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

Saturday’s baseball slate is loaded up with 15 games on the MLB schedule. We games going on all day with every team in action. That means there are 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, 7/12

Our MLB Best Bets Today start with a marquee matchup between the Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres. Plus, we dive into an NL West showdown as the San Francisco Giants host Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers. As always, don’t miss some top MLB player prop bets and other baseball picks below. Check out these MLB predictions to make as you enjoy Saturday’s baseball action. 

 

 

 

Philadelphia Phillies vs. San Diego Padres Predictions: Saturday, July 12th

Saturday night’s national TV game on FOX pits the Philadelphia Phillies against the San Diego Padres. In addition to two playoff-caliber teams involved, we’re also gifted with a pitching matchup of Zack Wheeler vs. Yu Darvish. This pair of veteran starters should anchor a low-scoring game. 

Wheeler is the current betting favorite for the NL Cy Young with his 2.17 ERA and 0.84 WHIP this season. The Phillies’ ace is dominating over the past month, posting a 0.68 ERA and 54:7 K:BB ratio over his last six outings. That includes 8 shutout innings with 10 strikeouts against the Padres two starts ago. 

Wheeler is showing no signs of slowing down. He just tossed a complete game with 12 K’s last weekend. The right-hander has also allowed 2 runs or fewer in 13 of his last 14 starts. Though he’s better at home, Wheeler’s 2.52 ERA and 2.89 FIP on the road are pretty good as well. 

As for the Padres, they have one of the league’s worst offenses against right-handed pitching lately. Over the past two weeks in the split, San Diego has a .255 wOBA (30th in MLB), .183 BA (30th), and 64 wRC+ (28th). It’s also a below-average lineup vs. righties overall this season with a .302 wOBA (24th) and 100 wRC+ (20th). 

Plus, Wheeler owns a 1.81 ERA and 0.94 WHIP across eight career starts against the Padres. That includes a 1.57 ERA in four career outings in San Diego. He should do his thing today. 

Darvish can also keep the Philly offense in check. The Padres’ righty had mixed results in his season debut vs. Arizona last week, allowing 2 runs with 5 strikeouts and 3 walks across 3.2 innings. It was a good sign to see flashes of the old Darvish, though. 

In this matchup, Darvish can be effective. He boasts a 2.15 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in 8 career starts against the Phillies. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia lineup has been average vs. righties over the past week (.306 wOBA, 94 wRC+). It’s also just average on the road this season (.306 wOBA, 95 wRC+). 

Darvish likely won’t pitch deep into this game as he’s still building up arm strength. Once he exits, though, the San Diego bullpen can be trusted. The Padres’ relief corps owns a 3.28 ERA overall this year (2nd in MLB) and a 2.95 ERA in the month of July. 

Take the under for the full game and first five innings. We also have some encouraging under trends here. The Phillies are 13-4 to the under in their last 17 games while the Padres are 11-5 to the under over their last 16 contests. That includes last night’s 4-2 win by San Diego. 

 

 

 

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Francisco Giants Predictions: Saturday, July 12th

The Los Angeles Dodgers have a four-game lead in the NL West over the San Francisco Giants heading into today’s matchup. After winning last night, the Giants can shrink the deficit even more with another victory on Saturday. Let’s break down this divisional showdown. 

If you haven’t noticed, the Dodgers are looking very mortal lately. They’re stuck in a seven-game losing streak and just got swept by both the Astros and Brewers in back-to-back series. Meanwhile, San Francisco is surging with a 7-2 record over its last nine games. 

Landen Roupp starts for the Giants today. The right-hander has been better than expected this year with a 3.39 ERA through 18 starts. He’s been pitching well recently, posting a 1.33 ERA over his last 4 starts and a 2.32 ERA over his last 10 outings. 

Roupp has also been a lot better at home. He owns a 1.85 ERA, 2.73 FIP, and .268 wOBA allowed at home compared to a 4.56 ERA, 4.68 FIP, and .353 wOBA on the road. The San Fran starter boasts a 1.23 ERA over his past five home starts as well. 

It may seem crazy, but Roupp can be effective against the Dodgers at home here. The LAD lineup has really struggled against right-handed pitching over the past week with a .228 wOBA (29th in MLB), .172 BA (29th), and 28.1% K rate (28th) in the split. Plus, behind Roupp is a Giants bullpen with a league-best 3.17 ERA this season. 

On the other side, we have Shohei Ohtani starting for Los Angeles. He hasn’t pitched more than two innings in any of his four outings so far this year, so it’ll likely be another “opener” role today. Ohtani can easily keep the Giants scoreless when he’s out there, but the Dodgers’ relievers after him are the main worry. 

LA has mainly been using Ben Casparius as the bulk reliever after Ohtani. The rookie right-hander has struggled to an 8.83 ERA and 6.89 FIP over his last five appearances. The Dodgers’ pen has been issue lately with a 6.45 ERA in the month of July. The relief corps also ranks 24th in ERA overall this year. 

The Giants’ offense has admittedly been league-average this month. Yet, we’re simply fading the Los Angeles bullpen after Ohtani exits. Take San Francisco to get the win and lead after five innings. 

 

 

 

Best MLB Player Prop Bets & Other Picks Today, 7/12