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The New York Mets are clinging to a playoff spot, but have teams breathing down their necks as the postseason approaches. The Mets are coming off a series win over the Seattle Mariners, but have lost 10 of their last 13 games. On Tuesday, the Mets will take on the Washington Nationals in a National League East showdown at 6:45 p.m. ET. According to the latest MLB odds at DraftKings Sportsbook, the Mets are -208 money line favorites, while the over/under for total runs scored is 9. The Mets are 0-6 in their last six games on the road, excluding the Little League Classic held in Williamsport, PA, a big reason why SportsLine's model is including Washington (+1.5) on the run line in its MLB best bets on Tuesday. 

Meanwhile, there are five games set to unfold in the WNBA on Tuesday, including a must-see matchup between the Minnesota Lynx vs. New York Liberty at 7 p.m. ET, providing plenty of games to include in Tuesday's best bets when online sports betting. The Liberty are favored by three points, according to the latest WNBA odds, and Sabrina Ionescu's over/under for total points scored is 17.5. Our team of experts and SportsLine's advanced computer model have analyzed the odds and locked in Tuesday's best sports bets.

MLB best bets for Tuesday, August 19

  • Nationals (+1.5) vs. Mets 
  • Mariners (+153) money line vs. Phillies 
  • Athletics (+118) money line vs. Twins

Nationals (+1.5) vs. Mets 

The Mets have been struggling to string together wins in recent weeks. New York has lost 14 of its last 18 games overall, including six straight on the road. The Nationals haven't fared much better, but have won four of their previous six meetings against the Mets at home. New York is expected to start left-hander David Peterson (7-5, 3.30 ERA), who's given up 14 hits, 12 earned runs and nine walks across 15.1 innings of work in August. SportsLine's model is projecting that Washington (+1.5) covers the run line in almost 60% of simulations on Tuesday. 

Mariners (+153) money line vs. Phillies

The Phillies recorded a 12-7 victory over the Mariners on Monday, but SportsLine's model is projecting this to be a bounce-back spot for Seattle. Mariners starter Logan Gilbert has given up three earned runs or fewer in five of his past seven starts, a big reason why the model likes Seattle's chances of pulling off the upset on Tuesday.  The model is projecting the Mariners to win in 50% of simulations, which is drastically different from the consensus odds implied probability of 41.2%.

Athletics (+118) money line vs. Twins

The model has this game as basically even, with a projected score of 4.3 to 4.2 in favor of Minnesota. That means value for betting on the Athletics, who have won five of their last eight games.

Bonus pick: Julio Rodriguez (Mariners) over 1.5 total bases (-105)

Rodriguez has proven power at the plate with 24 home runs this season, so it takes just one swing of the bat for him to cash this bet. In addition, Rodriguez has recorded two hits in four of his last six games, including a 2-for-4 effort in last night's loss to Philadelphia. The model is projecting Rodriguez will finish with 2.0 total bases against the Phillies, which makes the -102 prop worth wagering on.

WNBA best bets for Tuesday, August 19

  • Chicago Sky (+11.5) vs. Seattle Storm
  • Minnesota Lynx (+2.5) vs. New York Liberty

Chicago Sky (+11.5) vs. Seattle Storm

The Sky have lost 12 of their last 13 games, including four straight. However, Seattle has been struggling as well, losing seven of its past eight games. The lone win was a two-point victory over the Atlanta Dream on Aug. 15. SportsLine WNBA experts Calvin Wetzel and Aaron Barzilai have analyzed this matchup from every angle and are backing the Sky to stay within the double-digit spread. 

"With Angel Reese questionable to return for Chicago, the Sky may be playing their first game in weeks with both of their two leading scorers in Reese and Ariel Atkins," Wetzel said. "That shouldn't be enough to pull an upset, but there's enough of a chance that it keeps them within single digits to be worth betting." Bet on Sky vs. Storm and take advantage of the latest bet365 bonus code offer when you sign up for bet365 here.

Minnesota Lynx (+2.5) vs. New York Liberty 

"Minnesota has won every matchup with the Liberty this year, and they'll be going for the season series sweep as underdogs," Wetzel said. "Minnesota has only been underdogs twice so far in 2025, but they've won outright both times, including once against these Liberty. They were also 13-6 against the spread as underdogs last year, so Cheryl Reeve knows how to motivate her squad when the markets don't believe in them." Sign up for Caesars Sportsbook to wager on Lynx vs. Liberty and more WNBA here: 

Want more MLB picks for today?

You've seen some of the model's MLB best longshot bets for Tuesday. Now, get run line, total and money-line picks for every game here, all from the model that's simulated every game 10,000 times.