It’s Thursday, which means most Major League Baseball teams have some time off. However, eight different clubs will be in action today, with four different games taking place across the country. Things get started at noon, when the Athletics wrap up their three-game series with the Nationals. Later, the contending Mariners hope to earn an important home win against the White Sox. At night, the surging Marlins will attempt to earn a victory over the rival Braves.
Even with a small slate of games on tap, there’s plenty of enticing wagers on the board. Before the start of Thursday’s matchups, here are two MLB bets to consider on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Pirates -0.5 1st five innings (-130)
It’s not a big list of available bets today, so we might have to get creative. The Pirates are sending out none other than Paul Skenes to the mound tonight. In just his second season as a pro, the righty might already be the best pitcher on Earth. Through 138.0 innings of work, the All-Star owns a 2.02 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 154 strikeouts. In spite of those terrific numbers, the 23-year-old has a mediocre 6-8 record. That’s due to a startling lack of run support from the league’s lowest-scoring offense. This season, the Pirates are averaging just 3.54 runs per game.
Thursday’s opponent, the Reds, are on the fringe of wild card contention at 60-55. Still, this is a matchup that Skenes has absolutely owned in the past. Over three career outings vs. Cincinnati, he’s delivered a sparkling 0.53 ERA. The visitors will send out a talented hurler of their own in Brady Singer. While certainly not on par with Skenes, the right-hander has enjoyed a solid 2025 campaign (4.36 ERA, 1.31 WHIP). Against this Pittsburgh offense, it’s not as if you need to pitch like Greg Maddux, either. I’m expecting a low-scoring game in favor of the Pirates to start, but don’t stick around for the bullpen to blow it.
Marlins ML (-121)
Prior to this season, no one would have believed the Marlins would own a better record than the Braves in August. Alas, injuries and underperformance have doomed Atlanta to a year of mediocrity. The opposite is true of Miami, who have looked like one of baseball’s best teams in recent weeks. The Fish will hope to keep the good times rolling with Eury Perez toeing the slab. After a rocky first few appearances, the righty has found his groove. In five starts since July 8th, he’s put up a 1.29 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and 30 strikeouts. Tonight, the Dominican will face a Braves offense missing All-Stars Austin Riley (abdominal) and Ronald Acuna Jr. (calf).
As good as Perez has been, the biggest draw in this matchup is who Miami will be hitting against. Carlos Carrasco, recently acquired from the Yankees, has been subpar for all of 2025. Over 38.0 innings pitched, the veteran has notched a 5.68 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 30 strikeouts. Granted, the 38-year-old delivered a solid six-inning, three-run performance last week vs. the Reds. Still, I’m not willing to trust him after just one quality start. The Marlins have won ten of their last 14 contests; expect more of the same tonight.
