MLB Picks

Betting on MLB has grown in popularity with a growing number of states offering sports betting across the country. With promotions such as profit boosts and same-game parlays, sportsbooks have a number of ways to draw new users into their apps. Run lines, money lines and totals have become key parts of the daily discussion around MLB, and player props provide another way to take positions during the MLB season and the run up to the World Series. The futures market also allows bettors to wager on who will win the American and National Leagues or which player will be named MVP and Cy Young.

Today's Top Free Expert Picks

  • expert headshot
    Matt Severance
    +315
    (100%)
    5-0 in Last 5 MLB Picks
    ATL @ WAS • Mon 6:45pm
    WAS +1.5
    -125
    Spread
    Picked: Apr 19 @ 4:59pm

    Analysis

    If you happen to be new to MLB betting, historically one of the profitable fade spots in a given season is on a Monday team coming off playing on Sunday Night Baseball -- even better if it had to travel after. That's where the Braves will be. Second straight SNB game for them. They smashed Cleveland on April 12 but then were smashed themselves by Miami the next night. And travel wasn't involved for either as both were home. Now we get road/road. So this is a very fair price, and the Nats were good to us Sunday as +130 home dogs. Can't say I love Washington's Monday starting pitcher Jake Irvin (1-2, 6.16 ERA), though, so will limit this to a half.
  • expert headshot
    Micah Roberts
    #3
    +378
    (62%)
    8-5 in Last 13 MLB Picks
    ATL @ WAS • Mon 6:45pm
    Over 8
    -108
    Over/Under
    Picked: Apr 19 @ 10:46pm

    Analysis

    I think we have a great over opportunity in the Braves-Nationals game despite it being 54° and wind blowing in from left field at 13 mph. The Nationals have gone 15-7 to the over on the season, hitting at 68.2% of their games, and they're going against one of the hottest hitting teams in baseball. The Braves are No. 2 in hitting at .277 and also lead baseball with 122 runs scored on the season. Washington starter Jake Irvin has given up 11 runs between his last three starts, while Atlanta’s Bryce Elder has gone over the total in his last two starts. Over is the play.
  • expert headshot
    Eric Cohen
    EC
    BAL @ KC • Mon 7:40pm
    KC
    +100
    Money Line
    Picked: Apr 20 @ 12:41am

    Analysis

    We have a real barn burner on Monday night in Kansas City, with a team that has lost seven straight games (KC) vs. a team that has lost 5 of their last 6 (Baltimore). But I'll roll with the home team in part due to the success of Seth Lugo thus far, whose 1.48 ERA has been about the only bright spot to the Royals' brutal start. Expect him to the stopper, keep the Orioles in check, and get Kansas City back on the winning track.
  • expert headshot
    Eric Cohen
    EC
    LAD @ COL • Mon 8:40pm
    player headshot
    S. Ohtani
    Over 2.5
    +106
    Bases
    Picked: Apr 20 @ 12:37am

    Analysis

    There's no way the Dodgers can actually lose three straight games to the Rockies, right? I didn't think so. Ohtani is 3-for-7 against Rockies starter Jose Quintana with all three hits having left the yard. I was looking for a way to play his props at plus-money and this is a good option. I could see L.A.'s slugger hitting his sixth homer of the season or maybe even getting his first triple of 2026. Either way, I have a hard time seeing the best player in baseball do nothing against the soft-tossing Quintana and a lousy Rockies bullpen on Monday night.

Today's Top Free Player Prop Picks

Built using SportsLine's cutting-edge machine learning, predictions and ratings are generated for each player prop by analyzing historical performance, opponent matchup scores, odds, and prop line movements
  • ATH @ SEA • 9:40 pm
    player headshot
    L. Butler
    Over 0.5
    -126
    Hits
    PROJ: 0.9
  • ATH @ SEA • 9:40 pm
    player headshot
    D. Clarke
    Over 0.5
    -113
    Hits
    PROJ: 0.8
  • ATH @ SEA • 9:40 pm
    player headshot
    N. Kurtz
    Over 0.5
    -148
    Hits
    PROJ: 1

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MLB Sports Betting Terms:

  • With several games on the schedule almost every day during the season, including extensive day baseball slates on Wednesday and Sunday, MLB offers sports bettors the opportunity to take positions on baseball outcomes for a large part of the calendar from April through October. Here are some terms worth knowing if you want to become more familiar with MLB betting:

  • Lines

    The term “lines” refers to odds for bettable outcomes in MLB games, including money lines, run lines and totals. Betting on the money line involves taking one of the two sides to win the game regardless of the final score. The team that’s favored will return a lower potential profit than the underdog, with the odds offered by sportsbooks correlated to the projected likelihood of each side winning. Money lines listed as negative numbers indicate the size of a wager required to earn $100 in profit. Positive money lines show potential profit on a $100 bet. For example, a -250 favorite would require a $250 bet to have the opportunity to win $100, while a +250 underdog would pay $250 in profit for every $100 wagered if that side wins. Run lines, which are typically set at 1.5, result in adjusted payouts for each side under different win conditions. A favorite of 1.5 on the run line (listed as -1.5) requires the team to win by at least two runs in order to be marked as a winning wager, while an underdog of 1.5 on the run line (listed as +1.5) allows that side the opportunity to cash if the team wins the game or loses by just one run. Close matchups allow for much greater profit potential if bettors are willing to risk laying 1.5 runs, while backing the underdog in projected mismatches becomes more palatable on the run line.

  • Totals

    Totals wagering involves betting on how many runs will be scored in a game or in a portion of a game, such as the first five innings. Totals will be listed with a line and interested bettors choose whether the combined scoring output of both teams will be more (Over) or less (Under) than the line, with payouts listed on each side of the total. For example, a total of 8.5 with an Over of -105 and an Under of -115 would return $100 in profit on a $105 Over bet if the combined score of both teams is nine runs or more, while a $115 bet on the Under would return $100 in profit if the two teams combine for eight runs or fewer.

  • Props

    MLB props (or proposition bets) have become a major part of MLB betting, allowing bettors the opportunity to wager on outcomes outside the standard game result. These can include player props, game props and team props. Player props are a core component of MLB betting for a lot of people and play a big part in same-game parlays. Players on each team in a matchup have lines assigned to their statistical outcomes, which allows bettors to make wagers on whether those outputs will finish over or under the line. This could involve the number of hits, runs or walks a player accumulates in a game, or sometimes a combination of those stats like the popular market H+R+RBI (hits plus runs plus RBI). Bettors can also back batters to hit a home run, starting pitchers to record a certain number of outs, and many other options. Team props include team totals, which allow bettors to play over or under the scoring total of just one team in a particular game. Some markets can also involve the first team to score a certain number of runs, or which team will score first in the game. Game props involve betting on other outcomes not related to a specific player, such as whether there will be a run in the first inning of a particular game or whether a game will go to extra innings.

  • Live betting

    In addition to the action that comes before first pitch, sportsbooks also offer a way to bet during MLB games via live betting, adjusting the lines and odds in available markets to reflect the flow of the game, key injury or other factors. This allows bettors to react to changing information or evolving matchup advantages and place bets against the real-time odds offered by a sportsbook. Live betting can bring strategy into play by providing opportunities to back a trailing team that might have an increased chance of scoring the third time through the lineup against a starting pitcher or when facing a lower-rated or overworked bullpen. Certain at-bats with perceived matchup advantages or disadvantages are also a key component of MLB live betting. Hedging is also a strategy in live betting, giving interested bettors the chance to make a second bet opposite their position taken prior to first pitch at better odds. For example, if a pregame underdog bet at +1.5 on the run line takes an early lead, backing the pregame favorite with a +1.5 live run line bet gives the opportunity to win both bets if the final margin is one run.

  • Futures betting

    MLB futures betting involves making bets based around futures outcomes instead of those involving a specific game. These could involve betting on who will win the World Series, win each pennant or make the playoffs. Another popular futures market involves win totals, where bettors can back a team to win more or fewer games in a season than the line set by the sportsbook. For example, a win total bet of Over 89.5 would pay out if a team wins at least 90 games. Awards betting is also available in some states, allowing bettors to back a particular player to win a season-ending award such as MVP, Cy Young or Rookie of the Year. Some players also have lines associated with their season-long outputs, such as how many home runs they will hit during the season.