Walk-Off Wagers: MLB Best Bets Today (Predictions for Cubs-Brewers, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Nationals-Padres, More)

Wednesday’s Major League Baseball action features a massive 15-game slate with a ton of teams in the playoff race playing crucial matchups.

It’s a perfect time to get involved in the MLB action this week, especially since a good chunk of the league is off on Thursday before their weekend series.

On Tuesday, I hit three of the five bets I gave out in this column, including a pair of moneyline picks for Tampa Bay (an upset) and Toronto (a major favorite).

So, why not keep the momentum rolling on Wednesday?

This time I have six picks for this full 15-game slate, including player props for Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Kade Anderson. Plus, there are a few teams battling for playoff spots that I’m targeting to pick up wins.

Let’s take a look at the odds and analysis behind each of these MLB best bets on Sept. 9.

MLB Best Bets for Wednesday, Sept 9

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

San Diego Padres Moneyline (-183) vs. Washington Nationals
Kade Anderson UNDER 5.5 Strikeouts (-157)
Cleveland Guardians Moneyline (-112) vs. Baltimore Orioles
Houston Astros-Philadelphia Phillies First 5 Innings UNDER 4.5 (-125)
Chicago Cubs-Milwaukee Brewers UNDER 7.5 (-108)
Yoshinobu Yamamoto OVER 7.5 Strikeouts (-114)

San Diego Padres Moneyline (-183) vs. Washington Nationals

The San Diego Padres are eyeing a sweep of the Washington Nationals on Wednesday as they look to keep pace with the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL wild card race.

San Diego remains a half game out of the final spot in the NL wild card, but it has picked up back-to-back one-run wins over the Nats to open the week.

I’m going to bet on San Diego winning again on Wednesday as a -183 favorite with Walker Buehler on the mound against Nationals youngster Jackson Kent.

Buehler ranks in just the 44th percentile in both expected ERA and expected BAA this season, but the righty has a 2.97 ERA in seven starts since Aug. 1. The Padres are 5-2 in those outings and 19-9 in Buehler’s outings overall this season.

Meanwhile, Kent has a 5.55 ERA in 2026 and has allowed three or more runs in four of his five outings.

Washington has relied on offense to win games all season long, as it has one of the worst bullpen ERAs in MLB. However, the Nats are just 23rd in runs scored and 25th in OPS over the last 30 days.

I think San Diego is in a great spot to complete the sweep on Wednesday afternoon.

Kade Anderson UNDER 5.5 Strikeouts (-157)

Seattle Mariners rookie Kade Anderson made his MLB debut last month, and he’s set to make his fourth start of the season on Wednesday against the Texas Rangers.

Anderson is a highly-touted prospect that soared through the minor leagues after being drafted with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft.

As a result, oddsmakers seem to have inflated a few of his props, including his strikeout prop, on Wednesday. Anderson has five, three and three K’s in his first three outings, tossing no more than 5.2 innings in any start.

The Mariners have kept the youngster under 90 pitches in each outing, and I wouldn’t be shocked if that continues on Wednesday.

That limits the ceiling for Anderson in this market, and he’s taking on a Texas team that is a pretty solid offense (eighth in Weighted Runs Created Plus), even though it averages over eight strikeouts per game.

Anderson has a bright future ahead of him in MLB, but I can’t get to this strikeout prop if he’s only going to pitch around five innings.

Cleveland Guardians Moneyline (-112) vs. Baltimore Orioles

The Cleveland Guardians are clinging to a one-game lead in the AL wild card race, holding off teams like the Toronto Blue Jays, Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles for the final wild card spot.

Cleveland has split the first two games of this series with Baltimore, and it is a slight favorite on the road in Wednesday’s series finale.

I’m buying the Guardians in this matchup, especially since lefty Foster Griffin (an All-Star in 2026) is on the mound. Griffin has led the Guards to a 4-2 record in six starts since being acquired from the Washington Nationals at the trade deadline, and his teams are an insane 21-7 in his starts in 2026.

Meanwhile, the Orioles have been unable to win many of Shane Baz’s outings (7-21), even though the righty has posted a respectable 3.91 ERA. Baz has led the O’s to just two wins in 11 starts since July 1 despite the fact that he’s posted a 3.47 ERA during that stretch.

Baltimore had a six-game skid last week that may have cost it any chance at making the playoffs, and I’m not expecting a ton of run support for Baz now, especially Griffin (3.26 ERA).

Houston Astros-Philadelphia Phillies First 5 Innings UNDER 4.5 (-125)

The Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies have their aces on the mound on Wednesday night, as Hunter Brown (3.31 ERA) gets the ball against Cristopher Sanchez (2.58 ERA).

Brown missed time earlier this season with an injury, but he’s allowed three or fewer runs in 14 of his 16 outings in 2026, ranking in the 75th percentile in expected ERA and the 88th percentile in expected batting average against.

Sanchez has been equally as good, allowing three or fewer runs in 23 of his 29 outings. He sits in the 82nd percentile in expected ERA and the 56th percentile in expected BAA this season. On top of that, Sanchez has a 2.11 ERA in seven starts since Aug. 1.

These offenses combined for 11 runs in Tuesday’s series opener, but I expect things to be much tougher with these All-Stars on the mound. I’m a little shocked the total for the first five innings is still set at 4.5, so I’ll gladly take the UNDER on Wednesday.

Chicago Cubs-Milwaukee Brewers UNDER 7.5 (-108)

A rematch from Sept. 3 is set between the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers, as Cubs right-hander Kevin Gausman will take on Brewers youngster Logan Henderson.

Both of these starters tossed seven innings in the Sept. 3 meeting, with Gausman allowing just one run to come out on top with a 2-1 win. Since being traded to Chicago, Gausman has a 4.37 ERA, but the Cubbies have won five of his six outings.

Gausman has a 3.89 expected ERA this season, but it’s Henderson who has been even better in 2026. The young right-hander ranks in the 96th percentile in expected ERA and the 92nd percentile in expected batting average against. He hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any of his 15 appearances, posting a 2.48 ERA for the Brew Crew.

So, could we see another low-scoring affair in this series finale? I’m betting on it.

The UNDER has hit in nearly 58 percent of Milwaukee’s home games this season, and we’ve seen these teams combine for seven or fewer runs in each of their last three meetings.

If Gausman and Henderson are able to put together starts anywhere similar to their Sept. 3 matchup, this game should fall short of eight runs.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto OVER 7.5 Strikeouts (-114)

No team in MLB has struck out more times per game, or has a higher strikeout rate than the Cincinnati Reds, who are major underdogs against Los Angeles Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Wednesday.

Yamamoto has struck out 161 batters in 165.0 innings of work this season, picking up at least eight K’s in each of his last four starts.

I’m going to bet on him to keep that streak going against a Reds team that hasn’t been able to avoid the punchout all season long, which has contributed to it ranking 27th in the league in Weighted Runs Created Plus.

Through 25 starts, Yamamoto has cleared this prop nine times, so he’s more than capable of racking up the K’s against this struggling offense.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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