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

Saturday’s MLB slate is another loaded one with 15 games on the schedule. As always, we have plenty of ways to go for 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. 

The MLB picks below are accurate as of this writing, but some 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, 8/16

Our MLB Best Bets today feature a late-night AL West matchup between the Angels and Athletics. Plus, Sonny Gray and the St. Louis Cardinals host the New York Yankees. Don’t miss more MLB picks and player props below. Check out these MLB predictions to make as you enjoy Saturday’s baseball action. 

 

 

 

Los Angeles Angels vs. Athletics Predictions: Saturday, August 16th

Both of these AL West squads will presumably miss the playoffs this year. That doesn’t mean we should ignore the Los Angeles Angels and Athletics from a betting perspective. Let’s find an angle on Saturday night’s matchup. 

Angels starter Tyler Anderson has a 4.63 ERA and 1.40 WHIP this season. He’s been untrustworthy for the past three months now. Anderson has a 6.31 ERA over his past five starts and a 5.87 ERA over his past 12 starts. This is an extended run of shaky outings. 

It’s also worth noting that Anderson was scratched from his scheduled start on Tuesday due to back stiffness. While he’s cleared to start today, that’s a bit concerning for the veteran. Then there’s the southpaw’s 5.52 ERA and 5.77 FIP on the road this year. That includes four or more earned runs allowed in six of his last eight road starts. 

Anderson now faces an offense that’s tough on left-handed pitchers lately. Over the past two weeks vs. lefties, the Athletics have a .383 wOBA (fourth in MLB), .304 BA (fourth), .895 OPS (fourth), and .215 ISO (third). They’re also a top-10 lineup in the split overall this season. Anderson gave up five runs on seven hits on the road vs. the A’s back in May. 

As the Athletics put up runs, the Angels can follow suit to make this game higher-scoring. Luis Morales will get the start for the A’s. The rookie righty has two MLB appearances under his belt so far and he just made his first start last weekend. Morales was effective with 2.2 scoreless innings, but he also walked five. 

In that outing, Morales benefited from facing an Orioles lineup that’s been the league’s worst against right-handed pitching this month. It’s a tougher matchup now against the Angels, who have a .354 wOBA (5th in MLB) and 127 wRC+ (5th) vs. righties over the past week. Los Angeles is also averaging 5.7 runs per game over the past 10 contests. 

Morales could run into trouble here. His 1.93 ERA over two outings looks good on paper, but his 5.25 FIP tells a different story. Notably, he had just a 4.40 ERA and 5.14 FIP at Triple-A before getting called up earlier this month. It’s worth fading the young pitcher tonight in a hitter-friendly park. 

Grab the over for the full game and first five innings. Both offenses should set the tone. Plus, the over has hit in six of eight meetings between the Angels and A’s so far this year. That includes last night’s series opener. 

 

 

 

New York Yankees vs. St. Louis Cardinals Predictions: Saturday, August 16th

The New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals are both immersed in their respective Wild Card races amid this weekend’s series. Despite getting back on track lately, the Yankees are still stuck in the third AL spot. Meanwhile, the Cardinals remain alive for the third NL berth with better play lately. 

For Saturday’s contest, the home Cards have some notable edges that should propel them. Let’s break down a game that features a starting pitching matchup of Max Fried vs. Sonny Gray. Find out why we’re backing St. Louis. 

After boasting a 1.92 ERA at the end of June, Fried has been really slumping recently. The Yankees’ southpaw has a 6.00 ERA over his past seven starts. That includes four or more runs allowed in six of his last seven outings. In this stretch, his strikeouts are down and he’s also skipped a start due to a blister. 

This current version of Fried simply isn’t the same dominant pitcher we saw earlier this season. He’s allowed six or more hits in five of his last six outings as well. Plus, the lefty’s 3.65 xERA and 3.53 xFIP suggest more negative regression could be coming. 

Now the New York starter has to face a St. Louis offense that’s hitting left-handers well. Over the past two weeks in the split, the Cardinals have a .322 BA (third in MLB), .345 wOBA (eighth), and 18.8% K rate (ninth). It won’t be easy for Fried, who has a rough 6.22 ERA over his past four road starts. 

As for Gray, the arrow is pointing up for the veteran. There were some shaky outings in July, but he’s responded with a 2.37 ERA over his past three starts. Gray also owns a 2.91 FIP over his past 10 starts now. We should see more better performances moving forward, too, considering his 3.11 FIP and 2.94 xFIP are notably lower than his current 4.06 ERA.

Gray at home is also usually a good bet. The righty has a 2.88 FIP at home this year and he posted a 2.79 ERA at home last season. He’ll take on a Yankees offense that’s slumping vs. right-handed pitching over the past two weeks, with a .194 BA (29th in MLB) and .277 wOBA (26th). 

 

 

 

Best MLB Player Prop Bets & Other Picks Today, 8/16

 

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