MLB Best Bets Today, 10/26: Picks, Predictions & Player Props - Saturday
The 2024 MLB World Series is here and it’s time to lock in those MLB Best Bets Today for Game 2 between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers. Friday night’s Game 1 was a fun series opener. Let’s now turn our focus to Game 2 on Saturday night.
Before Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Mookie Betts, and Juan Soto do battle once more, let’s find some winning MLB picks today. Check out these top MLB predictions for World Series Game 2 between the Yankees and Dodgers.
MLB Picks, Predictions & Best Bets Today, 10/26
As always, be sure to shop around for the best Vegas Odds and Lines at different sportsbooks. The odds in this article below are accurate as of this writing.
Without further ado, let’s check out my MLB best bets and props for World Series Game 2.
Yankees vs. Dodgers Prediction: Saturday, October 26th; World Series Game 2
How about last night's dramatic Dodgers victory in Game 1 with a Freddie Freeman walk-off home run in the 10th inning?! Let's do it all again with Saturday night's World Series Game 2 matchup. It'll be Carlos Rodon for the Yankees against Yoshinobu Yamamoto for the Dodgers to start. Both pitchers have shown flashes of brilliance this postseason and a clutch start from either could go a long way to determining the series.
Rodon had that one great outing against Cleveland in Game 1 of the ALCS, but he was shakier in his two other postseason starts. The Yankees’ left-hander coughed up 4 runs over 3.2 innings against the Royals in the ALDS and allowed 2 runs and 5 hits over 4.2 innings against the Guardians in ALCS Game 5. Overall, he has a 4.40 ERA over three playoff starts this month.
This is a notably tough matchup for Rodon on the road. First off, his home/road splits are not in his favor here. Rodon has a 4.69 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, and .261 batting average allowed on the road in the regular season compared to a 3.11 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and .204 BAA at home. Then there’s the potent Los Angeles lineup that crushes lefties.
During the regular season against left-handed pitching, the Dodgers had a .341 wOBA (2nd in MLB), 121 wRC+ (1st), .795 OPS (1st), and 19.8% K rate (3rd). Most of LA’s top hitters have a very good OPS vs. southpaws this season, including Shohei Ohtani (.867), Mookie Betts (.852), Teoscar Hernandez (.931), and Tommy Edman (1.299). Edman’s breakout this postseason makes the Dodgers offense even more dangerous.
Their success against opposing lefties was especially evident in the NLCS. The Dodgers faced a left-handed Mets starter in the final three games of the NLCS and scored 12 runs across 9 combed innings against Sean Manaea, Jose Quintana, and David Peterson. They rocked Manaea for 5 runs in the Game 6 clincher and plated 5 runs against Quintana in Game 4 as well. This offense comes in with a ton of confidence that it can hit lefty starters and should get to Rodon early.
Meanwhile, Yamamoto comes in with plenty of upside. After tossing 5 shutout innings in the NLDS against the Padres, the Japanese right-hander was also very effective in NLCS Game 4 when he struck out 8 over 4.1 innings with 2 runs allowed. He has a .182 batting average allowed in his past two starts and seems to be in a groove after some previous struggles.
When Yamamoto is on, he can be as unhittable as any pitcher in the sport. His splitter and curveball are elite pitches at his best and can confuse the swing-happy Yankees, who are prone to striking out. Yamamoto’s stuff can limit the Yankee hitters just enough in his first two times through the lineup, at least. He tossed 7 shutout innings with 7 strikeouts vs. New York back in June.
The Dodgers will likely dive into the bullpen in the fifth or sixth inning to finish things out behind Yamamoto. With an off day in between Games 2 and 3, they can feel good about using all of their top relievers. The Dodgers bullpen has been very effective this month with a 3.16 ERA in the postseason. Of course, the Yanks have Soto, Judge, and Stanton who can go deep at any point. But if LA can avoid those big swings, the rest of the NY lineup is very beatable.
- Expert Yankees vs. Dodgers MLB Picks:
- Dodgers Moneyline (-140 on BetMGM)
- 1st 5 Innings Dodgers ML (-135 on BetMGM)
Best MLB Player Prop Bets & Other Picks Today, 10/26
- Dodgers Team Total Over 4.5 Runs (-105 on BetMGM)
- Tommy Edman Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs (-110 on BetMGM)
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto Over 5.5 Strikeouts (-155 on BetMGM)
Player News
Willi Castro (oblique) went through a workout on Tuesday at Target Field.
Castro finally hit the injured list last Thursday with a right oblique strain after missing five consecutive games. All signs point to the versatile 28-year-old being ready to return at some point later this week.
The Reds are promoting pitching prospect Chase Petty for Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Cardinals.
Petty broke the news himself on his Instagram account, so it looks like he’s coming up to take the ball at some point during Wednesday’s twin bill against the Cardinals. The 22-year-old was a first-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft and holds a solid 3.52 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 27/9 K/BB ratio across 23 innings (five starts) this season for Triple-A Louisville. His strikeout upside gives him some long-term fantasy appeal, but we’re hesitant to recommend him as a streaming option right out of the gate.
Ben Rice went 3-for-5 with two solo homers and four runs scored as the Yankees crushed the Orioles 15-3 on Tuesday.
Trent Grisham, Aaron Judge and Rice hit consecutive homers to open the top of the first, and Cody Bellinger added the Yankees’ fourth homer off Kyle Gibson before the inning concluded. Rice then took Gibson deep again in the second. Rice seemingly was slowing down, having come into this one 3-for-25 in his previous eight games. He’ll probably be in danger of losing at-bats against lefties with any sort of extended slump, but as is, he figures to retain mixed-league value for the foreseeable future.
Carlos Rodón allowed two runs and two hits over six innings Tuesday in a victory over the Orioles.
One of the easiest wins of Rodón’s career saw him given six runs in the first and 12 runs through five. He took a no-hitter into the sixth before losing that on a Jorge Mateo double. Gunnar Henderson later homered. Rodón finished with seven strikeouts for the sixth time in seven starts this season. He’ll take a 4-3 record and a 3.43 ERA into his next outing against the Padres.
Kyle Gibson was pounded for nine runs in 3 2/3 innings by the Yankees in his 2025 debut.
Maybe throwing Gibson into the fire like this after just 12 innings in the minors was a bad idea. The 37-year-old righty gave up four homers in the first and one more in the second and became the first Orioles pitcher to give up nine runs since he did so in his previous stint with the team in 2023. It’s the first time he’s ever given up five homers. He’ll likely face the Twins next.
Pitching on two days’ rest after making his first bullpen appearance Saturday, Charlie Morton allowed one unearned run over 2 1/3 innings against the Yankees on Tuesday.
Morton threw 80 pitches as a bulk guy on Saturday, so this was a big ask from the Orioles, especially given that he’s so completely unaccustomed to relieving. Still, he gave the team some much-needed innings after Kyle Gibson was lit up for nine runs. The outing probably rules him out as a starter Friday, though with off days Thursday and Monday, the Orioles have quite a bit of flexibility for the next several days.