2026 MLB Wild Card Best Bets: Yankees vs. Red Sox, Home Run & Player Props (Sept. 30)

There's little time to recover from the baseball coma we went into on Tuesday when four games grabbed our attention. Today, all eight teams are in action again for Game 2s of the 2026 MLB Wild Card Series round.

(Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)

The Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, and San Diego Padres seek to clinch and move on. Here's the schedule, baseball fanatics:

• Philadelphia Phillies at Atlanta Braves, 2 p.m. ET, NBC and Peacock
• Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros, 5 p.m. ET, Peacock
• Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees, 8 p.m. ET, NBC and Peacock
• Chicago Cubs at San Diego Padres, 10 p.m. ET, Peacock

Find the best MLB baseball betting apps for the Wild Card Round game or player props.

2026 MLB Wild Card Betting Odds For Wednesday, Sept. 30

Betting odds are courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook. You can find all of my bets at DraftKings and FanDuel Sportsbook.

MLB Home Run Bets & Player Props for Wild Card Wednesday

Bryce Harper, Phillies (+405)

The Braves are sending Tyler Mahle to the mound this afternoon. The right-hander has been spinning his off-speed repertoire well as of late: 3-1 with a 2.34 ERA in his last seven starts dating back to August. But there is a matchup that does not favor Mahle and the Braves:

Bryce Harper has a .500 career SLG against Mahle, and hit a HR off the Atlanta pitcher earlier in September. Harper had good at-bats in Game 1, even against the tough Chris Sale.

• Bryce Harper To Hit a Home Run (+405 from DraftKings)

I'm submitting a ticket with this $50 player prop bet on Harper. If it succeeds, I win $202.50 plus my stake.

Jeremy Peña, Astros (+440)

It's must-win time for the Astros, the only home team to lose on Tuesday. The White Sox are starting Sean Burke, a rather nondescript pitcher who has been lit up by Houston. In three career starts, Burke has allowed 20 baserunners in 15 1/3 innings vs HOU to the tune of a 5.28 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP.

Houston shortstop Jeremy Peña is slashing .375/.444/.500 against Burke. Peña has a history of success in the postseason that draws me to him for my Wild Card player prop: four home runs and an ALCS and World Series MVP award.

• Jeremy Peña To Hit a Home Run (+440 from FanDuel)

Xander Bogaerts, Padres (+710)

The Padres pounced on the Cubs in Game 1 with a pair of home runs in the first inning on the way to an 8-0 victory. Xander Bogaerts launched a fourth-inning homer and finished with two hits. His homer had an exit velocity of 106 miles per hour.

Bogaerts has five hits in his last three games, and homers in each of his last two games. After an otherwise disappointing season, the X-Man is heating up: in his last nine games, he's hitting .414 with a .862 SLG.

• Xander Bogaerts To Hit a Home Run (+710 from FanDuel)

My $10 wager here will be worth $71 plus my stake if Bogaerts goes deep in Game 2.

Base Hit Bet: Alec Bohm 2+ Hits (+260)

The first big hit of Game 1 between the Phillies and Braves came off the bat of Alec Bohm, who drove in the game's first run with a long double. Bohm had three batted balls over 90 mph exit velocity: he was spot-on with his bat speed and barreled up three times. He matches up well with Atlanta starter Tyler Mahle: 4-for-11 (.364).

• Alec Bohm 2+ Hits (+260 from DraftKings)

My $100 wager would profit $260 if Bohm produces multiple hits of any sort.

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Yankees vs. Red Sox Game 2 Prop Bets

The Yankees captured Game 1 by the score of 9-0, on the strength of an unrelenting offense and the masterful pitching of ace Cam Schlittler. In the previous 16 Wild Card Series since MLB went to the three-game format, the Game 1 winner has finished off the series 11 times in Game 2.

But Boston has Cy Young Award candidate Sonny Gray on the mound tonight. The veteran righty faced the Yankees twice, both times in June, with mixed results. He tossed 7 1/3 innings of one-hit, shutout ball on June 28 vs the Yanks. Earlier that month, Gray allowed three runs in 6 1/3, surrendering a pair of home runs: to Trent Grisham and Ben Rice.

Rice had four hits (two HR), six RBI, and 11 total bases in Game 1. That was the tip of the spear in the 17-baserunner attack by the Yankees on Tuesday. It was also one of the best hitting performances by a Yankee hitter in the postseason.

The Red Sox averaged 4.6 runs per start by Gray, as opposed to 4.0 in other games, or a 15% boost when their ace is on the bump. I like the Boston lineup to get crooked numbers on the scoreboard tonight.

Trevor Story stroked a double on Tuesday, the only extra-base hit for the Red Sox. He has a pair of home runs off Game 2 starter Max Fried (.211/.250/.579). That matchup will be central to Boston's success on Wednesday.

• Best Bet: Red Sox vs. Yankees Over 7.5 Runs (+136 from FanDuel)

Rather than attach my MLB Wild Card bet on the outcome of Game 2 of Red Sox vs. Yankees, the alternate run totals market is a good place to assign my $100 budget. If the Yanks and Red Sox combine for more than 7.5 runs, my wager would profit $136.