MLB Picks of the Day for Saturday

It's the freakin' weekend baby and every team is in action today, so there's got to be some spots for us to exploit. What's on offer today from MLB oddsmakers and how can we take advantage? Check out our MLB picks of the day.

That's the plan as we tackle a couple of MLB picks which we think have a good shot at coming through. The biggest favorite of the day is Washington, who host Colorado as -195 favorites with Gio Gonzalez on the mound. 

Other heavy favorites? Texas (-180 vs. Minnesota) and the Los Angeles Angels, who have Jered Weaver pitching and are priced at -165 at home to Baltimore.

Here are my favorite plays for Saturday. 

Pittsburgh (McDonald) vs. San Francisco (Vogelsong) 

Both James McDonald and Ryan Vogelsong rank in the top five in the NL in ERA and will meet up for an afternoon ballgame today. 

The Pirates are rocking it right now, winning eight of ten to put themselves atop the NL Central and now they have their ace ready to deal. 

McDonald is 8-3 with a 2.45 ERA and 1.00 WHIP this season. He's won three straight starts and has been a monster at home, recording a 4-1 mark with a 1.73 ERA. McDonald, along with the rest of these Pirates, love playing at PNC Park, where they're 27-14. 

What makes today's battle interesting is Vogelsong will be returning to Pittsburgh, where he played for five seasons. He had an incredibly difficult time there but has been reborn in San Francisco, where he's 20-10 (with a sub 2.75 ERA) so far in one-and-a-half seasons. 

Vogelsong has been about as consistent as you can be through the first half. He's a total innings eater, having logged at least seven frames in seven straight games and in all but three of his 15 starts this season. 

We're looking for strong outings from both starting pitchers today and therefore like a total play here. 

Play the UNDER 8 runs

New York Mets (Gee) vs. Chicago Cubs (Samardzija) 

Another afternoon game sees the Mets try to avenge a series-opening loss to the Cubs.

A late rally last night wasn't enough as Anthony Rizzo, who's been fantastic for Chicago since being called up, guided the visitors to the victory. 

Johan Santana was roughed up in the loss, failing to even get out of the fifth inning. He allowed a staggering 13 hits and seven earned runs, his ERA raising from 2.76 to 3.24. 

Today we're taking the Mets to bounce back against Jeff Samardzija, whom they annihilated the last time they met in late June. In the 17-1 loss, he was hit for six hits and nine earned runs in just over four innings of work. 

The Cubs may be on a little roll right now, but they're still the Cubs. They're a dreadful 13-31 on the road, the second-worst mark in baseball. Only the Houston Astros have been worse away from home. 

New York meanwhile is a solid 25-19 at Citi Field this season. 

The Mets need a good day from Dillon Gee, who's 2-1 with a 2.65 ERA in his last five appearances at home, and we think he may just pitch well enough to help Terry Collins' club to the victory. 

Play the New York Mets -1.5 (+150)