Caleb Wilfinger
The 2nd half of the 2025 MLB season continues rolling along, and Tuesday features a full slate of action for us to enjoy. I’m 70-51 on my MLB best bets this year and the Pickswise MLB handicapping team as a whole is currently on a 137-103-8 run! Let’s keep it going as we get into today’s top MLB predictions on Tuesday, August 26. You can also find out our MLB picks for EVERY GAME today.
MLB best bet: San Diego Padres ML over Seattle Mariners (+100)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to -110.
For my first MLB best bet for today, we’ll focus on this interleague matchup between the Padres and Mariners. After suffering a loss in the series opener, San Diego is primed to bounce back in this spot as short underdogs. The Padres have been rolling since the all-star break, and they’ll send out Dylan Cease to the mound, whose surface-level numbers don’t paint the full picture. Yes, he holds a 4.71 ERA, but the veteran right-hander holds a 3.52 xERA and a .221 expected batting average against, which suggests that he’s due for a bit of regression in Tuesday’s contest. He should thrive in a pitcher’s park against an inconsistent Seattle offense.
As for the hosts, Seattle is opting to go with Luis Castillo for this contest, and he appears to be an obvious regression candidate heading into this matchup. After all, Castillo holds a 4.39 xERA with a whopping 48% hard-hit rate, a .265 expected batting average against and a barrel rate that ranks inside the bottom 15% of all qualified starters (Baseball Savant). Against a Padres lineup that has been in great form of late, Castillo could be in some trouble in this one.
Find out our Padres vs Mariners prediction for today
MLB best bet: Cincinnati Reds vs Los Angeles Dodgers Under 9 (-110)
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to -120.
My 2nd MLB best bet on today’s slate takes us to Los Angeles, where the Dodgers will host the Reds in the 2nd game of this important series. I backed the Under in the series opener, and I’m going right back to the well with that angle in this matchup, considering the pitching matchup we’re getting on Tuesday. Despite a 7-run effort on Monday, the Dodgers are still struggling at the plate, as Dave Roberts’ club has mustered 3 runs or fewer in 4 of their last 7 games. Los Angeles is still without Max Muncy, Tommy Edman and Kiké Hernandez, which leaves a significant hole in the bottom of its lineup. That could be an issue against Nick Martinez (4.10 xERA, top 15% walk rate and hard-hit rate), who should be in position to succeed on Tuesday.
On the other side, the Dodgers will send out Clayton Kershaw (3.13 ERA), and the veteran left-hander continues to find ways to get opposing hitters out, despite a precipitous dip in velocity at this stage in his career. Cincinnati has a decent lineup offensively, but given the fact that Kershaw has pitched very well at home this season, we can expect a solid outing from the future Hall of Famer, which should lead to a lower-scoring game overall. All things considered, I’ll back the Under on the West Coast.
Check out our full Reds vs Dodgers prediction
