We have a full 15-game slate on Friday night, starting with Cardinals vs Cubs at 4:05 PM ET at Wrigley Field, including Pirates vs Nationals at 6:45 PM ET at Nationals Park, and closing with Red Sox vs Angels at 9:38 PM ET at Angel Stadium.
Our experts have analyzed the matchups and found great options for Friday, July 3.
Below are 4 expert MLB best bets today.
MLB Best Bets Today
The team logos in the table below represent each matchup our MLB betting staff is targeting from today's slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 4:05 PM | |
  | 6:45 PM | |
  | 7:10 PM | |
  | 9:38 PM | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our MLB Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Jon Anderson's Cardinals vs Cubs Best Bet
By Jon Anderson
There will be hits, there will be walks.
Righties on the Cubs are in a good spot, as David Peterson has a 14% strikeout rate and a .351 xwOBA against that side.
The lefties on the Cardinals are in a good spot, as Andre Pallante has a 17% strikeout rate against that side.
But again, you're going to need multiple hits in an inning to see a bunch of runs being scored, because the long balls aren't coming like they were in that ridiculous JP Sears vs. Matt Boyd fly ball city matchup the other day.
The line might move, but I'll be all over the Under at 10.5 runs.
Read Anderson's full Cardinals-Cubs preview here:
Pick: Under 10.5 (-120 or Better)
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Sean Zerillo's Pirates vs Nationals Best Bet
By Sean Zerillo
Sean Zerillo's projections show solid value on the Nationals moneyline.
You can check out Washington's expected runs and projected win percentage, and dive deeper into this and other matchups by checking out BARTOLO, Zerillo's new PRO baseball tool that gives you access to all the input data he uses to project games every day
Pick: Nationals ML (-150 or Better)
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Derek Carty's White Sox vs Guardians Pick
By Derek Carty
THE BAT X is forecasting 16.44 pitching outs for Gavin Williams compared to 17.86 pitching outs implied by the oddsmakers, so I believe there is value on this prop.
If you take the Under, you'd be projected to win 56% of the time, resulting in a 31% ROI.
Based on a $100 wager, the expected value here would be $31.29.
This play is good down to at least -103.
Love THE BAT X? Get all of Carty's sports betting projections at EV Analytics!
Pick: Gavin Williams Under 17.5 Outs (-103 or Better)
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Tanner McGrath's Red Sox vs Angels Pick
I love betting Unders on Red Sox games because they combine an elite defense with an underwhelming lineup (with zero pop) — their bullpen isn’t bad either.
And I’m happy to continue that trend with Jake Bennett on the mound. He’s a really intriguing young lefty with great command of his secondary stuff, which he uses to force plenty of soft contact. While I have plenty of issues with the Boston coaching staff, Andrew Bailey has done a decent job with these types of pitchers.
Bennett should do a good job against the Halos lineup, which Zerillo projects for a 93 wRC+ against left-handed pitching.
Meanwhile, among all the starting pitchers in the Angels' rotation, Reid Detmers is my favorite. Like Bennett, Detmers has great control of his secondary stuff, which he uses to force weak contact. While he relies mostly on his low-90s MPH four-seam fastball (44% usage), he’s allowed a sub-.300 xwOBA on that pitch.
Zerillo projects around 7.2 runs for this matchup, so the Under is good down to 7.5 at even money.
Pick: Under 7.5 (+100 or Better)
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