We have a full 15-game slate today, starting early with Phillies vs. Pirates at 6:40 p.m. ET at PNC Park on MLB.TV, and closing with Giants vs. A's at 9:40 p.m. ET at Sutter Health Park on MLB.TV.
Our experts have analyzed the matchups and found great options for Friday.
Below are 5 expert MLB best bets today.
MLB Best Bets Today
The team logos in the table below represent the matchups 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 |
|---|---|---|
  | 7:15 PM | |
  | 7:40 PM | |
 | 8:05 PM | |
  | 8:40 PM | |
  | 9:40 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 Yankees vs Mets Best Bets
By Jon Anderson
We're taking advantage of Cody Bellinger's recent hot streak, plus his elite discipline, and a matchup against a guy who struggles to put away lefties.
For Clay Holmes, he's only hit over 2.5 walks in three of eight starts, but the Yankees draw more walks than anybody, forcing a 12.1% BB from pitchers facing them this year, which is the highest mark in the league.
Picks: Cody Bellinger Over 1.5 HRR | Clay Holmes Over 2.5 BB
Read Anderson's full Yankees-Mets preview here:
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Grant Neiffer's Cubs vs White Sox Home Run Pick Today
Seiya Suzuki started the season a little rough, but he has been great over the last month, with 7 bombs.
The spot is a little bit below average, but these odds are great.
The weather should be a bit of a downgrade for righty power, with wind blowing slightly in at 13 MPH, but Sean Burke has been a plus matchup in his career for righty power (1.35 HR/9).
I make the fair odds on this home run prop around +375.
Pick: Seiya Suzuki Home Run
Check out all of Grant's home run props for Friday Night here:
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Adam Trigger's Triple-A Best Bet
Toledo Mud Hens @ Omaha Storm Chasers
Friday, 8:05 PM ET
By Adam Trigger
Let’s stick with the theme of lineups that should be producing more than they have to this point.
Toledo has one of the best young hitters at the Triple-A level in Max Clark, who is extremely streaky and due for a decent run. Max Anderson, Ben Malgeri, and Corey Julks have all been solid, while Jace Jung has been too good at this level for too long not to get it going at some point.
Coming into the season, I thought Toledo would have one of the more formidable lineups in the International League, and even with some ups and downs, the Mud Hens have still managed to play .500 ball so far this season.
Similar to Rochester, if Toledo starts to hit in bunches, I think the Mud Hens could string some wins together. If they hit this weekend, they will have the upper hand in Omaha.
In typical AJ Hinch fashion, the Tigers are accumulating long relievers, and a number of them are at Toledo right now. Toledo is shaping up to have one of the better bullpens in the league, with guys like Woo-Suk Go, Carlos Pena, and Drew Sommers having solid seasons to this point. Beau Brieske will be with the team this weekend on a rehab assignment and instantly becomes the best reliever on the staff.
Toledo doesn’t have great starting pitching, but (again, in AJ Hinch fashion) this staff is mostly made up of guys who go two or three innings. I think Toledo’s pitching sets up to mix and match its way to a nice edge in that department over the weekend.
Toledo is the clearly better team, but because Omaha is at home and Toledo doesn’t have big-time name recognition in the starting pitching department, we should get some reasonable prices on the Hens.
Pick: Toledo Mud Hens ML
Check out all of Trigger's Triple-A picks for the weekend here:
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Ryan Minion's Diamondbacks vs Rockies Player Prop Pick
By Ryan Minion
Upon evaluating which ballparks are the most susceptible to runs being scored and overall offensive production, there is no doubt that the Rockies’ Coors Field stands above the rest.
Coors Field is far and away the most run-friendly ballpark in baseball, given Colorado’s high altitude, which in turn results in baseballs traveling 5-10% farther thanks to the thin air and substantially reduced air density.
Given the heavy contact and obscene exit velocities that result from hitting baseballs through the thin air density at Coors, I feel backing Ketel Marte to find success at the plate on Friday night is a stellar approach.
Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland will take the mound for the home team and will surely be looking to bounce back from a horrid start to his 2026 campaign.
Across Freeland’s first six starts of the year, Colorado’s lefty has recorded an abysmal 6.00 ERA to go along with a 1.47 WHIP. The Rockies veteran is in his 10th season with the team and is posting career-low numbers in his 30 frames on the bump thus far.
Aside from Freeland’s early troubles on the mound and the ideal offensive conditions that come with playing at Coors Field, Ketel has absolutely dominated the Rockies in the two previous meetings, with ample data to show for it.
Marte has 48 previous at-bats (AB) versus Freeland, with Arizona’s switch-hitter having recorded 17 hits (nine of which were XBH), three homers, and seven RBIs. The Diamondbacks star has posted a .688 slugging percentage (SLG) to go along with an exceptional 1.125 OPS.
While Ketel has undoubtedly taken a big step back in 2026 thus far, with Arizona’s 32-year-old just barely batting above .200 over the team’s first 42 games, he has a prime opportunity on Friday night to revert back to his previous elite form over the last few seasons.
Though Freeland has primarily relied on his off-speed arsenal in recent years, which has largely included a knuckle-curve and sweeper, his substantial command issues in 2026 have resulted in the Rockies lefty having to rely far more on his high-velocity four-seam fastball.
While Freeland has shown signs of great stuff for the Rockies in recent years despite his home ballpark’s unfavorable pitching conditions, the Colorado veteran is showing clear signs of regression in 2026.
Ketel boasts a top-tier contact profile with exceptional power on both sides of the plate and has been renowned for his dominance against left-handed pitchers, who tend to leave four-seam fastballs high in the zone.
I am far from worried about Marte’s slow start to the year and fully expect the Diamondbacks slugger to find his rhythm at the plate sooner rather than later.
Ketel will have an ideal bounce-back opportunity matched up with a lefty who has been susceptible to heavy contact all year long, and I feel great backing the D-backs star to exceed his 1.5 total base mark ahead of Friday night’s National League clash.
Pick: Ketel Marte Over 1.5 Total Bases
Check out all of Minion's total base props for Friday Night here:
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Kevork Mahserejian's Giants vs Athletics Predictions
Our final cross-town matchup of this series is the Giants vs. the Athletics tonight. This bet is largely a short on Athletics' starter Aaron Civale.
Civale is not a terrible pitcher, but he is not a good one, and his home park is one of the most difficult environments to pitch in the major leagues. Sacramento is a minor-league park parading as an MLB stadium due to the A's transition to Las Vegas.
With minor league dimensions, fly ball pitchers struggle excessively in Sacramento. Civale and his extreme 46.4% rate have not been punished yet, but it is coming. He has only made three starts at home, with a horrible 8.2% K-BB and just one HR allowed.
While Tyler Mahle should struggle in the same environment today, he is at least posting a career-high 47.1% groundball rate and pitching very well across his past four starts. Mahle has a 3.52 ERA, 2.70 xERA, and a 4.04 xFIP in this span.
Also, the Athletics' bullpen is taxed. Four of their high-leverage relievers have pitched twice in the past three days, with two relievers off back-to-back games.
They may have no choice but to leave Civale in if/when he struggles, while the Giants have fresh high-leverage arms and a majority of their relievers available.
Pick: Giants ML
Check out all of Kev's best bets in Friday night's edition of The Leadoff:
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