Welcome back to another round of MLB Best Bets Today as the 2025 baseball season rolls on. 

Saturday’s MLB slate is loaded up with 16 games on the baseball schedule. We have every team in action and plenty of ways to go for our top MLB picks and predictions. Let’s focus on two games for our MLB best bets today before dishing out a few baseball player props and other picks to consider. 

Keep in mind, some of these odds or lines could move before first pitch. All bets below are for one unit unless otherwise noted. Without further ado, let’s dive into our MLB Best Bets Today.

 

 

 

MLB Picks, Predictions & Best Bets Today, 7/26

Our MLB Best Bets Today start with the Cincinnati Reds hosting the Tampa Bay Rays in a battle between Wild Card contenders. Plus, the Minnesota Twins look to stay hot at home against the Washington Nationals. As always, don’t miss some top MLB player prop bets and other baseball picks below. Check out these MLB predictions to make as you enjoy Saturday’s baseball action. 

 

Tampa Bay Rays at Cincinnati Reds Predictions: Saturday, July 26th

Let’s start out with an interleague matchup between the Tampa Bay Rays and Cincinnati Reds. In Friday’s series opener, the Reds earned a commanding 7-2 victory. Let’s break down Saturday’s meeting as both squads try to rise up their respective Wild Card standings. 

Andrew Abbott’s breakout season continues for Cincinnati. The left-hander owns a 2.13 ERA after tossing 6 strong innings against the Mets last weekend. Abbott now now has a 2.06 ERA over his last 7 starts. He’s also allowed fewer than 2 earned runs in 13 of 17 starts overall this year. 

Abbott has been especially lights out at home, with a 1.98 ERA across 9 home outings. Though his predictive metrics (3.42 FIP, 4.11 xFIP) suggest negative regression, it’s impossible to ignore the southpaw’s consistent effectiveness. He gets it done by forcing soft contact (91st percentile hard-hit rate) and avoiding free passes (79th percentile walk rate). 

Let’s back Abbott at home here in a favorable matchup. The Rays are struggling against left-handed pitching this month with a .206 batting average (24th in MLB), .260 wOBA (27th), and 63 wRC+ (27th). Tampa Bay’s offense is also bad on the road against lefties this year with a .252 wOBA (30th) and 59 wRC+ (30th). 

On that note, the Rays haven’t been as good offensively on the road lately. In July, they have a .274 wOBA (27th) and 72 wRC+ (27th) away from the hitter-friendly Steinbrenner Field. It’s a good spot for Abbott to keep Tampa’s bats quiet early. 

Meanwhile, the Cincy offense should provide run support against Ryan Pepiot. The Rays’ starter has been shaky lately with a rough 5.61 ERA and 5.94 FIP over his last 5 starts. Pepiot also has a 5.59 ERA over his last 4 road starts. 

Conversely, the Reds are crushing right-handed pitching since the All-Star break. Over the past week vs. righties, Cincinnati has a .366 wOBA (5th in MLB), .302 BA (4th), and 132 wRC+ (4th) in the split. The offense is also averaging 5.1 runs per game in this second half of the season. 

Back the Reds at home today. Cincy is 12-5 in Abbott’s starts so far this season. The Rays, on the other hand, are 3-11 in their last 14 road games. They’re also 1-4 over the last 5 contests entering tonight. 

 

 

 

Washington Nationals vs. Minnesota Twins Predictions: Saturday, July 26th

The Minnesota Twins are four games out of the third AL Wild Card spot entering Saturday. It remains to be seen whether or not they become sellers at the MLB Trade Deadline. For now, though, let’s back the Twins at home against the Washington Nationals tonight. 

One guy in Minnesota who might change teams soon is starter Joe Ryan. He toes the rubber today and immediately gives his squad an edge in what could be a trade showcase outing. Ryan owns a 2.63 ERA and 0.90 WHIP during a career-best season. 

The Twins’ All-Star boasts some elite metrics with a 29.2% strikeout rate (87th percentile), 5.1% walk rate (92nd), and .209 xBA (89th). He’s also dealing lately, with a 1.45 ERA and 2.41 FIP over his past 5 starts. Plus, Ryan has a 2.66 FIP at home this year. 

Let’s bank on Ryan showing up against an inconsistent Washington offense. On the road against right-handed pitching this month, the Nats have a .280 wOBA (24th in MLB), 77 wRC+ (24th), and .216 batting average (24th). The lineup is averaging 3.5 runs per game over the last 15 contests. 

On the other side, the Twins’ hitters should provide enough run support in their owns matchup. Nationals starter Mitchell Parker has a 5.00 ERA and 1.40 WHIP this year. He has a rough 6.18 ERA over his last 5 starts and a 5.64 ERA over his last 10 outings. 

Parker has been notably worse on the road with a 6.46 ERA and 5.72 FIP, compared to a 3.92 ERA and 3.74 FIP at home. The southpaw just got rocked for 7 runs in his latest road start at Milwaukee. He’s also giving up an average of 4.2 earned runs over his past 7 road outings, including 3+ in each. 

Meanwhile, the Twins are raking against left-handed pitching right now. In July vs. lefties, the offense owns a .402 wOBA (1st), 161 wRC+ (1st), .292 BA (5th), .274 ISO (1st), and 15.2% K rate (2nd). Minnesota is also a top-10 offense at home this month (.340 wOBA, 118 wRC+). 

Let’s take the Twins on the runline. We’ll back Ryan at home over Parker on the road all day in this spot. After winning 1-0 last night, Minnesota is now 9-3 over its last 12 home games. A more comfortable victory should be coming on Saturday. 

 

 

 

Best MLB Player Prop Bets & Other Picks Today, 7/26

 

 

 

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