MLB Best Bets Today, 4/10: Picks, Predictions & Player Props - Thursday
Welcome back to another round of MLB Best Bets Today as the 2025 baseball season rolls on.
Thursday’s slate is a smaller one with just six games on the schedule. Even so, there are plenty of ways to go for our winning MLB predictions and picks. Let’s focus on a pair of intriguing matchups for our MLB best bets today before dishing out a few baseball player props to consider.
Keep in mind, some of these odds or lines could move before first pitch. Without further ado, let’s dive into our MLB Best Bets Today.
MLB Picks, Predictions & Best Bets Today, 4/10
Our MLB Best Bets Today start with a divisional showdown between the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies. Can Jesus Luzardo lead his squad to a victory on the road against Spencer Schwellenbach in this NL East matchup?
We’ll also dive into an AL East battle between the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays for our second round of MLB predictions. Check out the MLB picks, props, and bets to make as you enjoy Thursday’s baseball action.
Phillies vs. Braves Predictions: Thursday, April 10th
Tonight’s only primetime game is this series finale between NL East rivals. Let’s get some MLB best bets action on the matchup as the Atlanta Braves host the Philadelphia Phillies with an interesting starting pitcher pairing.
Phillies starter Jesus Luzardo has had a strong start to the season with a 1.50 ERA and 0.93 WHIP through two outings. The left-hander tossed seven shutout innings against the Dodgers last time out, and he’s totaled 19 strikeouts in 12 innings thus far. Luzardo looks poised for a bounce-back campaign after posting a 5.00 ERA in an injury-shortened 2024 season.
Luzardo can keep the Braves in check today. The offense has poor splits against left-handed pitching this year (.155 BA, .246 wOBA). Atlanta has also struggled to score runs overall, averaging just 3.1 per game so far.
Spencer Schwellenbach starts the Braves on the other side. After an impressive rookie season, Schwellenbach has been nearly flawless to begin this year. The right-hander hasn’t allowed a run through two starts, and he just struck out 10 over eight shutout innings last week.
Despite the hot start, we can fade Schwellenbach in today’s matchup. The Phillies are crushing right-handed pitching to the tune of a .357 wOBA (fifth in MLB), .174 ISO (seventh), and .262 BA (eighth). Their 14.8% walk rate and 16.2% strikeout rate vs. righties both lead the league as well. It’s also a notable step up in competition for Schwellenbach, who faced a weak Marlins lineup last time out.
The starting pitching matchup initially favors the Braves, but the Phillies present some value on the road to win this game behind Luzardo and a potent offense. Plus, it’s hard to ignore Philadelphia’s 8-3 record compared to Atlanta’s 2-9 start.
- Expert Phillies vs. Braves Picks:
- Philadelphia Money Line (+105 on BetMGM)
- Philadelphia 1st 5 Innings ML (+105 on BetMGM)
Blue Jays vs. Red Sox Predictions: Thursday, April 10th
The Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays wrap up their four-game series on Thursday afternoon. This AL East matchup can go either way, but the current forms of today’s starting pitchers point us towards the road squad.
Blue Jays starter Chris Bassitt has been very effective through his first two starts. The veteran right-hander has allowed only one run over 12.2 innings, holding both the Mets and Orioles offenses in check. He also boasts an impressive 16:2 K:BB ratio thus far.
Bassitt can keep the hot start going today, even against a dangerous Red Sox lineup. He has a career 2.40 ERA against Boston (7 starts) and a 1.95 ERA in four career outings at Fenway Park. Last year, Bassitt had just seven earned runs across 24 innings (four starts) against the Red Sox.
Meanwhile, Walker Buehler has looked shaky to begin the year for Boston. He allowed 4 runs on 7 hits to the Rangers in the season debut and then 5 runs on 7 hits to the Cardinals last week. As good as Buehler was in the playoffs last year, he still had a poor 5.38 ERA and 5.54 FIP across 16 regular-season starts for the Dodgers.
Buehler doesn’t look right either. His average fastball velocity is down at 93.3 mph compared to 95 mph a year ago. He said himself that he feels “flat.” FranGraphs projects him to have a 4.31 ERA for the rest of the season as well. Buehler is worth fading in our MLB best bets today until we see him prove it.
- Expert Blue Jays vs. Red Sox Picks:
- Toronto Money Line (-102 on FanDuel)
- Toronto 1st Innings ML (-106 on FanDuel)
Best MLB Player Prop Bets & Other Picks Today, 4/10
- Ryan Feltner (Rockies) – Over 2.5 Earned Runs Allowed (-115 on DraftKings)
- Bobby Witt (Royals) – Over 1.5 Hits+Runs+RBI (-150 on DraftKings)
Player News
JJ Bleday blasted a two-run homer on Thursday, helping to power the Athletics to victory over the White Sox in Chicago.
The 27-year-old outfielder victimized White Sox’ right-hander Davis Martin with his 372-foot (104.2 mph EV) two-run shot in the sixth inning that pushed the A’s advantage to 4-0. That would be his only hit in four at-bats on the afternoon. For the season, Bleday is slashing just .227/.325/.364 with a pair of homers, 10 RBI, one stolen base and a 14/10 K/BB ratio through his first 77 plate appearances.
Lawrence Butler went 2-for-4 with a double and swatted his second home run of the season on Thursday as the Athletics shut out the White Sox in Chicago.
Butler led off the game with a double off of Davis Martin and raced around to score the game’s first run on an RBI double off the bat of Jacob Wilson. The dynamic 24-year-old outfielder then clobbered a first-pitch cutter from Martin for a 414-foot (107.0 mph EV) solo shot in the fifth inning that extended the A’s lead to 2-0. With his 2-for-5 afternoon, Butler is now slashing .296/.390/.451 to go along with a pair of homers, five RBI and four stolen bases.
JP Sears was brilliant in Thursday afternoon’s victory over the White Sox, scattering three hits over six innings of shutout baseball.
The 29-year-old southpaw struck out two and issued a pair of walks in the ballgame. All three of the hits that he allowed in the contest were singles. Only once did the White Sox have a player reach third base against him — on a two-out single by Lenyn Sosa in the sixth inning — but Sears got Michael A. Taylor to pop out to the catcher to end the threat. He generated just one swing and miss on 100 pitches in the ballgame, posting an underwhelming CSW of only 20 percent. He’ll see if he can keep the good times rolling as he carries a 3.13 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and an 18/5 K/BB ratio (23 innings) into Wednesday’s showdown against the Rangers.
Edgar Quero went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in his big league debut against the Athletics on Thursday.
The 22-year-old rookie backstop started behind the dish and batted seventh for the White Sox on Thursday afternoon against the Athletics. As a whole, the White Sox couldn’t muster a single run and scratched out just four total hits in the game, so Quero wasn’t the only one at fault. Ultimately, his fantasy utility in deeper leagues will depend on how much playing time he sees for the White Sox.
Davis Martin struggled in a losing effort against the Athletics on Thursday afternoon, surrendering four runs on eight hits over his 5 1/3 innings of work.
The 28-year-old right-hander walked one and struck out three batters in the ballgame. Nearly all of the damage done against him came via the long ball as Lawrence Butler swatted a solo shot in the fifth inning and JJ Bleday added a two-run blast in the sixth inning. Martin got seven swings and misses on 90 pitches on the day while posting a CSW of 27 percent. Now 1-2 on the season, he’ll carry a 4.84 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and a 13/6 K/BB ratio (22 1/3 innings) into Tuesday’s matchup against the Twins in Minneapolis.
Masyn Winn (back) is set to begin a minor league rehab assignment at Triple-A Memphis on Friday.
He’ll play there through the weekend and assuming everything goes well he would then be cleared to rejoin the Cardinals on Tuesday when he’s first eligible. Prior to landing on the injured list, the 23-year-old shortstop had been hitting .222/.314/.289 with one homer and three RBI through his first 13 ballgames.