As per usual, it’s a busy Saturday in MLB with 15 games on the slate and action throughout the day.
Our experts are all over it with their Saturday MLB best bets, including props and picks for Paul Skenes against the Guardians, Luis Torrens against the Cardinals and Chris Sale against the Twins.
Find our MLB best bets for Saturday below.
[quickslipbasic bookname=”BetMGM” booklogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/779359_BetMGM800x200@1x.png” image=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2025/04/Screenshot-2025-04-19-at-8.56.34%E2%80%AFAM.png” buttontext=”+1100 MLB Best Bets Parlay” buttonlink=”https://sharpside.com/books/betmgm/passthrough?deeplinkId[0]=ML1491217230&deeplinkId[1]=ML1491194882&deeplinkId[2]=ML1491268364&context=qs-articles”][/quickslipbasic]
MLB Best Bets Saturday — Props & Picks
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| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
| [teammatchup link=”#3″ firstfullname=”Minnesota Twins” firstlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/mlb/100/min.png” secondfullname=”Atlanta Braves” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/mlb/100/atl.png”][/teammatchup] | 7:15 p.m. | |
| [teammatchup link=”#1″ firstfullname=”Cleveland Guardians” firstlogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/2023-mlb-logo-cleveland-guardians.png” secondfullname=”Pittsburgh Pirates” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/mlb/100/pit.png”][/teammatchup] | 4:05 p.m. | |
| [teammatchup link=”#2″ firstfullname=”St. Louis Cardinals” firstlogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/2023-mlb-logo-st-louis-cardinals.png” secondfullname=”New York Mets” secondlogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/2023-mlb-logo-new-york-mets.png”][/teammatchup] | 4:05 p.m. | |
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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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[relatedarticle articleimageurl=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2025/04/Sale-1.jpg” linktext=”Twins vs Braves Prediction, Pick, Odds for Saturday, April 19″ link=”https://www.actionnetwork.com/mlb/minnesota-twins-vs-atlanta-braves-prediction-pick-odds-saturday-april-19-qs”][/relatedarticle]
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[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Jim Turvey’s Guardians vs Pirates Best Bet: Fade Paul Skenes”][/subheader]
[gameheader haspick=”true” picktext=”Paul Skenes Under 6.5 Strikeouts (+115)” league=”mlb” awaylogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/2023-mlb-logo-cleveland-guardians.png” awayname=”Cleveland Guardians” awayslug=”cleveland-guardians” homelogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/mlb/100/pit.png” homename=”Pittsburgh Pirates” homeslug=”pittsburgh-pirates” date=”Saturday, April 19″ time=”4:05 p.m. ET” network=”MLB.TV” bookname=”BetMGM” bookprimarylogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/779359_BetMGM800x200@1x.png” bookreviewslug=”betmgm”][/gameheader]
By Jim Turvey
It’s a little scary betting the under on strikeouts for the best pitcher in baseball — but this number for Paul Skenes on Saturday against the Guardians is too high.
Skenes hasn’t cleared 7.5 strikeouts in any start this season, and dating back to last season, he has gone under in 11 of his last 15 starts.
The matchup is also tough one for strikeouts, with Cleveland being a notoriously contact-heavy squad.
This season, the Guardians rank 21st in strikeout rate against righties, and if you increase the sample size to go back all the way to the start of the 2024 season, they are 26th.
I bet this under when it was listed at 7.5 strikeouts, but I would play under 6.5 if the number is better than +110.
Pick: Paul Skenes Under 6.5 Strikeouts (+115)
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[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Cardinals vs Mets Player Prop: Luis Torrens Hits”][/subheader]
[gameheader haspick=”true” picktext=”Luis Torres Under 0.5 Hits (+175)” 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://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/2023-mlb-logo-new-york-mets.png” homename=”New York Mets” homeslug=”new-york-mets” date=”Saturday, April 19″ time=”4:05 p.m. ET” network=”MLB.TV” bookname=”bet365″ bookprimarylogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/859377_Bet365@1x.png” bookreviewslug=”bet365″][/gameheader]
By Derek Carty
There is a value on Luis Torrens’ hits prop today against the Cardinals.
THE BAT X is projecting Torrens to record 0.73 hits, while oddsmakers are implying 0.94.
The model believes there is a 48% chance he records fewer than one hit, so there is value on the under at +175.
Pick: Luis Torres Under 0.5 Hits (+175)
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[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Jim Turvey’s Guardians vs Pirates Best Bet: Fade Paul Skenes”][/subheader]
[gameheader haspick=”true” picktext=”Chris Sale Over 7.5 Strikeouts (+115)” league=”mlb” awaylogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/mlb/100/min.png” awayname=”Minnesota Twins” awayslug=”cleveland-guardians” homelogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/mlb/100/atl.png” homename=”Atlanta Braves” homeslug=”atlanta-braves” date=”Saturday, April 19″ time=”7:15 p.m. ET” network=”MLB.TV” bookname=”DraftKings” bookprimarylogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/477013_DraftKings@1x.png” bookreviewslug=”draftkings”][/gameheader]
By Charlie Wright
I faded Chris Sale a few times to start the season, when his velocity was down and he was struggling with efficiency. Now, it’s time to ride with him.
The results didn’t show, but he was all the way back against the Rays last time out. After sitting at 92.7 mph two turns ago against the Phillies, Sale’s fastball averaged 96.2 mph against the Rays. That’s more than 1 mph harder than it was during his Cy Young campaign last year. Sale’s sinker, slider and changeup also showed improved velocity.
Sale allowed three earned runs over 4 1/3 innings against Tampa Bay, but it was mostly due to bad luck. He gave up just a 27% hard-hit rate and an 85.4 mph average exit velocity. Those marks shouldn’t result in a .500 BABIP.
Sale did have three walks and his Location+ was way down, but that hadn’t been a problem in his previous starts. He only had one walk on the season coming into this outing.
The main takeaway is the velocity is back and I don’t expect it to harm his control.
Sale’s swinging-strike rate remains an elite 14.1% to go with a strong 27.3% K%. With better batted-ball luck, he should be back to ace-level form.
This is a tiny sample, but it’s such a silly number that I need to share it.
The Twins have a 13 wRC+ against left-handed pitching. That means they’ve been 87% worse than league average against southpaws.
Minnesota also has a league-leading 33.1% K% against lefties. Again, small sample, but this is a weak group.
The Twins’ projected lineup (minus Luke Keaschall, who was just called up) has a hefty 27.2% K% vs. LHP since the start of 2024. They have an ugly .134 ISO and a 0.258 wOBA.
This is an ideal spot for Sale to get back on track.