What Thursday’s modest MLB slate lacks in total teams, it makes up for in stakes. Five of today’s six contests involve at least one club in the hunt for a playoff spot. It all starts this afternoon, when Ranger Suarez’s Phillies duel Freddy Peralta’s Brewers. Later, the Dodgers will hope to pick up a win against Pirates ace Paul Skenes. As a nightcap, the Yankees and Astros wrap things up with a potential postseason preview.
Before the start of Thursday’s contests, here are two MLB bets to consider on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Pirates ML (+101)
In almost every regard, the Dodgers are a far superior team than the Pirates. After all, Los Angeles is fresh off of a title last season, with the chance to add another ring this October. Still, what the defending champions don’t have is the most electric arm in baseball. In spite of Pittsburgh’s 63-77 record, Paul Skenes is a force to be reckoned with. Through 167.0 innings of work, the right-hander owns a 2.05 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 187 strikeouts. When he last faced LA on April 25th, the All-Star tossed 6.1 scoreless innings.
In fairness to the Buccos, this is a team that has played inspired ball recently. Over their last 15 games, the Pirates own a stellar 11-4 record. That includes two straight wins over these Dodgers. In that stretch, the team has scored 73 runs compared to Los Angeles’ 67. Among the hitters to produce during that time, Jared Triolo (1.059 OPS) and Andrew McCutchen (1.035) have stood out. LA will hand the ball to Blake Snell tonight, arguably their most talented pitcher. However, the left-hander has been much better at home (1.78) than on the road (3.75). With a superior hurler on the mound, I’ll back Skenes and Pittsburgh at even money.
Twins -1.5 (+134)
Remember when I said all but one of today’s games has playoff implications? Naturally, we’re going to focus on Thursday’s most meaningless matchup. The Twins executed the biggest fire sale of July’s trade deadline, shipping off several major contributors. In return, the team got back a boatload of prospects and inexperienced youngsters. That includes Taj Bradley, tonight’s starter. Once a highly touted arm in Tampa Bay’s system, the righty has been inconsistent over his two-year career. Through 23 starts this season, he’s notched a 4.82 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 102 strikeouts. However, Bradley just delivered a five-inning, one-run performance last week vs. the Padres.
It’s a similar story for the White Sox, currently mired in last place at 52-88. This group has shown signs of progress following a historically awful output in 2024. Still, the South Siders remain one of the American League’s biggest pushovers. Much of the team’s trouble has come on the mound; outside of Shane Smith, good pitching has been elusive. It’ll be Fraser Ellard throwing tonight, owner of a 4.82 ERA over 9.1 innings this season. Minnesota has been respectable against southpaws recently. Over their last 20 games, the Twins have posted baseball’s ninth-highest OPS vs. left-handed pitching (.790). As long as Bradley doesn’t beat himself, I’m expecting a comfortable win for the home team on Thursday.
