Caleb Wilfinger
The 2nd half of the 2025 MLB season continues rolling along, and Thursday features a compelling slate of action for us to enjoy. I’m 77-53-1 on my MLB best bets this year and the Pickswise MLB handicapping team as a whole is currently on a 20-7 run! Let’s keep it going as we get into today’s top MLB predictions on Thursday, September 4.
You can also find out our MLB picks for EVERY GAME today.
MLB best bet: LA Dodgers vs Pittsburgh Pirates Under 7 (-115)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to -125.
For my first MLB best bet today, we’ll focus on this National League matchup between the Dodgers and Pirates. I successfully targeted the under on Wednesday, and I’ll go right back to the well in a game in which both starting pitchers should be dominant. Los Angeles’ struggles against seemingly inferior competition have been well documented lately, and that continued into a couple of losses against a Pirates team that has quietly won 8 of their last 11 games. Pittsburgh should start on the right foot at home with Paul Skenes (2.05 ERA, 2.47 FIP) on the mound against a Dodgers lineup that has been extremely inconsistent of late.
On the other side, Los Angeles should be just as strong on the mound with Blake Snell on the mound, and the southpaw has consistently been strong in his first season in a Dodger uniform, posting a 2.41 ERA and allowing just 10 earned runs over his 7 outings thus far. He should induce plenty of weak contact against a middling Pirates lineup that ranks dead last across baseball in slugging. Let’s back a strong start for both pitchers on Thursday.
Read our full Dodgers vs Pirates prediction
MLB best bet: KC Royals ML over Los Angeles Angels (-150)
Odds available at BetRivers Sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to -160.
For my second MLB best bet on Thursday, let’s roll with the Royals on the money line. Despite getting roughed up a bit in his last outing, Royals starter Noah Cameron has been rock solid this season, showing his ability to pitch around trouble and limit hard contact (top 10% barrel rate, top 20% hard-hit rate). Conversely, while Angels starter Kyle Hendricks (4.88 ERA) also can limit hard contact, he certainly doesn’t overpower hitters (bottom 5% strikeout rate, velocity and whiff rate). Hendricks is also due for a bit of regression on the road in this one given some of his predictive metrics, and he’s also allowed 4 or more earned runs in 3 of his last 5 outings. Let’s back Kansas City to pick up a victory at home.
Read our full Angels vs Royals prediction
