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

Thursday’s baseball slate features nine games on the MLB schedule. The action gets started early with some afternoon baseball. Even with fewer teams in action than normal, we have plenty of ways to go for our top MLB picks and 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. 

Keep in mind, some of these 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, 6/26

Our MLB Best Bets Today start with an early afternoon matchup between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Kansas City Royals. Plus, the Miami Marlins go for the road sweep of the San Francisco Giants today. As always, don’t miss some top MLB player prop bets below. Check out these MLB predictions to make as you enjoy Thursday’s baseball action. 

 

 


 

Tampa Bay Rays vs. Kansas City Royals Predictions: Thursday, June 26th

The first two games of this week’s series between the Tampa Bay Rays and Kansas City Royals have been lower-scoring. In Thursday afternoon’s series finale, though, we should see both offenses wake up. Let’s break it down. 

Royals starter Michael Lorenzen has a shaky 4.81 ERA and 1.37 WHIP this year. He’s been up and down and unreliable for much of the season. Despite some decent outings lately, the righty still has a 7.20 ERA over his past five starts and a 5.73 ERA over his past nine starts. 

Lorenzen will face a Tampa Bay offense that’s been crushing right-handed pitching recently. Over the past two weeks vs. righties, the Rays have a .365 wOBA (1st in MLB), 140 wRC+ (2nd), .832 OPS (3rd), and .296 batting average (1st). They also boast a top-10 offense against right-handers overall this season (.329 wOBA, 115 wRC+). 

Tampa’s lineup has found its groove over the past month. The Rays are averaging 6.5 runs over their past 12 games and 6.2 runs over the past 25 games. It’s a tough spot for Lorenzen, who has a 3.95 FIP and 4.90 xFIP at home this year. 

Meanwhile, the Royals can put up runs of their own against Rays starter Shane Baz. The right-hander has a 4.79 ERA and 4.83 FIP this season. He has a 4.54 ERA and 5.40 FIP over his past seven starts and a 6.08 ERA since the beginning of May (10 starts). 

Baz has been solid at times, but he can just as easily give up 5+ runs. His 9.7% walk rate (30th percentile) and 10.2% barrel rate (23rd) are a worrisome combination. Plus, he notably has a 5.15 FIP on the road this year. 

Kansas City, admittedly, is a bottom-tier offense against right-handed pitching this season. However, we’re fading Baz in this spot. It helps that the Rays’ bullpen has a 5.40 ERA over the past week, too. 

Grab the over for both the full game and the first five innings. We also have hitter-friendly weather in Kansas City today, with 10-15 mph winds blowing out and temperatures in the high 80s. 

 

 


 

Miami Marlins vs. San Francisco Giants Predictions: Thursday, June 26th

The Miami Marlins have won the first two games of their series against the San Francisco Giants. The visitors will go for the sweep on Thursday afternoon, and there’s some clear value on the underdogs to do just that.

Miami starter Janson Junk has a 2.60 ERA and 1.49 FIP this season. He’s only made one start so far, but his five other relief outings were all 4+ innings. The right-hander owns an impressive 25:2 K:BB ratio across his 27.2 innings with just a 1.01 WHIP as well. 

It’s a small sample size, but Junk also had a 2.78 ERA and 2.54 FIP at Triple-A this year before being called up last month. Trusting him is definitely risky, but we’re going to do it today in a pitcher-friendly ballpark against an inconsistent Giants offense. 

Junk actually faced the Giants a month ago and tossed four shutout innings in relief. He can have similar success as San Francisco is average against right-handed pitching this year (.313 wOBA, 100 wRC+) and slightly below-average at home (.307 wOBA, 99 wRC+). 

Even with Rafael Devers in the lineup now, the Giants are batting just .222 vs. righties over the past week (25th in MLB) with a .684 OPS (23rd). After Junk exits, the Marlins’ bullpen can hold things down as well. The Miami relievers boast a collective 2.03 ERA over the last week. 

On the other side, Hayden Birdsong starts for San Fran. He has a solid 3.25 ERA, but many of his better outings came as a reliever earlier in the season. As a starter, Birdsong has a 3.99 ERA across six starts. He’s also struggled to a 4.81 ERA over his past five starts. 

Meanwhile, the Marlins are hitting righties fairly well lately. Over the past week in the split, they have a .299 BA (5th in MLB), .347 wOBA (11th), and 119 wRC+ (12th). Miami has also been above-average on the road during June, with a .287 BA (3rd) and .322 wOBA (11th). 

 

 


 

Best MLB Player Prop Bets & Other Picks Today, 6/26

 

Â