PHOTO USA Today Sports Images If any team in the majors is peaking at the right time, it’s the New York Mets.
New York has rattled off 12 wins in its past 14 games, but it hasn’t managed to establish a firm grasp on the third and final National League wild-card spot because of the pesky Atlanta Braves.
Atlanta trails the Mets by just one game in the wild-card race as it attempts to sneak into the playoffs after being ravaged by injuries over the past six months.
Plenty of teams are in similar situations and will be playing for their lives over the final two-plus weeks of the regular season, raising the stakes on both the field and your betting slip. Here are our three best MLB picks for Saturday:
BALTIMORE ORIOLES AT DETROIT TIGERS
Every game from here on out should be considered a must-win for the Tigers.
Detroit is 2 1/2 games behind the Minnesota Twins for the American League’s third wild-card spot, but momentum is now on the Tigers’ side after they held Baltimore without a hit for 8 2/3 innings on Friday in a 1-0 win.
Unfortunately for Detroit, it will be running into a brick wall on Saturday when it goes up against Orioles right-hander Corbin Burnes.
Burnes has faced the Tigers three times in his career (two starts), going 1-0 with a 1.20 ERA. Detroit has managed to scratch across just two runs in 15 innings against the 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner.
Don’t expect these Baltimore bats to go down as quietly as they did on Friday. With five losses in their past six games, the Orioles have to be embarrassed — especially with a postseason run on the horizon. It only takes one win to get back on track, though, and we’re banking on that victory coming on Saturday.
The pick: Orioles moneyline, -174 (FanDuel)
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BOSTON RED SOX AT NEW YORK YANKEES
Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers is licking his chops heading into the Saturday meeting with New York.
Devers will get another look at Yankees starter Gerrit Cole, who has to be having nightmares about the 27-year-old at this point. Devers is 13-for-39 (.333) in his career against Cole, clubbing eight homers and driving in 18 runs.
In three at-bats against Cole this season, Devers has smacked a pair of hits, including a long ball.
To make matters worse for Cole and New York, Devers has 16 home runs at Yankee Stadium, more than he has hit in any other road venue. Three of those blasts came in a series at New York in early July.
The pick: Rafael Devers to hit a home run, +330 (FanDuel)
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NEW YORK METS AT PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Don’t worry. We haven’t forgotten about the Mets.
Jose Iglesias has been a driving force behind New York’s recent success, hitting safely in each of his past seven games. He has gone 9-for-23 (.391) with an RBI and five runs during that span.
Iglesias is batting .368 against left-handers this season, and he’ll get to see one on Saturday when Philadelphia recalls Kolby Allard (2-0, 3.50 ERA) from the minors to make the start. Getting just one hit will be far too easy, so we’ll take the juicier odds and count on Iglesias having at least two.
The pick: Jose Iglesias to record 2+ hits, +185 (FanDuel)
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