Best MLB Bets Today | MLB Picks, September 18

The 2023 MLB Season is coming down to the final stretch as it is do-or-die time for some of these serious playoff contenders. While most of these teams are competing for a playoff spot, there are serious opportunities for bettors to compete for a solid chance to win some earnings. This Monday’s games will be one of the last opportunities to bet on individual games for the regular season. 

Cleveland Guardians @ Kansas City Royals

• Time: 2:10 PM E.T. - Monday
• Starting Pitchers: Cal Quantrill (Guardians) vs. Brady Singer (Royals)
• Moneyline: Guardians (-125) | Royals (+105)
• Run Line: Guardians -1.5 (+130) | Royals +1.5 (-155)
• Total:Over 9.5 (+102) | Under 9.5 (-122)

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

My Pick: Cleveland Guardians (CLE)

There are not a lot of opportunities for the Cleveland Guardians (72-78) to get back in the race for the AL Central Divisional title and are a long way off from clinching an AL Wildcard spot. For the Kansas City Royals (48-102), their journey for the postseason ended a long time ago.

Both the Guardians and the Royals are going into this matchup with similar starting pitchers. The Guardians are going into this game with Cal Quantrill (5.40 ERA in 85 innings pitched) while Brady Singer (5.51 ERA in 153.2 innings pitched) is going to be the starting pitcher for the Royals.

The key in the game divisional matchup will be the efficiency of the batting teams. Cleveland is the superior batting team, but not by much.

The Guardians rank 12th in the AL in runs accounted for (614), seventh in hits accounted for (1279), fourth in double-bases (271), fourth in stolen bases (135), first in fewest strikeouts encountered (1055), and seventh in batting average (.250).

The Royals rank 11th in the AL in runs accounted for (616), 12th in hits (1221), 14th in home runs (149), second in stolen bases (151), sixth in fewest strikeouts encountered (1286), and 10th in batting average (.243).  

Philadelphia Phillies @ Atlanta Braves

• Time: 7:20 PM E.T. - Monday
• Starting Pitchers: Zack Wheeler (Phillies) vs. Kyle Wright (Braves)
• Moneyline: Phillies (+100) | Braves (-120)
• Run Line: Phillies +1.5 (-192) | Braves -1.5 (+160)
• Total: Over 9 (-120) | Under 9 (+100)

Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.

My Pick: Atlanta Braves (ATL)

The Atlanta Braves (96-53) were the first team in the league to not only secure a playoff spot and secured a divisional title. The Braves are not taking it easy despite winning the NL East Division. The Braves are set to host the Philadelphia Phillies (81-68) for a three-game series.

The Phillies are looking to solidify their chance for the NL Playoff thanks to their talented roster on both sides of the field. Philadelphia will be going with one of their better-starting pitchers this season in Zack Wheeler (3.70 ERA in 175 innings pitched), who has thrown for 196 strikeouts this season.

He will have a big task ahead of him to suppress one of the most elite batting teams in the league. The Braves rank first in the NL in runs accounted for (865), hits accounted for (1411), home runs accounted for (288), batting average (.275), on-base percentage (.343), slugging percentage (.501), OPS (.844) and total bases accounted for (2575).

The Braves are going to rest the arms of some of their more established pitchers for the postseason. Atlanta will have Kyle Wright (7.48 ERA in 21.2 innings pitched) starting for game one against the Phillies.

While the Braves don’t have the edge in the pitching game, they still have the talent and productivity in the batting game to take any matchup.

Baltimore Orioles @ Houston Astros

• Time: 8:10 PM E.T. - Monday
• Starting Pitchers: John Means (Orioles) vs. Justin Verlander (Astros)
• Moneyline: Orioles (+130) | Astros (-155)
• Run Line: Orioles +1.5 (-162) | Astros -1.5 (+136)
• Total: Over 8.5 (-115) | Under 8.5 (-105)

Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.

My Pick: Houston Astros (HOU)

The Baltimore Orioles (93-56) have just their first postseason trip since 2016. They are feeling good about their postseason chances with a complete roster this season.

The Houston Astros (84-66) currently lead one of the tightest divisional races in the league. The Astros currently possess a two-game lead over the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners in the AL West Divisional title.

Houston is coming into this game with the home-field advantage and pitching matchup. The Astros are going with Justin Verlander (3.86 ERA in 49 innings pitched), while the Orioles are going with John Means (5.40 ERA in 5.0 innings pitched). This gives the Astros a huge favor in limiting the scoring of the Orioles.

The Orioles are ranked fourth in the AL in runs accounted (758), sixth in hits accounted for (1302), third in double-base hits (285), ninth in home runs (175), sixth in stolen bases (101), ninth in walks (469), fourth in fewest strikeouts (1244), fourth in batting average (.257), seventh in on-base percentage (.322) and sixth in slugging percentage (.427).

The Astros have seen more success at the plate this season. They are third in the AL in runs accounted for (775), third in hits accounted for (1339), sixth in home runs (206), sixth in stolen bases (101), fourth in walks (512), second in fewest strikeouts encountered (1148), third in batting average (.260), second in on-base percentage (.332) and third in slugging percentage (.436).