As you enjoy Saturday’s huge 16-game MLB slate, check out these baseball best bets and predictions! Our MLB picks today feature Zack Wheeler and the Philadelphia Phillies hosting the Chicago White Sox. We also take a deep dive into the Boston Red Sox taking on the Pittsburgh Pirates. Plus, check out a few MLB player props to lock in for Saturday’s games.

MLB Best Bets For Today: Saturday, April 20

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 20th. 

 

White Sox vs Phillies Prediction Today, 4/20

In case you haven’t noticed, this is a season to forget for the Chicago White Sox. The bottom-feeders of the MLB are now 3-16 overall with a league-worst negative-61 run differential. The White Sox have been a profitable team to fade early on and that likely won’t change anytime soon. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Phillies are looking more like the playoff contender we’re used to following a slow start. The Phils are 7-3 in their past 10, coming off a sweep of the Rockies and a 7-0 win over Chicago last night.

Zack Wheeler gets the start for Philadelphia and he should do his thing in an easy matchup. Though Wheeler has yet to record a win through four outings this year, he’s still pitching very well. His 2.58 FIP and 2.65 xERA are impressive compared to a 3.00 ERA. Plus, the Phils’ ace boasts a career-high 6.0 K/BB rate thus far. 

Wheeler can dominate against easy opponents, especially at home. The White Sox certainly qualify as that. Against right-handed pitching this season, they are last in the league in wOBA (.270), wRC+ (73), and OPS (.592). This Chicago lineup is terrible right now and even though Eloy Jimenez recently returned from injury, Luis Robert and Yoan Moncada are still sidelined. 

On the other side, we should see the Philadelphia offense provide run support against White Sox starter Mike Soroka. The right-hander is off to a rough start with a 6.98 ERA, 1.76 WHIP, 6.87 FIP, and 10:12 K:BB ratio through four outings. Soroka struggled to a 6.40 ERA last year and it appears his 2024 won’t be any better.

The Phillies offense has mostly underperformed this year and they do have subpar numbers vs righties so far. Still, this was a top-10 offense against right-handed pitching a season ago and the lineup has barely changed. We should see the Phils positively regress in this split as Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Bryson Stott and others do more damage to righties – especially the bottom-tier ones like Soroka.

Betting on the run line for a home team isn’t always the best idea, but it shouldn’t matter with this mismatch. Plus, 10 of Chicago’s 15 losses have come by at least two runs this season. Let’s also throw in a couple of Wheeler props as he mows down the White Sox.

Expert White Sox vs Phillies Predictions

  • Phillies -1.5 Runline (-135 BetMGM)
  • Zack Wheeler To Record a Win (-155 DraftKings Sportsbook)
  • Zack Wheeler Under 4.5 Hits Allowed (-105 DraftKings)

Red Sox vs Pirates Prediction Today, 4/20

It’s early, but Boston Red Sox righthander Kutter Crawford is putting together a breakout season. Crawford owns a 0.42 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, and 28.9% strikeout rate through four starts. He’s likely due for some negative regression, but Crawford’s 2.22 FIP and 2.28 xERA are still very encouraging that he can keep this going. 

Crawford will take on a Pittsburgh Pirates offense that’s cooled off lately after an early-season outburst. The Pirates are averaging just 3.2 runs per game over the past eight contests. Over the past week, they are among the bottom third of the MLB against right-handed pitching with a .297 wOBA, .220 BA, 28% K rate, and .642 OPS. 

While Crawford holds the Pirates in check, Mitch Keller can do the same with the Boston offense. Keller got roughed up in his first two starts but he’s since settled down. The Pittsburgh righty has tossed back-to-back quality starts against the Phillies and Tigers in his past two outings. Keller’s 4.50 ERA and 1.46 WHIP aren’t great on the surface, but he’s trending in a better direction. Plus, his 3.53 FIP suggests he’s been a bit unlucky so far. 

Keller had a 2.91 ERA at home last year for Pittsburgh and he’ll have that homefield advantage this weekend. Meanwhile, the Red Sox are struggling against right-handed pitching too. Boston has a .279 wOBA, .215 BA, 27.4% K rate, and .634 OPS in the split over the past week. 

Let’s take the under for both the full game and first five innings as Crawford and Keller anchor a lower-scoring Saturday afternoon matchup. 

Expert Red Sox vs Pirates Predictions

  • Under 8 Total Runs (-114 FanDuel Sportsbook)
  • 1st 5 Innings Under 4.5 Runs (-125 FanDuel Sportsbook)

Best MLB Player Props Today, 4/20