MLB Betting Tips: 6/4 and 9/4 tips for play-off outsiders to win

It’s another packed night of action in Major League Baseball on Wednesday as all 30 clubs take the field, and it’s a couple of all-American League clashes that I’m looking at.

My MLB Betting Tips for Wednesday are backing two home teams who could do with a win streak to become buyers rather than sellers at the trade deadline next week.

Today’s MLB Odds

Guardians -1.5 vs Orioles @ 6/4

The Cleveland Guardians are literally a 50-50 team after the first 100 games, and currently sit 2.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox in the AL Wild Card standings.

So if they are going to buck their recent trend of only reaching the play-offs in even-numbered years (a run which dates back to 2018), then they may have to make their move sooner rather than later.

Wednesday night throws up an opportunity as they host the struggling Baltimore Orioles (18:40 local, 23:40 BST) at Progressive Field.

They take the field behind Slade Cecconi, who threw 8.1 innings in a fairly dominant against the Athletics last time out which only lost its sheen in a three-run ninth which narrowed the winning margin to 8-6.

The righty has a career-best 3.84 ERA at this point, and up against a scuffling Zach Eflin he should be backed to see the Guards through this one.

The former Philadelphia Phillie rejoins the rotation after a lower-back injury, but he has failed to show any sort of consistency so far in 2025. And in June he pitched just 21.2 innings over five starts, allowing seven home runs and recording an 8.72 ERA.

All that tells me that there’s more than just a strain behind Eflin’s difficulties, and I like the look of the 6/4 on offer for the Guardians to edge back over .500 and into the play-off scene.

Rangers & Over 8.5 Total Runs vs Athletics @ 9/4

One of the teams the Guardians might well have to overtake in that run-in are the Texas Rangers, who host the Athletics at Globe Life Field on Wednesday night (19:05 local, 01:05 BST).

The Rangers are two games above .500 and host an A’s team currently at 42-61 in the first of at least three homeless seasons out in Sacramento.

Partrick Corbin starts for Texas, and while he is now six years removed from the end of his excellent run with the Arizona Diamondbacks, there’s been an upturn in form for the lefty since arriving in the Lone Star State from the Washington Nationals.

He puts his 3.91 ERA up against JP Sears and a 5.13 earned run average, and the recipe suggests there could be runs on offer for both sides.

So the over is definitely on, while Corbin should have enough about him to hand a lead over to the bullpen. With that in mind, the 9/4 in this market looks promising, with implied 30.8% probability being on the generous side.

You can read all our latest MLB Betting Tips at our dedicated Betfred Insights content hub.