Caleb Wilfinger
The 2nd half of the 2025 MLB season continues rolling along today, and Friday features a full slate of action for us to enjoy. I’m 61-38 on my MLB best bets this year and the Pickswise MLB handicapping team as a whole is 120-85-7 in this article series this season! Let’s keep it going as we get into today’s top predictions on Friday, August 9. You can also find out our MLB picks for EVERY GAME today.
MLB best bet: San Diego Padres F5 -0.5 over Boston Red Sox (-125)
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to -135.
For my first MLB best bet for today, we’ll focus on an interleague matchup between the Boston Red Sox and San Diego Padres. Boston has been in great form of late, but that doesn’t apply to Walker Buehler, who holds an ERA of 5.74 and has surrendered 38 earned runs over his last 10 outings dating back to June 6. That doesn’t bode well against a San Diego offense that has tallied 59 runs over its last 10 contests. As for the Padres, they’ll be rolling out Nick Pivetta, who has proven to be an excellent pitcher at home, where he boasts a 2.00 ERA compared to his much weaker numbers on the road. All things considered, the Padres to lead after 5 innings is my favorite bet on the board for Friday’s action, especially at the current price.
MLB best bet: Los Angeles Angels vs Detroit Tigers F5 Under 4.5 (-135)
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to -145.
Our 2nd MLB best bet today takes us to Detroit, where the Tigers are set to host the Los Angeles Angels in a battle between teams trending in different directions. When Tarik Skubal is on the mound, my mind instantly points toward taking the under, specifically in the fist 5 innings. The reigning AL Cy Young winner has been the best pitcher in baseball once again in 2025, and his numbers so far this season are better than his 2024 totals, if you can believe that. Skubal enters this contest sporting a 2.18 ERA and 0.83 WHIP, so he shouldn’t have any trouble against this middling Angels offense (15th in SLG, 18th in OPS).
On the other side, Los Angeles starter Kyle Hendricks has been in surprisingly good form of late, allowing just 2 earned runs over his last couple of outings. It’s also important to note that Hendricks has already faced Detroit earlier this season, and completely dominated the Tigers in that contest, tossing 7.2 innings of 1-run ball and allowing just 4 hits. While Detroit is still a top 10 offense in most of the key metrics, the Tigers have struggled at the dish of late. With that in mind, I’ll grab the under in the first 5 innings and avoid any contact with either team’s bullpen on Friday.
