Top 4 MLB Picks & Predictions: Wednesday (9/23)
The 2026 Major League Baseball (MLB) regular season has reached its final week, and it’s our final Wednesday of games. The Cleveland Guardians and Boston Red Sox meet at 7:10 p.m. ET on ESPN, with plenty of playoff implications on the line. And, at 7:05 p.m. ET, the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees square off on Amazon Prime Video. At 10:00 p.m. ET, the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners meet on ESPN. Let’s build our bankroll with our best MLB picks & predictions for Wednesday, September 23rd.
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Wednesday’s Best MLB Picks & Predictions
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All bets are for 1 unit
Arizona Diamondbacks (-158) at Colorado Rockies (+134) | O/U 11.5 (+108/-132)
The Diamondbacks (83-74) and the Rockies (57-100) meet at Coors Field in Denver at 8:40 p.m. ET.
Arizona sits four games behind San Diego for the final Wild Card spot in the National League with five games to play. While the Diamondbacks are mathematically alive for a playoff spot, it’s an uphill battle. Meanwhile, on Tuesday night, Colorado lost its 100th game for the fourth consecutive season.
The Rockies suffered a 7-2 loss at home, as the under (11) cashed, while Colorado is just 2-13 in their last 15 games since September 6th. The under has cashed in four straight outings, all at Coors Field.
The Diamondbacks have won three in a row, averaging 6.7 runs per game, while allowing three runs per game. The over is 3-1 in the past four games. Colorado has been a thorn in Arizona’s side, winning three of the past seven meetings since May 2nd, while the under went 5-3 in the previous eight installments.
Arizona turns to righty Merrill Kelly (9-14, 5.00 ERA, 1.47 WHIP) to keep its slim playoff hopes alive. However, he is just 1-5 with a 5.40 ERA and 1.50 WHIP across 36.2 innings in the past seven starts, while going 5-8 with a 4.36 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in 15 road starts. He is 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA (14 innings, 7 earned runs) in two starts against the Rockies. Colorado is hitting just .196 against him.
Colorado turns to righty Mason Adams (0-1, 5.09 ERA, 1.65 WHIP) for his sixth career start. The rookie has struggled with walks, allowing 12 free passes in just 23 innings, but he also has 23 strikeouts.
Let’s back the Diamondbacks, since they have way more to lose. Arizona is desperate to stay in the hunt, while Colorado has long since been eliminated. And we’ll go low on the total, as it’s rather high considering the Rockies have cashed low in the past four in Denver.
Picks: Diamondbacks Moneyline (-158) & Under 11.5 Runs (-132)
Los Angeles Angels (-136) at Athletics (+116) | O/U 9.5 (-105/-115)
The Angels (60-97) and Athletics (62-95) meet at Sutter Health Park at 9:40 p.m. ET.
The A’s posted a 9-7 win as slight favorites (-112) on Tuesday, as the over (9.5) cashed. The Angels had won four of the previous five meetings before Tuesday’s loss. The over has a 4-3 edge in the past seven meetings since June 19th.
Angels rookie Walbert Urena (9-10, 2.74 ERA, 1.21 WHIP) has been impressive this season, and one of the bright spots for L.A. In the past seven starts, Urena is 2-2 with a 2.53 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in 42.2 innings.
On the flip side, the A’s turn to lefty Jeffrey Springs, who has made 28 starts across 138.1 innings this season (4-14, 6.18 ERA, 1.47 WHIP). The southpaw has been a disaster in his past 15 starts, going 1-8 with an 8.03 ERA and 1.70 WHIP across 68.1 innings. The Angels are 16-32 against left-handed starting pitchers, but they’re a solid 23-24 inside the division. The A’s are 26-21 versus American League West teams.
Despite the Angels’ struggles against southpaws, Springs has been a disaster, and we have to go with the Halos. Let’s go high on the total, too.
Picks: Angels Moneyline (-136) & Over 9.5 Runs (-105)
Joe Williams is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Joe, check out his archive and follow him @winwithjoe