MLB Picks, Best Bets, Props, Predictions Today – July 2

Simply put, today’s slate is loaded.

Including doubleheaders and the resumption of postponed games, there are 19 games on the MLB slate for Wednesday, July 2.

Our MLB betting experts have looked over the odds to find the best betting value, and with such a full day of action, there’s no time to waste on a meandering introduction. Today’s MLB best bets are below.

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MLB Best Bets Today

The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that 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
[teammatchup link=”#1″ firstfullname=”St. Louis Cardinals” firstlogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/2023-mlb-logo-st-louis-cardinals.png” secondfullname=”Pittsburgh Pirates” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/mlb/100/pit.png”][/teammatchup]	12:25 p.m.	First 5 Innings Under 4.5 (-135)
[teammatchup link=”#2″ firstfullname=”San Diego Padres” firstlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/mlb/100/sd.png” secondfullname=”Philadelphia Phillies” secondlogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/2023-mlb-logo-philadelphia-phillies.png”][/teammatchup]	1:05 p.m.	An Over/Under Play
[teammatchup link=”#3″ firstfullname=”Cleveland Guardians” firstlogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/2023-mlb-logo-cleveland-guardians.png” secondfullname=”Chicago Cubs” secondlogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/2023-mlb-logo-chicago-cubs.png”][/teammatchup]	8:05 p.m.	A Shota Imanaga Prop Pick
[teammatchup link=”#4″ firstfullname=”San Francisco Giants” firstlogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/2023-mlb-logo-san-francisco-giants.png” secondfullname=”Arizona Diamondbacks” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/mlb/100/ari.png”][/teammatchup]	9:40 p.m.	An Over/Under Play
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.

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[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Allan Lem’s Cardinals vs Pirates Best Bet: Back the Starters”][/subheader]

[gameheader haspick=”true” picktext=”First 5 Innings Under 4.5 (-135)” league=”mlb” awaylogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/2023-mlb-logo-st-louis-cardinals.png” awayname=”St. Louis Cardinals” awayslug=”st.-louis-cardinals” homelogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/mlb/100/pit.png” homename=”Pittsburgh Pirates” homeslug=”pittsburgh-pirates” date=”Wednesday, July 2″ time=”12:25 p.m. ET” network=”MLB.TV” bookname=”DraftKings ” bookprimarylogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/477013_DraftKings@1x.png” bookreviewslug=”draftkings”][/gameheader]

By Allan Lem

I have this projected closer to four earned runs over the first five innings of this game. The Mitch Keller side of the matchup is going to be the sweatier part, but the Cardinals are rolling out a slightly watered-down version of their lineup, with no Willson Contreras or Nolan Arenado in the lineup. Keller has struggled more against lefties this season (.769 OPS vs. lefties compared to .548 vs. righties), but the Cardinals are starting just five lefties. Keller has allowed a career-low 0.63 HR/9 this season, so I’m hoping he can continue to limit homers here.

On the other side, I’m going to continue to trust Sonny Gray. The Pirates have been on an offensive surge lately, but Gray’s underlying metrics back up everything he’s doing this season, and I’m siding with Gray over Pittsburgh’s offense. His 2.96 FIP is backed by a 2.98 xFIP, and his 4.5% BB% is the lowest of his career. I don’t see anything fluky in his numbers.

Pick: First 5 Innings Under 4.5 (-135)

[teammatchup link=”#1″ shadow=”true” firstfullname=”St. Louis Cardinals” firstlogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/2023-mlb-logo-st-louis-cardinals.png” secondfullname=”Pittsburgh Pirates” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/mlb/100/pit.png”][/teammatchup]

[teammatchup link=”#2″ shadow=”true” firstfullname=”San Diego Padres” firstlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/mlb/100/sd.png” secondfullname=”Philadelphia Phillies” secondlogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/2023-mlb-logo-philadelphia-phillies.png”][/teammatchup]

[teammatchup link=”#3″ shadow=”true” firstfullname=”Cleveland Guardians” firstlogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/2023-mlb-logo-cleveland-guardians.png” secondfullname=”Chicago Cubs” secondlogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/2023-mlb-logo-chicago-cubs.png”][/teammatchup]

[teammatchup link=”#4″ shadow=”true” firstfullname=”San Francisco Giants” firstlogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/2023-mlb-logo-san-francisco-giants.png” secondfullname=”Arizona Diamondbacks” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/mlb/100/ari.png”][/teammatchup]

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[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Bet Labs’ Padres vs Phillies Best Bet: System Suggests Under”][/subheader]

[gameheader haspick=”true” picktext=”Under 9.5 (-120)” league=”mlb” awaylogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/mlb/100/sd.png” awayname=”San Diego Padres” awayslug=”san-diego-padres” homelogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/2023-mlb-logo-philadelphia-phillies.png” homename=”Philadelphia Phillies” homeslug=”philadelphia-phillies” date=”Wednesday, July 2″ time=”1:05 p.m. ET” network=”MLB.TV” bookname=”BetMGM” bookprimarylogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/779359_BetMGM800x200@1x.png” bookreviewslug=”betmgm”][/gameheader]

By Bet Labs

This system pops when both teams have solid win percentages (51%-100%), but the public is heavily favoring the over (≤35% under bets). In matchups between winning teams, sportsbooks often inflate totals due to perceived offensive capability. However, these teams also tend to have strong pitching, which can lead to a profitable edge on the under.

Overall, this system has cashed 53% of its picks.
[betlabsembed systemid=”1471537″ systemname=”PRO: Contrarian Unders for Winning Teams” leaguename=”mlb” filters=”%7B%22list%22%3A%5B%22betting%20on%20the%20Under%22%2C%22the%20home%20team’s%20win%20percentage%20is%20between%2051%25%20and%20100%25%22%2C%22the%20visitor%20team’s%20win%20percentage%20is%20between%2051%25%20and%20100%25%22%2C%22the%20over%2Funder%20%25%20is%20between%200%25%20and%2035%25%22%2C%22the%20game%20is%20played%20during%20the%20Regular%20season%22%5D%7D” amountwon=”$14,547″ record=”1807-1576-152″ winpct=”53%”][/betlabsembed]

Pick: Under 9.5 (-120)

[quickslipbasic bookname=”BetMGM” booklogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/779359_BetMGM800x200@1x.png” image=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-02-at-8.14.12%E2%80%AFAM.png” buttontext=”Parlay These Picks Instantly!” buttonlink=”https://switchboard.actionnetwork.com/v2/deeplink?deeplinkId[0]=ML1661394255&deeplinkId[1]=ML1661542563&deeplinkId[2]=ML1662661957&deeplinkId[3]=ML1661337490&context=qs-articles”][/quickslipbasic]

[anchor name=”3″][/anchor]

[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Charlie Wright’s Guardians vs Cubs Best Bet: Imanaga Throwing Well”][/subheader]

[gameheader haspick=”true” picktext=”Shota Imanaga Under 2.5 Earned Runs Allowed (-165)” league=”mlb” awaylogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/2023-mlb-logo-cleveland-guardians.png” awayname=”Cleveland Guardians” awayslug=”cleveland-guardians” homelogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/2023-mlb-logo-chicago-cubs.png” homename=”Chicago Cubs” homeslug=”chicago-cubs” date=”Wednesday, July 2″ time=”8:05 p.m. ET” network=”MLB.TV” bookname=”DraftKings ” bookprimarylogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/477013_DraftKings@1x.png” bookreviewslug=”draftkings”][/gameheader]

By Charlie Wright

Shota Imanaga returned last week after missing nearly two months with a hamstring injury and he didn’t miss a beat, shutting out St. Louis over five innings of one-hit ball. Imanaga gets a much easier matchup tonight.

Cleveland has been the worst offense in the league against lefties since the start of May. They rank last in OPS, wOBA, SLG and ISO. Tonight’s projected lineup has combined for a miserable .082 ISO and a .255 wOBA across 555 plate appearances vs. left-handed pitching this season. The lack of power is huge, as home runs are Imanaga’s main flaw.

Imanaga only threw 77 pitches in his first start back, but I’d expect the ceiling to be around 85 pitches in this outing. The books haven’t posted outs props for him and I doubt they will. The workload limitations are a boost for this bet. I prefer taking Imanaga’s earned runs prop instead of Cleveland’s first five innings team total because it’s a better price and we’re probably only getting five innings from him. If he works into the sixth, he’s likely pitching extremely well.

Pick: Shota Imanaga Under 2.5 Earned Runs Allowed (-165)

[anchor name=”4″][/anchor]

[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Bet Labs’ Giants vs Diamondbacks Best Bet: Over/Under Showing Value”][/subheader]

[gameheader haspick=”true” picktext=”Under 8.5 (-115)” league=”mlb” awaylogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/2023-mlb-logo-san-francisco-giants.png” awayname=”San Francisco Giants” awayslug=”san-francisco-giants” homelogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/mlb/100/ari.png” homename=”Arizona Diamondbacks” homeslug=”arizona-diamondbacks” date=”Wednesday, July 2″ time=”9:40 p.m. ET” network=”MLB.TV” bookname=”BetMGM” bookprimarylogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/779359_BetMGM800x200@1x.png” bookreviewslug=”betmgm”][/gameheader]

By Bet Labs

This system targets MLB unders in the second game or later of a series between teams with winning records. However, it also looks for games in which the public is leaning toward the over — likely expecting fireworks between winning teams — which creates contrarian value on the under. By capitalizing on low public support for the under (≤35%), this system fades public perception in favor of market inefficiencies, especially when bettors overestimate offensive output late in a series.

Over the course of this season, this system has generated an 8% ROI and cashed 56% of its picks (83-64-3).
[betlabsembed systemid=”1474781″ systemname=”Evan Abrams – Contrarian Unders for Winning Teams, Later in Series” leaguename=”mlb” filters=”%7B%22list%22%3A%5B%22the%20game%20is%20played%20during%20the%20Regular%20or%20Postseason%20season%22%2C%22betting%20on%20the%20Under%22%2C%22the%20home%20team’s%20win%20percentage%20is%20between%2051%25%20and%20100%25%22%2C%22the%20visitor%20team’s%20win%20percentage%20is%20between%2051%25%20and%20100%25%22%2C%22the%20over%2Funder%20%25%20is%20between%200%25%20and%2035%25%22%2C%22the%20series%20game%20%23%20is%20between%202%20and%20100%22%5D%7D” amountwon=”$14,521″ record=”1315-1107-103″ winpct=”54%”][/betlabsembed]

Pick: Under 8.5 (-115)

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