3 MLB Best Bets and Player Props for Thursday 9/26/24

Baseball has you covered if you want a large inventory of options to bet.

From moneylines to run totals to player props, we have plenty of ways to bet the long, arduous MLB schedule daily. Outlooks can be vastly different due to starting pitchers, and a wealth of advanced stats can let us know if an individual pitcher, a bullpen, or a team is due for positive -- or negative -- regression.

Using numberFire's MLB projections and FanDuel Research's MLB DFS projections as a guide, which MLB odds from FanDuel Sportsbook are most appealing today?

Note: Lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published. All stats come from FanGraphs and Baseball Savant unless noted otherwise. Please check here to make sure you're seeing the most updated projections.

Today's Best MLB Bets and Player Props

Los Angeles Angels at Chicago White Sox

Angels Moneyline (-136)

The Los Angeles Angels have a sizable advantage on the mound today, so I'm into in their moneyline at -136 odds.

Tyler Anderson is getting the ball for the Halos, and he's been pretty good in 2024, pitching to a 4.32 expected ERA (xERA) with a 12.7% swinging-strike rate. He's got more than enough in the tank to deal with the putrid offense of the Chicago White Sox, one that sits dead last in wOBA (.261) across the past 30 days.

Chicago is sending Chris Flexen to the hill, and it's been a real struggle for Flexen this campaign. Through 153 2/3 frames, he's posted a 4.94 xERA, allowing a 44.8% fly-ball rate and 1.41 dingers per nine innings.

Whenever I can get a Flexen opponent at a respectable moneyline, I'm going to be interested, so I'm on the Angels to win on Thursday afternoon.

Miami Marlins at Minnesota Twins

David Festa 5+ Strikeouts and Twins Moneyline (-106)

The playoffs have already started for the Minnesota Twins. With four games left, Minnesota sits two behind the final wild card spot. They're fighting an uphill battle and are listed at +330 odds to make the MLB playoffs.

They've got a good chance to pick up a win tonight -- -250 moneyline favorites -- in a home clash with the Miami Marlins. In a Same Game Parlay, I'm backing the Twins to get the W and pairing it with David Festa to record at least five punchouts.

The -250 moneyline speaks for itself. The Twins have a big edge at pitcher with Festa (3.58 SIERA) and Valente Bellozo (5.28 SIERA) the scheduled starters. Minnesota's offense has gone stone cold of late, which is why they're on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff race, but the Twins' bats should have success tonight against Bellozo, who is surrendering 1.98 jacks per nine through 63 2/3 MLB innings.

As for the Festa leg, the rookie righty put up silly K numbers in Triple-A this season, producing a 34.9% strikeout rate over 60 1/3 innings. He has missed bats in The Show, too, with a 28.1% K rate through his first 60 innings. He's got -192 odds to punch out at least five tonight. However, he must avoid a slow start. With Minnesota in must-win mode, they won't be able to have patience with Festa if he's struggling early in the game.

San Diego Padres at Los Angeles Dodgers

Over 8.5 Runs (-110)

A few years back, a matchup of Joe Musgrove and Walker Buehler would've been a clash between two of the game's aces.

Thanks to Buehler's struggles, that's not the case in 2024, and that puts me on the over tonight when the Los Angeles Dodgers host the San Diego Padres.

Buehler made his return from injury this year, and he's been a shell of his former self. Over 70 1/3 innings, he's struggled to a 4.81 xERA with an 8.3% walk rate. Both of those are career-worst numbers. The longball has been a major issue for Buehler as he's permitted 2.05 homers per nine this season.

Musgrove has been much better than Buehler, with the Padres' righty boasting a 24.7% K rate and 12.6% swinging-strike rate. With that said, Musgrove's xERA is a blah 4.47, and he's got a brutal matchup today against the elite offense of the Dodgers.

Actually, both hurlers have a terrible matchup. In the second half, the Dodgers (.339) and Padres (.336) sits second and third, respectively, in wOBA. Each offense is also in the top 10 in second-half homers and ISO.

numberFire's MLB projections forecast there to be 9.41 total runs in this game and give over 8.5 runs a 56.7% chance to hit.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.