MLB Best Bets Today, 4/13 - Expert Picks, Predictions, Props, & Odds

We have a huge 16-game MLB slate on Saturday as we look at best bets and predictions for the afternoon and evening matchups. Our MLB picks today feature Shota Imanaga and the Chicago Cubs against the Seattle Mariners along with Garrett Crochet and the Chicago White Sox taking on the Cincinnati Reds. We also have a few MLB player props to lock in for Saturday’s games.
MLB Best Bets For Today: Saturday, April 13
As always, be sure to shop around for the best odds and lines at different sportsbooks. The odds in this article below are accurate as of this writing. Without further ado, let’s check out the MLB best bets and baseball predictions for Saturday, April 13th.
Cubs vs Mariners Prediction Today, 4/13
Shota Imanaga is off to a strong start in his debut MLB season with the Chicago Cubs. The lefthander has yet to allow a run over his first two outings with a 12:0 K:BB ratio and just four hits allowed over 10 innings. Imanaga is proving to be a tough scouting report for opposing hitters and it may take a few more outings for teams to get a better read on his stuff. Let’s jump on the Shota train today as he takes on the Seattle Mariners.
The Mariners are below-average against left-handed pitching this season with a .302 wOBA, .654 OPS, and .225 BA in the split. Seattle is also averaging just 3.2 runs per game. Imanaga’s perfect ERA is obviously due for some negative regression moving forward, but his 0.81 FIP is encouraging. The Cubs starter appears to be carrying over his success from Japan, where he posted a 2.80 ERA and 2.26 ERA over the previous two seasons.
On the other side, the Cubs offense should provide enough run support against Mariners starter Emerson Hancock. The young righty just got rocked by the Brewers last start, allowing eight runs on 11 hits. Hancock had a 4.50 ERA over three starts last year in the majors and it looks like he’s still going through early growing pains adjusting to big-league hitters.
Meanwhile, the Chicago lineup is among the league’s toughest against right-handed pitching so far this year with a .340 wOBA (6th-best), 13.2% walk rate (1st), and 20.8% K rate (10th). The Cubs are also averaging 6.1 runs per game. Let’s take the Cubs to win in both the first five innings and the full game behind a favorable offensive matchup and another strong Imanaga outing.
Expert Cubs vs Mariners Predictions:
- Cubs Moneyline (-130 FanDuel)
- Cubs 1st 5 Innings ML (-130 FanDuel)
Reds vs White Sox Prediction Today, 4/13
Garrett Crochet continues to be one of the only bright spots for the Chicago White Sox this season. The lefty reliever-turned-starter now has a 2.00 ERA and 2.50 FIP through his first three starts. It’s early, but Crochet is holding hitters to a .167 batting average against with an impressive 21:1 K:BB ratio across 18 innings thus far.
While the Reds do have decent overall numbers against lefties this season (.338 wOBA), their success has been inflated by two bad outings by Patrick Corbin and Aaron Ashby. On the flip side, multiple other southpaws have limited the Cincy lineup (Jose Quintana, Wade Miley, and Cristopher Sanchez). Better left-handed pitchers should keep the Reds in check, so let’s bank on Crochet doing that with how well he’s looked this year.
Meanwhile, Chicago’s offense is one of the worst in the MLB. The White Sox are averaging just 2.4 runs per game and have been held to three runs or fewer in nine of 12 games so far. It won’t get much better moving forward with Luis Robert, Yoan Moncada, and Eloy Jimenez all on the IL right now. The White Sox have particularly struggled against left-handed pitching with a .260 wOBA, 31% K rate, and .198 BA in the split.
Reds lefty Nick Lodolo will make his season debut here after beginning the year on the IL. Lodolo’s 6.29 ERA last season and shaky rehab appearances don’t offer much confidence here. Still, he can limit a weak White Sox offense just enough to keep this one lower-scoring. Let’s take the under for both the full game under and first five innings.
Expert Reds vs White Sox Predictions
- Under 8.5 (-115 BetMGM)
- 1st 5 Innings Under 4.5 (-140 FanDuel)
Best MLB Player Props Today, 4/13
- Ronel Blanco Under 5.5 Strikeouts (-122 FanDuel)
- Jose Altuve Over 1.5 Hits+Runs+RBI (-155 BetMGM)
- Kyle Gibson Under 4.5 Strikeouts (-130 BetMGM)
Player News
Jordan Westburg homered and drove in three runs as the Orioles triumphed over the Mets 7-3 to take both games of Thursday’s doubleheader.
Westburg gave the Orioles their first lead of the game with a two-out, 413-foot two-run blast off of Brandon Waddell that made it a 3-2 ballgame in the third inning. The 26-year-old infielder also plated a run with a fielder’s choice in the sixth inning and came around to score on a ground ball off the bat of Ramon Laureano. He finished the afternoon 1-for-5 and is now hitting .248/.306/.484 with 10 homers, 20 RBI and one stolen base through his first 170 plate appearances on the season.
Alex Jackson went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles, two runs scored and an RBI as the Orioles defeated the Mets in the second game of Thursday’s doubleheader.
The 29-year-old backstop got the Orioles on the board with an RBI double off of Brandon Waddell in the second inning. He then rode home on Jordan Westburg’s two-run blast. Jackson also started a rally with a leadoff double off of Justin Hagenman in the sixth inning and scored on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Westburg. It was an impressive showing from the veteran backstop in his first game with the Orioles this season.
Gunnar Henderson went 3-for-5 with a double and a run scored as the Orioles topped the Mets in the second game of Thursday’s doubleheader.
Henderson doubled off of Brandon Waddell in the opening inning but wound up getting stranded at third base. He then started a rally in the fifth inning with a one-out single and eventually scored the go-ahead run on an RBI knock off the bat of Colton Cowser. With his three-hit attack, the 24-year-old infielder is now hitting .277/.343/.451 to go with 11 homers, 31 RBI and 10 stolen bases on the season.
Tomoyuki Sugano logged a quality start in Thursday’s victory over the Mets, surrendering three runs on just four hits over his six frames.
Sugano also walked three batters in the ballgame while recording a pair of strikeouts. The Mets scratched out a pair of runs against him in the opening inning and had him on the ropes, but the crafty right-hander allowed just one additional run — an RBI single to Brett Baty in the fourth inning — the rest of the way. He generated 11 whiffs on 99 pitches on the afternoon, registering a CSW of 24 percent. Sugano finishes the first half with a 7-5 record, 4.44 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and a 59/22 K/BB ratio over 99 1/3 innings through his first 18 starts with the Orioles.
Brandon Nimmo went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles, run scored and a stolen base on Thursday as the Mets dropped the second half of their doubleheader against the Orioles.
Nimmo led off the game with a single off of Tomoyuki Sugano and raced around to score the first run on an RBI ground out off the bat of Juan Soto. The 32-year-old outfielder also smacked a one-out single in the fifth inning and swiped second base before being stranded there. On the season, he’s now hitting .260/.319/.470 with 18 homers, 53 RBI and 10 stolen bases in what has been a very productive first half.
Brandon Waddell functioned as an opener for the Mets in the second game of Thursday’s doubleheader against the Orioles, giving up three runs over three innings.
The 31-year-old southpaw allowed four hits on the afternoon while walking one and striking out a pair. All of the damage done against him came in the second inning as Alex Jackson smacked an RBI double and rode home on Jordan Westburg’s two-run blast. Waddell got 10 swings and misses on 57 pitches on the day, registering a CSW of 30 percent. Since he’s unlikely to be available the rest of the weekend, it wouldn’t be surprised to see him swapped out for a fresh arm on Friday.