120)
Mike Su
The Mariners play the Athletics once again after their 5-2 win against the As in their last game. The Mariners are now on a 3 game winning streak and sit just 3 games behind the Blue Jays for the final Wildcard spot now. Both teams will be fighting for their lives in this matchup as the loser will likely fall out of contention entirely while the winner gives themselves a sliver of a chance.
In this matchup, the Mariners will be starting Chris Flexen who has a 3.66 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 110 strikeouts in 162 innings. The Athletics on the other hand will be going with lefty Cole Irvin at pitcher who has a similar 394 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 112 strikeouts in 164 innings. Both these pitchers are statistically very similar on most of their statistics except one. That being, wins. Flexen has a good 12-6 record while Irvin has a 10-13 record. Therefore, I’m trusting Flexen to deliver and win this for the Mariners.
Mike’s MLB Pick: Seattle Mariners (+120)
San Francisco Giants @ San Diego Padres – 10.10PM ET
We round out the night with another all-NL West showdown, this time between the San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants. The Giants, on the road, picked up the series opener 6-5 last night and will look to continue their winning ways with the Dodgers hot on their heels for top spot of the division.
Tim Newton
While the Giants should win this one, I am more confident in the over for this clash. These two teams have faced each other five times over the last 10 days and four of those five have resulted in a total of 10 runs or more. The line for tonight is set at 9.5 runs and both starting pitchers have plenty of questions surrounding them.
Scott Kazmir, who is in his 18th year in the league, has seen just three games this season and only started in two of them. His ERA of 6.43 is far from ideal and the fact that he has given up five runs off eight hits in seven innings, while recording just seven strikeouts, shows that this one could have some runs to it. Especially when you add in Vince Velasquez, who has a 6.09 ERA for the season. When looking at his only game with the Padres, after being released by the Phillies earlier this season, it isn’t hard to see why I have gone with the over for this game, seeing as he gave up four runs on four hits in four innings of work, including two home runs. This game has overs written all over it, pardon the pun.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Over 9.5 (+100)
Katherine Mouradian
The Giants have bounced back after being defeated by the Braves two games ago with a win in the first game of this series against the Padres. The Padres season continues to fall apart at the seams and they are now four and a half games behind the Cardinals for the final Wild Card spot in the NL. The Giants have won 21 of their previous 30 games played on a Wednesday and they have won all four of their previous clashes when it comes to the second game of a series.
Close it out 🚪#SFGiants | #ResilientSF pic.twitter.com/jjJIBKpTMG
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) September 22, 2021
Looking at the Padres now, they have won two of their previous eight games on a Wednesday and they have won two of their previous ten games overall. The Giants are putting up pitcher Kazmir, who has only pitched seven innings since 2016, so is very much an unknown quantity, but the Padres are putting up Velasquez who is known to have poor performances this season, which includes 31 hits as well as 28 earned runs allowed in his last 21.2 innings. It will be the Giants for me.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: San Francisco Giants (-122)
Mike Su
The Giants beat the Padres last game in a nail biter which saw the Giants score in the 9th innings to win the game. Despite an uncharacteristic performance by Kevin Gausman, where he allowed 4 runs in 4 innings, the Giants were still able to win after relying on their bullpen. The Padres now find themselves with the seemingly impossible task of making the playoffs as they chase the Cardinals for the final spot.
This game between the division rivals should be a lot less close as the writing is on the wall for the Padres who must be demoralized after that loss. The Padres do have a chance though as the Giants are starting 37 year old Scott Kazmir. Kazmir has been relatively average throughout his career with a 4.02 ERA and 1.35 WHIP. During his extremely limited play this season he hasn’t been great with a 6.43 ERA in 7 innings. I think Kazmir reverts to the mean as he shakes off his rust. A solid performance by Kazmir should ensure the Giants are able to win this game against a defeated Padres team.
Mike’s MLB Pick: San Francisco Giants (-122)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
