MLB Picks: MLB Betting Picks for Saturday, April 18

MLB Betting Expert Daniel Dobish digs into Saturday's schedule. He provides side and total picks for a pair of divisional matchups on the east and west coast.

April 17, 2026

MLB Picks: MLB Betting Picks for Saturday, April 18

By:

Daniel Dobish

April 17, 2026

MLB Picks

MLB Picks Today: Expert MLB Picks for
Saturday, April 18

We have a full slate Saturday in Major League Baseball, with eight games with a first pitch between 1:05 p.m. and 4:10 p.m. ET, while the rest of the seven games take place at 6:10 p.m. ET or later. FOX has regional games at 7:15 p.m. ET between the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies or the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners. Let's get started building our bankroll for the rest of the season!

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Atlanta Braves at Philadelphia Phillies: Expert Betting Tips and Analysis

The Braves (13-7) and the Phillies (8-11) meet at Citizens Bank Park at 7:15 p.m. ET in one of the FOX regional games.

Atlanta won the first matchup of the season in Friday's series opener, 9-0, as LHP Martin Perez twirled six scoreless frames, scattering four hits with two walks and four strikeouts across 94 pitches, while Jose Suarez picked up the old-fashioned save with three scoreless innings to close out the game.

It was a homer-fest at the bandbox known as Citizens Bank Park, too, as Austin Riley swatted a pair of home runs, Dominic Smith had a solo round-tripper, while Michael Harris II also got into the festivities with a solo shot, while he collected three hits in four at-bats out of the nine-hole.

Chris Sale (3-1, 3.27 ERA, 1.05 WHIP) takes the ball for the Braves, as Atlanta throws a southpaw at Philadelphia for the second consecutive day. He was 1-0 with a 3.24 ERA across 16.2 IP with 22 strikeouts against Philadelphia in three starts last season. The Phillies are just 2-7 vs. LHP this season.

Cristopher Sanchez (2-1, 2.01 ERA, 1.39 WHIP) will get the start for the Phillies, and the 29-year-old from La Romana, Dominican Republic has been on a roll at home. He is 2-0 with a 1.56 ERA and .203 opponent batting average across 17.1 IP across three starts at "The Vault", and he was 6-0 with a 1.94 ERA across 97.2 IP in 15 home starts last season.

Unlike Philadelphia, however, Atlanta has handled the twig well against lefties, going 5-1 vs. LHP in 2026.

Let's roll with the Braves to get the job done, but look for runs to be at a premium.

MLB Best Bets for Braves at Phillies:

Braves ML (+113 at DraftKings Sportsbooks)
Under 7 Runs (-105 at Bet365, BetMGM, Caesars and Fanatics Sportsbooks)

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Texas Rangers at Seattle Mariners: Saturday Night Baseball Insights

The Rangers (11-9) and the Mariners (8-13) meet at T-Mobile Park in Seattle in the other FOX regional game at 7:15 p.m. ET.

Texas has owned Seattle so far this season, too. The Rangers won 5-0 in Friday's game, although Jacob deGrom struggled with 88 pitches in just four scoreless innings. He worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the first inning, though, and while he had first-pitch strikes to just seven of the 17 batters he faced, he was able to escape.

The Rangers have won all four meetings with the Mariners this season, outscoring Seattle 13-3, including shutout wins in the past two installments. The Under has cashed in each of the four meetings this season, too, while going low in seven of the past 10 in the series since June 28 last season.

Texas is 6-2 inside the division this season, and the Under is 5-3 in those games. Nathan Eovaldi (2-2, 5.40 ERA, 1.48 WHIP) toes the slab for the Rangers. He allowed two runs, six hits and two walks with seven strikeouts across six innings in a 3-2 win over the Mariners on April 7, earning his first win and quality start. He has notched exactly seven strikeouts in three of his four starts to date.

Seattle has dropped four in a row, including an interleague series road sweep at the hands of the San Diego Padres earlier this week, splashing cold water on a four-game sweep of the Houston Astros last weekend. The M's are 5-6 inside the division so far in 2026. The Under has cashed in three of the past four games, while going 7-4 in 11 divisional contests.

The M's turn to George Kirby (2-2, 3.25 ERA, 0.94 WHIP) to be the stopper. He was on the hill the last time Seattle won, posting a 6-2 victory Monday against Houston. He faces the Rangers for the second time this season, as the M's fell 3-2 April 7 in Arlington. Kirby allowed three runs and six hits with no walks and four strikeouts across eight innings in a complete-game loss, and he needed just 90 pitches. Let's back the Mariners to get it right this time, as Kirby looks to confound the Rangers' hitters yet again.