Welcome back to another round of MLB Best Bets Today as the 2025 baseball season rolls on. 

All four Divisional Series of the MLB postseason get underway on Saturday, October 4th, as we dive into top MLB picks. We have some entertaining matchups on tap for our MLB predictions. Let’s focus on two games for our MLB best bets today before dishing out a few baseball player props and other picks to consider. 

The MLB picks below are accurate as of this writing, but some odds or lines could move before first pitch. All bets below are for one unit unless otherwise noted. Without further ado, let’s dive into our MLB Best Bets today.

 

 

 

MLB Picks, Predictions & Best Bets Today, 10/4

Our MLB Best Bets Today start with the marquee NLDS Game 1 matchup between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies. Plus, the Seattle Mariners host the Detroit Tigers in an ALDS Game 1 showdown. Don’t miss more MLB picks and player props below. Check out these MLB predictions to make as you enjoy Saturday’s playoff baseball. 

 

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Philadelphia Phillies NLDS Game 1 Predictions: Saturday, October 4th

The Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers start up their NLDS series tonight with an intriguing Game 1 matchup. We have Shohei Ohtani starting for LA while Cristopher Sanchez toes the rubber for Philly. Let’s make a pick for this showdown. 

Citizens Bank Park will be rocking for Game 1. The Phillies’ homefield advantage cannot go overlooked. They’re 13-5 at home over the past three postseasons. Plus, Philadelphia won 68% of its games at home during the regular season. 

Sanchez gives Philadelphia an edge for this series opener after being one of the best pitchers in baseball this season. He finished the year with a 2.50 ERA and 2.55 FIP while posting a 26.3% strikeout rate (77th percentile) and 5.5% walk rate (89th). The Phillies’ southpaw was also lights-out at home, with a 1.94 ERA and 2.26 FIP across 15 home starts. 

The matchup against the Dodgers is obviously a tough one. LA boasts a top-tier offense against left-handed pitching, and the lineup just scored 18 runs in the two-game Wild Card sweep of Cincinnati. Yet, Sanchez should be up to the task with how dominant he’s been at home this year. Plus, he owns an elite 1.92 FIP over his past 11 starts and a 1.65 ERA in September. 

On the other side, Ohtani will make his first career playoff start as a pitcher. There’s no denying how special the two-way star is, especially bringing in a 2.87 ERA over 14 outings this year. He’s also currently on a 17.1 scoreless innings streak, featuring five no-hit innings against the Phillies last month. 

Yet, pitching on the road in a raucous environment could be an issue for Ohtani here. Plus, the Phillies will benefit from having just faced his stuff a couple of weeks ago, despite how dominant he was. It’s also worth noting that Trea Turner and Alec Bohm were both out then. The Philadelphia offense also crushed right-handed pitching in September, with a .346 wOBA, 121 wRC+, .817 OPS, and .272 BA. 

Meanwhile, the Dodgers’ bullpen continues to be a concern. The LA pen had a 4.90 ERA in September (25th in MLB), and the relief corps just allowed five runs across 4.1 innings in the Wild Card series vs. Cincinnati. Late-inning scoring will be big for Philadelphia in this game, especially if Ohtani is rolling early. It remains to be seen how deep he goes in this game, though.

Let’s back the Phillies to get the Game 1 victory at home. Sanchez can out-duel Ohtani early, while the Dodgers’ bullpen might cost them late. Let’s also back Sanchez to go over 17.5 outs. He tossed 6+ innings in nine of his last 11 home starts, with 5.2 innings in the two outliers. Philadelphia will want their ace to go deep and save bullpen arms for other games. 

 

 

 

Detroit Tigers vs. Seattle Mariners ALDS Game 1 Predictions: Saturday, October 4th

Despite blowing a massive AL Central lead, the Detroit Tigers silenced the doubters with a Wild Card series win over the Cleveland Guardians. They now travel to take on the Seattle Mariners to begin the ALDS clash on Saturday night. The Mariners are big favorites for this series opener with a few notable edges. 

George Kirby gets this Game 1 start for Seattle. The right-hander was up and down this season with a 4.21 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. Yet, many of Kirby’s struggles came on the road. At home this year, he posted a 3.12 FIP. That includes a 2.70 ERA over his last six home starts to end the regular season. 

Kirby will face a Detroit offense that struggled against right-handed pitching in September, with a .279 wOBA (25th in MLB) and 76 wRC+ (26th). The Tigers were also relatively quiet offensively in the Wild Card series, scoring just three total runs in Games 1 and 2 before taking advantage of some poor Cleveland relief pitching in Game 3. It’s a matchup that Kirby can excel in at home. 

Meanwhile, the Tigers will start rookie Troy Melton for today’s game. They’re opting to go with Tarik Skubal in Game 2 to avoid pitching him on short rest. As for Melton, he had a 2.76 ERA in 16 appearances (4 starts) this season. However, the right-hander just had a rough outing in the Wild Card round. He gave up four runs on three hits in just a third of an inning. 

Melton likely won’t go deep into this game. He has just one outing lasting more than three innings since mid-August. Plus, the youngster had a 3.95 ERA and 6.79 FIP over his last 6 appearances in the regular season (13.2 innings). That’s worrisome, especially considering how bad he just looked against Cleveland. 

The Mariners can get to Melton early and punish Detroit for its short-handed rotation. Seattle was the MLB’s top offense vs. right-handers in September, with a .350 wOBA, 132 wRC+, and .818 OPS. After Melton is a Detroit bullpen that struggled to a 4.58 ERA over the final month of the regular season. 

Let’s back the Mariners to get an emphatic win by multiple runs to begin this series. Seattle went 51-30 at home this season, including 10-3 over the last 13 home games. In that stretch, seven of their last 10 home wins have come by 2+ runs. 

 

 

 

Best MLB Player Prop Bets & Other Picks Today, 10/4

 

Â