MLB Picks Today: Expert Predictions & Best Bets for Sunday, August 9, including Twins vs Brewers

The week in Major League Baseball wraps up with a full 15-game slate on Sunday, headlined by Braves vs Yankees, Guardians vs White Sox, Dodgers vs Diamondbacks and Astros vs Padres in primetime on NBC. 

Here are my best bets, and also make sure to check out our MLB picks for predictions throughout the rest of the 2026 season. 

MLB Best Bet: New York Yankees ML over Atlanta Braves (-150) 

The Yankees are going for the sweep on Sunday. In the series opener, they came back from 2-0 down in the bottom of the 9th inning and eventually prevailed 3-2 in 10. New York followed that up with a 5-4 win on Saturday. The home team should feel very good about its chances in the finale with Cam Schlittler toeing the rubber. Schlittler is 10-6 with a 2.26 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and a sparkling 171-to-31 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 139.2 innings. The Braves will counter with Grant Holmes, who has worked more than 5.0 innings only once in his last 10 appearances. That could be problematic given that Atlanta used 5 bullpen arms on Friday, when Raisel Iglesias blew the save before Tyler Kinley incurred the loss. The visitors sent 2 relievers to the hill behind Chris Sale on Saturday and both gave up a run. New York has the momentum and should have the edge again on Sunday. 

MLB Best Bet: Milwaukee Brewers -1.5 over Minnesota Twins (-105) 

Jacob Misiorowski will take the mound for Milwaukee; that's pretty much all you need to know. Misiorowski is 11-5 with 1.63 ERA, 0.73 ERA and an absurd 195-to-29 strikeout-to-walk ratio through 127.0 innings of work. The Brewers have won 13 games in which Misiorowski has started this season. Of those 13, 12 have come by multiple runs. The home team should once again prevail by the necessary margin on Sunday. Robert Gasser will go for Minnesota, entering with a 3-4 record and a 4.48 ERA. Gasser has been horrendous on the road in 2026, compiling a 5.87 ERA. Count on the Brew Crew winning big in the series finale, which is the rubber match after they bounced back from Friday’s loss with a 4-3 victory on Saturday.  

MLB Best Bet: Toronto Blue Jays vs Philadelphia Phillies Over 8 (-118)  

Toronto took the series opener 5-4 and then won 7-5 in extras on Saturday. Another relatively high-scoring affair could be in the cards for this one – not only because of the hot bats, but also due to the pitching matchup. Jesus Luzardo will take the mound for Philadelphia, and he is saddled with a 4.85 ERA at home this year compared to a 2.01 mark on the road. Meanwhile, Toronto’s Shane Bieber has been absolutely dreadful on the road (8.40 ERA) despite being stellar at home (2.86). In other words, both pitchers are due to struggle at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday afternoon. Five of the Phillies’ last 6 contests have produced at least 9 runs, while 4 of the Blue Jays’ last 5 have done the same.