MLB Predictions Friday, Best Bets, Prop Picks Today

With 15 games on the MLB schedule for Friday, July 25, our MLB betting experts had plenty of MLB odds and props to sort through.

After all that digging, they’ve zeroed in on the best value on the board and have targeted a prop pick and a trio of first five innings plays.

So, continue reading as 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=”Colorado Rockies” firstlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/mlb/100/col.png” secondfullname=”Baltimore Orioles” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/mlb/100/bal.png”][/teammatchup]	7:05 p.m.	First 5 Innings Under 5 (-110)
[teammatchup link=”#2″ firstfullname=”San Diego Padres” firstlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/mlb/100/sd.png” secondfullname=”St. Louis Cardinals” secondlogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/2023-mlb-logo-st-louis-cardinals.png”][/teammatchup]	7:15 p.m.	First 5 Innings Moneyline Pick
[teammatchup link=”#3″ firstfullname=”Atlanta Braves” firstlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/mlb/100/atl.png” secondfullname=”Texas Rangers” secondlogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/2023-mlb-logo-texas-rangers.png”][/teammatchup]	8:05 p.m.	First 5 Innings Over/Under Pick
[teammatchup link=”#4″ firstfullname=”New York Mets” firstlogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/2023-mlb-logo-new-york-mets.png” secondfullname=”San Francisco Giants” secondlogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/2023-mlb-logo-san-francisco-giants.png”][/teammatchup]	10:15 p.m. ET	Clay Holmes Strikeouts Prop Pick
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.

[anchor name=”1″][/anchor]

[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Kyle Murray’s Rockies vs Orioles Best Bet: Solid Matchup for Each Starter”][/subheader]

[gameheader haspick=”true” picktext=”First 5 Innings Under 5 (-110)” league=”mlb” awaylogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/mlb/100/col.png” awayname=”Colorado Rockies” awayslug=”colorado-rockies” homelogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/mlb/100/bal.png” homename=”Baltimore Orioles” homeslug=”baltimore-orioles” date=”Friday, July 25″ time=”7:05 p.m. ET” network=”MLB.TV” bookname=”BetMGM” bookprimarylogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/779359_BetMGM800x200@1x.png” bookreviewslug=”betmgm”][/gameheader]

By Kyle Murray

These aren’t necessarily two pitchers that I would typically find myself backing, but this is a good matchup for both.

For Kyle Freeland, he’ll face the Orioles, who have been one of the worst offenses in baseball against left-handed pitching. Freeland has actually been decent on the road this season, as he has just a 3.73 xFIP. Dean Kremer has had some success lately as well, and against a Rockies team that is heavy on right-handed bats, this matchup sets up well for Baltimore starter.

Pick: First 5 Innings Under 5 (-110)

[teammatchup link=”#1″ shadow=”true” firstfullname=”Colorado Rockies” firstlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/mlb/100/col.png” secondfullname=”Baltimore Orioles” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/mlb/100/bal.png”][/teammatchup]

[teammatchup link=”#2″ shadow=”true” firstfullname=”San Diego Padres” firstlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/mlb/100/sd.png” secondfullname=”St. Louis Cardinals” secondlogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/2023-mlb-logo-st-louis-cardinals.png”][/teammatchup]

[teammatchup link=”#3″ shadow=”true” firstfullname=”Atlanta Braves” firstlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/mlb/100/atl.png” secondfullname=”Texas Rangers” secondlogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/2023-mlb-logo-texas-rangers.png”][/teammatchup]

[teammatchup link=”#4″ shadow=”true” firstfullname=”New York Mets” firstlogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/2023-mlb-logo-new-york-mets.png” secondfullname=”San Francisco Giants” secondlogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/2023-mlb-logo-san-francisco-giants.png”][/teammatchup]

[anchor name=”2″][/anchor]

[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Kyle Murray’s Padres vs Cardinals Best Bet: San Diego has Advantage Early”][/subheader]

[gameheader haspick=”true” picktext=”Padres First 5 Innings Moneyline (-130)” 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-st-louis-cardinals.png” homename=”St. Louis Cardinals” homeslug=”st.-louis-cardinals” date=”Friday, July 25″ time=”7:15 p.m. ET” network=”MLB.TV” bookname=”bet365″ bookprimarylogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/859377_Bet365@1x.png” bookreviewslug=”bet365″][/gameheader]

By Kyle Murray

The Cardinals took the first game of this series off the back of a nine-run performance, but had been struggling mightily on offense prior to that game, as they are in the bottom five in both OPS and runs scored over the past 30 days.

The Padres have also been struggling offensively, but will get a nice matchup here against Miles Mikolas, who has a 5.20 ERA and a 4.56 SIERA this season.

Pick: Padres First 5 Innings Moneyline (-130)

[quickslipbasic bookname=”DraftKings” booklogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/128508_Primary1.png” image=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-25-at-6.40.03%E2%80%AFAM.png” buttontext=”Parlay These Picks Instantly!” buttonlink=”https://www.scoresandodds.com/all/parlay?quickslip=1&slipAdd=470ffb93-d775-47fa-957a-1bf2d5d49cb1&ref=10001″][/quickslipbasic]

[anchor name=”3″][/anchor]

[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Charlie Wright’s Braves vs Rangers Best Bet: Eovaldi, Wentz Throwing Well”][/subheader]

[gameheader haspick=”true” picktext=”First 5 Innings Under 4.5 (-110)” league=”mlb” awaylogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/mlb/100/atl.png” awayname=”Atlanta Braves” awayslug=”atlanta-braves” homelogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/2023-mlb-logo-texas-rangers.png” homename=”Texas Rangers” homeslug=”texas-rangers” date=”Friday, July 25″ time=”8:05 p.m. ET” network=”MLB.TV” bookname=”BetMGM” bookprimarylogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/779359_BetMGM800x200@1x.png” bookreviewslug=”betmgm”][/gameheader]

By Charlie Wright

Nathan Eovaldi has been cleared to pitch Friday after getting scratched last time out due to a back issue. Injuries have been the only thing holding him back this season as Eovaldi has allowed one earned run or less in 10 of his past 11 starts. He’s given up more than two earned runs in just two starts all season. Eovaldi’s ERA estimators aren’t as low as his silly 1.58 ERA, but his xFIP and SIERA are both below 3.00. We just need him to be healthy for five innings.

Joey Wentz has pitched for three different teams and posted a 5.71 ERA this season. The only reason to be interested in him would be if his new team made big changes, and that seems to be the case through two appearances with the Braves. They are having Wentz spam his cutter, and the results have been great in a limited sample. He’s tossed seven scoreless innings with just two hits allowed so far. Wentz’s cutter has been his best pitch in terms of run value in all four seasons of his career, so it makes sense to lean on it. He was using it 33.4% of the time prior to joining the Braves, but it’s jumped to 54.1% with Atlanta. The increased cutter usage has come at the expense of the 4-seamer, which graded out as Wentz’s worst pitch in each of the past three seasons.

Wentz will get the benefit of facing a Texas offense that ranks 24th or worse in OPS, wOBA and wRC+ against left-handed pitching since the start of June. The lineup they rolled out against lefty JP Sears on Wednesday had combined for a miserable .271 wOBA across 623 plate appearances vs. lefties.

Pick: First 5 Innings Under 4.5 (-110)

[anchor name=”4″][/anchor]

[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Charlie Wright’s Mets vs Giants Best Bet: Fade Holmes”][/subheader]

[gameheader haspick=”true” picktext=”Clay Holmes Under 4.5 Strikeouts (-145)” league=”mlb” awaylogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/2023-mlb-logo-new-york-mets.png” awayname=”New York Mets” awayslug=”new-york-mets” homelogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/2023-mlb-logo-san-francisco-giants.png” homename=”San Francisco Giants” homeslug=”san-francisco-giants” date=”Friday, July 25″ time=”10:15 p.m. ET ET” network=”MLB.TV” bookname=”Caesars Sportsbook” bookprimarylogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/256064_caesars_800x200.png” bookreviewslug=”caesars-sportsbook”][/gameheader]

By Charlie Wright

I’m going to continue to fade Clay Holmes until we see something promising from him. He stumbled again last time out, allowing four earned runs over 5 1/3 innings against Cincinnati. The biggest red flag continues to be his strikeout and walk numbers. Holmes had three strikeouts to two walks vs. the Reds, pushing his K:BB to 21:20 over his past seven starts. His strikeout rate is down at 13.7%, and his SwStr% has slipped to 8.1% in that span.

Workload remains a question as well. Holmes was limited heading into the All-Star Break and again failed to complete six innings in his first start following the time off. In fact, he hasn’t reached six innings pitched in a month and a half.

The Giants are a challenging matchup for multiple reasons. They have the ninth-lowest strikeout rate vs. right-handed pitching over the past 30 days of game action. The Giants also have the sixth-highest walk rate over that stretch, and that’s been a big part of their offense all season. They are one of two teams with a double-digit walk rate against right-handed pitching on the season. They have the second-best K/BB ratio vs. right-handed pitchers and have seen the third-most pitches per plate appearance. A discerning lineup isn’t what Holmes wants to see right now.

Pick: Clay Holmes Under 4.5 Strikeouts (-145)

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MLB Predictions Friday, Best Bets, Prop Picks Today — July 25

MLB Best Bets Today

Pick: First 5 Innings Under 5 (-110)

Pick: Padres First 5 Innings Moneyline (-130)

Pick: First 5 Innings Under 4.5 (-110)

Pick: Clay Holmes Under 4.5 Strikeouts (-145)