MLB Best Bets Today, 4/19: Picks, Predictions & Player Props - Saturday
Welcome back to another round of MLB Best Bets Today as the 2025 baseball season rolls on.
Saturday’s slate is filled with 15 games on the baseball schedule with every team in action. Before the games get going, let’s find some winning MLB predictions and picks. We’ll focus on two games 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. Also all bets below are for one unit. Without further ado, let’s dive into our MLB Best Bets Today.
MLB Picks, Predictions & Best Bets Today, 4/19
Our MLB Best Bets Today start with Chris Sale and the Atlanta Braves hosting the Minnesota Twins in an inter-league matchup. Can Sale bring some of his Cy Young-winning mojo into this game?
We’ll also dive into another inter-league battle between the San Diego Padres and Houston Astros for our second round of MLB predictions. Check out the MLB best bets and props to make as you enjoy Saturday’s baseball action.
Twins vs. Braves Predictions: Saturday, April 19th
It’s been a shaky start to the season for Chris Sale. The reigning NL Cy Young winner has a 6.63 ERA and 1.53 WHIP through his first four starts. Despite the uninspiring results, it’s also prime buy-low time for the Atlanta Braves’ ace in tonight’s home matchup against the Minnesota Twins.
Sale has some encouraging underlying metrics to trust moving forward. First, he’s been very unlucky with a .407 BABIP and 61.2% left-on-base rate. That’s resulted in a 3.63 FIP that’s three full runs lower than his ERA. Plus, he’s faced tough offenses in all four starts thus far (Padres, Dodgers, Phillies, Rays).
The southpaw has also been on the road for three of his four starts. He should have better outings at home, where he posted a 2.28 ERA last year. Sale’s control is currently there as well. He has a 24:4 K:BB ratio through 19 innings and a 96th percentile chase rate.
Better starts should be coming for Sale, who gets a very favorable matchup at home tonight. The Twins are the league’s worst offense against left-handed pitching this year with a .182 wOBA, .122 batting average, and 33.3% K rate that all rank dead last in the split.
On the other side, Sale should get enough run support from a Braves offense that’s also in buy-low territory. Twins starter Simeon Woods Richardson had a 4.30 ERA and 1.57 WHIP through three outings. He allowed four runs on eight hits and four walks in his last road start. Atlanta is hitting right-handed pitching well lately with a .347 wOBA (8th) and .266 batting average (4th) in the split over the past two weeks.
To complete the buy-low trifecta, we should be backing the Braves to get back on track after a terrible start to the season. Atlanta had to play 13 of its first 18 games on the road. Meanwhile, Minnesota is 3-8 on the road itself so far this year.
- Expert Twins vs. Braves Picks:
- Braves -1.5 Runline (+102 on DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Braves 1st 5 Innings -0.5 RL (-135 on DraftKings Sportsbook)
Padres vs. Astros Predictions: Saturday, April 19th
Following his breakout season last year, Michael King is off to a good start to the 2025 campaign. He has a 2.42 ERA and 1.07 WHIP through four outings. King’s 2.72 xERA and 3.22 FIP are encouraging as well. Let’s back the San Diego Padres right-hander to keep it going against the Astros today.
Houston’s offense has underwhelmed for most of the season. The Astros rank 24th in the MLB in runs scored and 27th in team OPS. Only one hitter is batting above .300 this year (Jose Altuve) while multiple guys are slumping. The ‘Stros have struggled against right-handed pitching with a .289 wOBA (25th) and .226 BA (23rd) in the split.
Even on the road, it’s a good spot for King to be effective. The righty just tossed a complete-game shutout against the Rockies last time out. He also has a 21:4 K:BB ratio over his last three starts. Last year, King boasted a 2.65 ERA on the road and a 2.41 ERA in night games.
Meanwhile, the Padres are one of the top offenses in baseball right now. It’s a tough matchup for Astros starter Hayden Wesneski, who has a 4.00 ERA and 4.94 FIP through three starts. He’s shown some flashes, including a 10-strikeout outing last weekend. However, San Diego presents a step up in competition from the lineups he’s faced thus far.
The Padres are crushing right-handed pitching. They boast a .350 wOBA (4th in MLB), .289 batting average (1st), and low 17.6% K rate (3rd) in the split so far this season. Some of that is due to a hot start, but San Diego is a top-10 offense vs. righties over the past week as well.
Furthermore, Houston hasn’t won consecutive games all season while alternating wins and losses for 14 straight contests. That trend tells us a down performance could be coming after the Astros beat the Padres last night. San Diego, on the other hand, has a league-best 15-5 record.
- Expert Padres vs. Astros Picks:
- Padres Moneyline (-125 on BetMGM)
- Padres 1st 5 Innings ML (-120 on BetMGM)
Best MLB Player Prop Bets & Other Picks Today, 4/19
- Casey Mize, Detroit Tigers – Over 3.5 Strikeouts (+112 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Taijuan Walker, Philadelphia Phillies – Over 4.5 Strikeouts (-116 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Kodai Senga, New York Mets – Under 5.5 Strikeouts (+112 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
Player News
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde told reporters that Zach Eflin (lat) is likely to return and start Sunday against the Angels
It was assumed that Eflin would be back this weekend, but now we have a concrete date. The 31-year-old may not be at full strength after throwing fewer than 60 pitches in his rehab start, but the Orioles feel confident enough to have the right-hander back on the bump for the series finale against the Angels.
Riley Greene is not in the lineup for the first game of a doubleheader against the Rockies on Thursday.
Greene will get a break and likely return to the lineup for the second game of the twin-billing. Zach McKinstry will get the start in left field while Greene rests.
Yu Darvish (elbow) is facing live hitters on Thursday.
Darvish has been throwing bullpen sessions and traveled to the team’s complex in Arizona to face live hitters on Thursday. It will be his first time facing live batters since a spring training appearance on March 13th. He will likely need a few sessions like this before the Padres can map out a rehab appearance timeline for him.
Adael Amador is starting at second base and batting ninth for the Rockies on Thursday.
Amador has now started three of the last four games at second base for the Rockies. He’s gone just 7-for-43 this season with 15 strikeouts in 16 games. He’s just 22 years old, so there is plenty of time for him to adjust to the MLB level, but he doesn’t need to be on redraft radars right now.
Jackson Holliday is playing second base and batting second for the Orioles on Thursday against the Twins.
With Cedric Mullins sitting out on Thursday, Gunnar Henderson will bat lead off, and Holliday will jump up from sixth in the order to second. Holliday is riding a hot streak right now, and the Orioles are taking advantage. This is likely just a one-game sample with no Mullins or Adley Rutschman in the lineup, but Rutschman has been struggling, so perhaps it could become a more permanent spot in the lineup for Holliday moving forward.
Endy Rodriguez (finger) had his splint removed this week.
Rodriguez suffered a lacerated right index finger on April 14th. Now that he is out of his splint, he “is playing catch and doing a slightly modified swing.” Once he can progress to taking full swings, we’ll have a better sense of the timeline for his return.