MLB Playoff Picks: Rays Yankees, Padres and Brewers

The MLB divisional playoffs begin Saturday with four games to begin a best-of-five series.

Chicago hosts the Guardians White Sox to kick off afternoon action after sweeping Houston in the Wild Card round. Cleveland wins its fourth division title in the last five seasons.

In the afternoon, the Braves look to continue their dominance over the defending champion Dodgers. Atlanta took five of six regular season games against Los Angeles as the Braves needed three games to eliminate the Phillies in the Wild Card round.

We’ll break down the two night games for Saturday’s action. Remember to monitor the odds throughout the day as the props, sides and ends market is constantly changing.

Here are the free MLB picks for Saturday, October 3rd. Courtesy of DraftKings.

The best MLB plays today

• Rays (-137) vs. Yankees
• Padres/Brewers down 7 runs (-108)

Rays (-137) vs. Yankees – 6:30 PM ET

The Yankees swept the Red Sox in the Wild Card round in a two-game sweep. However, New York faces a different beast in the ALDS, facing the over-the-top Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field.

The Rays released right-hander Drew Rasmussen. Tampa Bay is 12-0 in their previous 12 starts. Rice last lost to Rasmussen on the mound, at home to the Yankees on July 9th, but he got revenge in his most recent start with 11 Ks on September 22nd against New York.

Gerrit Cole is coming up against the Yankees with plenty of playoff experience in his career. He pitched well against Tampa Bay this season, allowing two runs in 11.2 innings of work. However, the Yankees are 0-4 in their last four road playoff games since 2024.

It should be a great series, but Rasmussen should be able to slow down the New York bats, who have seen most of their success against the Boston bullpen in the last round.

Padres/Brewers Under 7 Runs (-108) – 8:30 PM ET

Milwaukee makes its first postseason appearance, hosting red-hot San Diego in the NLDS. The Padres swept the Cubs in the Wild Card round, limiting Chicago to one run in two wins.

Cy Young favorite Jacob Misiorowski heads to the mound after a 16-5 record and 1.80 ERA this season. San Diego rallied late for a 3-1 win in mid-May, but didn’t allow a run on seven hits in its only appearance against the Padres.

The Padres acquired left-hander Robbie Ray from the Giants in August after the former Cy Young winner allowed two runs or fewer in five of nine starts. In one of those four outings, Ray limited the Brewers to a pair of runs in just four innings of work, but San Diego walked away with a 4-3 extra-inning victory.

Milwaukee has a six-game hitting streak in its last six playoff games, and Misiorowski needs to keep it a low-scoring contest in this NLDS opener.