MLB Picks Today: Expert Predictions & Best Bets for Friday, July 3, inc. Padres vs Dodgers

The 2026 Major League Baseball season continues with another excellent slate of games on Friday. The massive 15-game card includes a number of fascinating matchups, including a showdown between the Padres and Dodgers at 10:10 PM ET. The action gets underway at 4:05 PM ET with a matchup involving the Cardinals and Cubs.

Let's break down my MLB best bets for Friday, July 3, while you can also find out our expert MLB picks for EVERY GAME today and throughout the entire 2026 campaign!

MLB best bet: Los Angeles Dodgers team total over 4.5 vs San Diego Padres (-110)

Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable at that number to (-125).

Despite not having their full compliment of stars for the majority of this season, the Dodgers are still a force to be reckoned with — particularly at the plate. Los Angeles' offense has really hit its stride in recent weeks, and that momentum carried over into an impressive display on Friday -- as Dave Roberts' group tallied 12 runs after falling behind 6-0 in the second inning. The Dodgers have now scored 9 or more runs in 3 of their last 5 games, with 2 of those outbursts coming against the Padres. Los Angeles was able to chase San Diego starter Michael King in the 5th inning of his most recent outing back on June 28, and there's no guarantee that King bounces back after allowing 3 or more runs in 6 of his last 7 outings. While I'm not certain the hosts win by margin on Friday, they should put up plenty of runs once again.

Get our full Padres vs Dodgers predictions

MLB best bet: Toronto Blue Jays ML over Seattle Mariners (-130)

Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to (-140).

Less than a year removed from a World Series appearance, the Blue Jays don't exactly inspire much confidence from fans or bettors these days, and for good reason. Toronto is under .500 and the Blue Jays have dropped 7 of their last 10 contests, but their opponent in this matchup is not a team that I'm eager to back either. The Mariners offense continues to be a major issue for the defending AL West champions, with Seattle sitting at 26th in batting average, 27th in SLG and 25th in OPS. That doesn't bode well against Dylan Cease, who holds a 3.02 ERA and has consistently been excellent at striking out opposing batters all season long. On the other side, Luis Castillo is getting the ball for the Mariners, and his 4.93 ERA and poor advanced metrics (bottom 25 percentile in barrel rate, xBA and hard-hit rate) don't suggest positive outcomes against a Toronto lineup that has been solid against right-handed pitching this season. I'll take the road favorite in this one.

Read our full Blue Jays vs Mariners predictions for today's matchup