MLB Best Bets and Betting Picks for September 19th
Welcome to another full slate on the Tuesday night Major League Baseball schedule as we dive into our top MLB bets today. With only a couple of weeks left in the regular season, the Wild Card races in both the American and National Leagues are as close as they've ever been. Let's tap into a few teams right in the middle of the playoff hunt for our MLB betting picks on Tuesday. Our top MLB picks today feature the Miami Marlins hosting the New York Mets and the Seattle Mariners taking on the Oakland Athletics. Be sure to check out the latest MLB weather report and the confirmed MLB lineups when placing those MLB bets today. Plus, the MLB daily projections will help you find the best matchups for MLB betting picks and MLB DFS lineups. Let's dive into the top MLB bets and baseball props today for Tuesday, September 19th.
MLB Best Bets for September 19th
New York Mets at Miami Marlins
The Miami Marlins are just a half-game back in the NL Wild Card standings ahead of tonight’s divisional matchup. The New York Mets won’t make it easy as this NL East showdown should be headlined by the offense on both sides. Mets starter Joey Lucchesi has a solid 2.83 ERA through seven starts so far this season, but some negative regression is on its way. The left-hander’s 5.71 xERA and 4.49 FIP aren’t promising indicators, neither are his low .262 BABIP and high 83.3% left-on-base rate. Lucchesi recently re-entered the Mets rotation last week and fired seven innings of one-run ball against the Diamondbacks. However, his three walks and five hits allowed compared to just two strikeouts leave a lot to be desired. The Marlins offense, meanwhile, is hitting lefties well right now with a .338 wOBA, .791 OPS, and .222 ISO over the past two weeks.
On the other side, Marlins starter Braxton Garrett could run into trouble of his own. The southpaw has strung together some solid outings lately with a 2.60 ERA over his past five starts. However, Garrett has also gotten lucky with a 4.13 FIP in this recent month-long stretch. Plus, his 4.56 xERA is still nearly a full run higher than his current 3.67 ERA for the season. Garrett will face a Mets offense that’s also knocking around left-handed pitching. New York boasts a .361 wOBA, 134 wRC+, and .838 OPS in the month of September vs lefties.
Furthermore, the bullpens for both sides have had some subpar numbers recently. The Mets’ relievers have a 5.50 ERA over the past two weeks while the Marlins’ pen has a 4.86 ERA in this span. Although these teams put up only three combined runs last night in the series opener, bank on more scoring tonight.
PICK: Mets/Marlins Over 8 Total Runs (-110 on FanDuel)
Seattle Mariners at Oakland Athletics
The Seattle Mariners are right in the thick of the AL Wild Card race and they’ll turn to Luis Castillo tonight to try to anchor another win. The Oakland Athletics, on the other hand, currently have the worst record in the majors with 100+ losses on their resume already. As for Castillo, he has a 2.32 ERA over his past five starts and is coming off a pair of impressive outings against the Rays and Angels. The Seattle right-hander should post another strong start tonight against a woeful Oakland offense. The Athletics have been among the league’s worst against righties all year and that hasn’t changed. Over the past week vs righties, the A’s have a .264 wOBA, 70 wRC+, .199 BA, and 30.4% strikeout rate.
Bryan Woo just tossed five scoreless innings against Oakland last night and the Seattle pen finished off the shutout. Castillo can easily replicate that while the Mariners have some of their top late-inning arms rested and available tonight, including Andres Munoz and Matt Brash. Seattle can’t afford to lose games like this one if it wants to keep their playoff hopes alive – so expect Castillo and those top bullpen guys to limit the A’s hitters.
Meanwhile, the Mariners offense may not score many runs itself as this game ends up lower-scoring – in similar fashion to last night’s 5-0 final. Oakland starter Paul Blackburn has been decent lately with a 3.24 ERA since the beginning of August. Although he did allow four runs on the road to the Astros last time out, that’s understandable. The Seattle lineup, though, has also been bad against right-handed pitching recently. The Mariners have a .251 wOBA, 61 wRC+, 31% strikeout rate, and .081 ISO vs righties over the past week. Somehow, that’s slightly worse than the A’s have been in the split.
PICK: Mariners/Athletics Under 7.5 Total Runs (-115 on DraftKings)
Player News
Giants signed OF Cal Mitchell to a minor league contract.
It didn’t take Mitchell long to find a new home. The 26-year-old outfielder latches on with the Giants just a couple days after being cut loose by the White Sox. He was hitting .111 (3-for-27) in 10 games at the Triple-A level this season.
Mariners signed RHP Bryan Shaw to a minor league contract.
Shaw fortifies Seattle’s relief depth at Triple-A Tacoma after failing to make the Reds’ season-opening roster in spring training. The 37-year-old journeyman righty has made a whopping 796 appearances in the big leagues dating back to 2011.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. was removed from Tuesday’s game against the Orioles with right flank discomfort.
We’re not licensed medical professionals, but the flank is defined as the area just below the rib cage and below the wait. The greater concern here is that it could be either an oblique or back issue, so fantasy managers should monitor his status closely in the coming days. Chisholm exhibited some discomfort during a first-inning plate appearance and was immediately lifted from the contest after a double to right field. He’s presumably day-to-day for now.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Tuesday that Masataka Yoshida (shoulder) is not making progress with a throwing program.
Cora added that Yoshida, who is working his way back from offseason shoulder surgery, might head back to Boston to undergo further evaluation since his throwing program is “not going well. He was expected to start playing in extended spring training games earlier this month, but hasn’t made enough progress with his throwing program for that to happen. The 31-year-old doesn’t have a path to at-bats in Boston unless he can get back into the club’s left field mix with Rafael Devers occupying the DH role. He’s in a bit of a holding pattern right now and it doesn’t seem like he’s close to making his season debut.
Padres activated 1B/2B Luis Arraez from the 7-day concussion injured list.
Arraez is back at first base and batting second on Tuesday night, as expected, after missing just over one week recovering from a concussion that he suffered during an on-field collision back on April 20.
Padres activated OF Jason Heyward from the 10-day injured list.
Heyward returns to San Diego’s lineup following a two-week absence recovering from left knee inflammation. The 35-year-old veteran outfielder’s days as a fantasy-relevant contributor are long gone, but he remains a strong fourth outfielder on a playoff contending roster.