Best MLB Bets Today | MLB Picks, September 19

Tuesday in Major League Baseball is set to be an exciting day, with division rivalry games and games featuring elite pitching taking center stage. A couple of those matchups headline our best MLB bets for Tuesday, along with a game featuring a team that should have a huge motivational advantage over their opponent.

Toronto Blue Jays vs New York Yankees

• Time: 7:05 PM ET
• Starting Pitchers: Yusei Kikuchi vs Clarke Schmidt
• Moneyline: Blue Jays (-115) | Yankees (-105)
• Runline: Blue Jays -1.5 (+145) | Yankees +1.5 (-175)
• Total: Over 8.5 (-115) | Under 8.5 (-105)

Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook. See different MLB betting sites for more betting opportunities!

My Pick: Under 8.5 (-105)

Our first MLB best bet for Tuesday comes from the Bronx, where the New York Yankees will host the Toronto Blue Jays. The Jays are still fighting for a spot in the American League Wild Card, while the Yankees are mathematically alive but on life support. Here, though, we like the under rather than taking either side of this division showdown from New York.

Both pitchers in this game are respectable, even if they are not ace-caliber arms, as Yusei Kikuchi takes on Clarke Schmidt. Both pitchers have sub-5.00 ERAs on the season, despite pitching in the gauntlet that is the American League East in 2023. Look for that experience to come in handy here, in what should be a low-scoring game, thanks to the inconsistent offenses on both sides.

Both of these teams rank in the bottom half of the league in runs scored for the season. The Yankees have been especially bad at scoring runs, ranking 23rd in baseball in runs this year, one spot behind the lowly Washington Nationals. Those offensive struggles will rear their ugly head once again en route to a game that goes well under the total of 8.5 runs.

Los Angeles Angels vs Tampa Bay Rays

• Time: 6:40 PM ET
• Starting Pitchers: Patrick Sandoval vs Taj Bradley
• Moneyline: Angels (+172) | Rays (-205)
• Runline: Angels +1.5 (-122) | Rays -1.5 (-102)
• Total: Over 8 (-110) | Under 8 (-110)

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

My Pick: Rays -1.5 (-102)

Next up in our MLB best bets for Tuesday is an American League matchup between the Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Angels. The Rays have not played their best baseball during the second half of the season, but they have managed to stay in the hunt for the AL East title. Look for them to get a convincing win and to cover the runline to help their AL East chances against an Angels team with a dark cloud hanging over them.

Both Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani are out for the remainder of the season for the Angels, who have once again been a disappointment in the AL West. On top of that, it is looking very likely that the Angels will lose Ohtani to free agency in the offseason, as they have done nothing to prove to him that they can build a winning team around him. As a result, morale is not great for the remaining pieces in Anaheim.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, the Angels are dealing with one of the most explosive offensive teams in baseball on Tuesday. The Rays rank fourth in baseball in runs scored this season, having scored about 100 runs more than the Angels during the 2023 campaign thus far. Look for the Rays to bludgeon the Angels with their offense and to win by at least two runs here.

Colorado Rockies vs San Diego Padres

• Time: 9:40 PM ET
• Starting Pitchers: Ryan Feltner vs Blake Snell
• Moneyline: Rockies (+220) | Padres (-275)
• Runline: Rockies +1.5 (EVEN) | Padres -1.5 (-120)
• Total: Over 8 (-115) | Under 8 (-105)

Odds courtesy of PointsBet.

My Pick: Padres -1.5 (-120)

Our final MLB best bet for Tuesday is on another runline favorite, as the Colorado Rockies visit the San Diego Padres. San Diego has one of the best pitchers in the league on the mound in this game. That should be more than enough to help them set the tone and win in a lopsided fashion against one of the worst teams in all of baseball.

That pitcher is Blake Snell, who is the favorite to win the NL Cy Young award as the regular season nears its conclusion. Snell is 14-9 on the season with a 2.43 ERA, which is the best ERA in all of baseball. Against a Rockies team that has the second-worst road record in all of baseball this year, Snell should dominate once again and help his team win by a sizable margin to put the finishing touches on his Cy Young campaign.