MLB Best Bets for Friday, April 24: Cubs Crash Incoming?

Danny Burke

Written by: Danny Burke

Last Update: Fri Apr 24, 2026, 12:08 pm ET

Read Time: 7 minutes

With a loaded MLB slate on Friday, where should you take your action? Our analyst shares his MLB best bets and picks for today's card.

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Happy Friday, folks! Hope you're enjoying your day so far and are ready for a full slate of action on the diamond.

I'm pumped for this slate to begin, because I've got a handful of plays and am anticipating a fun evening. With that being said, let's dive into my MLB best bets for Friday, April 24.

MLB Best Bets for Friday, April 24

Gunnar Henderson is on a six game hitting streak for Baltimore - Mariners Orioles Picks

Red Sox vs Baltimore Orioles 

The Boston Red Sox dropped their third straight on Thursday night, falling 4-2 to the New York Yankees. It's one thing to get swept, it's another to get swept at home, and it's even worse when both come at the hands of your biggest rival.

Meanwhile, the Baltimore Orioles took two of three on the road against the Kansas City Royals and now return home with the ailing Red Sox coming to town.

At some point, the Red Sox should stabilize, but with Brayan Bello on the mound, it's hard to expect it here. Bello has been a roller coaster through four starts, posting a 6.75 ERA, 6.85 xERA and a 5.77 FIP.

He's also walking nearly six batters per nine innings, with a 1.93 WHIP, a .328 BABIP, a 63% left-on-base rate and a 17% HR/FB rate.

He's been a mess, and there's no incentive to back him until that changes.

The Orioles are slightly below average in wRC+ and OPS versus righties since the start of April, but they rank top-10 in ISO, so the power is there.

Meanwhile, Boston ranks 29th in ISO and 25th in both wRC+ and OPS against right-handed pitching over that span.

That's great news for Brandon Young, who was called up to replace the injured Dean Kremer.

Young has made one appearance so far this season, back on April 6 in Chicago against the White Sox. He went 5.0 innings, allowing two hits and two walks while recording two strikeouts. In Triple-A this season, he's thrown 16.2 innings across three starts, posting a 1.08 ERA and a 2.41 xFIP.

This is a great opportunity for the 27-year-old right-hander to build confidence, as he can make his mark at home against one of the worst offenses in the league.

Bet: Orioles Moneyline (-112)

Colorado Rockies vs New York Mets

Mets

How about a little momentum for the New York Mets? Yes, it's only two games, but when you lose 12 straight, you'll take any glass-half-full perspective you can get.

And yes, I know, the Mets screwed us a few nights ago after blowing a 3-0 lead and costing us a nice run-line price of +140, but here I am a few days later, going back to the well with the Metropolitans, despite saying they were dead to me.

But that's the beauty of baseball. You have to have the memory of a goldfish, and to be frank, that may be the Mets' motto this season.

Nevertheless, I'll be taking a stab at their run line once again with the Colorado Rockies coming to town.

The Rockies had their fun little winning spurt a couple weeks ago, but they've fallen back to reality and are a team I'm eager to fade again, especially with Michael Lorenzen on the bump.

Through 21.2 innings, Lorenzen owns a 7.48 ERA and a 5.32 FIP, along with an absurd .419 BABIP and a 16% HR/FB rate. Oh, and let's not forget his 2.12 WHIP and 50% hard-hit rate.

As bad as the Mets' bats have been, I'd be appalled if they struggle against Lorenzen today.

For New York, right-hander Freddy Peralta is set to start, and his 4.05 ERA, 3.81 xFIP and 1.09 WHIP inspire much more confidence.

Let's look for the Mets to continue their winning ways and start their opening game series against the Rockies on a high note.

Bet: Mets Run Line -1.5 (+100)

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Washington Nationals vs Chicago White Sox 

On the South Side of Chicago, the Washington Nationals and Chicago White Sox square off in what could be a high-scoring affair.

The wind will be blowing out around 10 MPH to center field, with temperatures in the upper 60s.

The conditions set up well for hitters, especially because of who will be on the mound.

The White Sox will have the benefit of facing Miles Mikolas, who continues to add atrocities to his career stat line. The 37-year-old has a 9.15 ERA through five games (three starts), with a 7.12 FIP. He's walking over 4.5 batters per nine innings, with a .343 BABIP, a 22% HR/FB rate and a 1.98 WHIP. He's also posting a 45% hard-hit rate and an 11% barrel rate.

On the flip side, this Washington Nationals lineup, which is above average against right-handers in wRC+, OPS and ISO, should have a great chance to produce against Erick Fedde.

Now, Fedde does have a 3.92 ERA, but also a worrisome 4.89 FIP, 42% hard-hit rate, 10% barrel rate and a 4.47 SIERA.

Overall, Fedde is the stronger pitcher, and I'd lean toward the White Sox if I had to choose a side, but instead of trusting them and Fedde, I'd rather expect both offenses to take advantage of a favorable situation and contribute enough to push this total over 9.

Bet: Total Over 9 (-120)

Chicago Cubs vs Los Angeles Dodgers

Shohei Ohtani bats lead off for the National League tonight - All Star Game Picks

Let's head to the West Coast where the red-hot Chicago Cubs get their toughest test of the season against the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Cubs have won nine straight games, something they haven't done since their 2016 World Series-winning season.

The Dodgers are still in cruise control, sitting at 17-8 and tied for first in the NL West with the Padres, despite dropping two of three in San Francisco and splitting a four-game series with the Rockies.

Tonight, they'll turn to Emmet Sheehan to kickstart this series against Chicago. Through four starts and 20 innings, Sheehan has a 5.85 ERA, but a more reassuring 4.01 xFIP. He's also done well forcing grounders at a 40% clip and carries a .286 BABIP.

Metrically, his worst results have come away from Dodger Stadium. He posted a 5.26 xFIP in Washington and a 4.98 xFIP in his previous start at Coors Field. In his two home outings, his xFIP came out to 3.02 and 2.58, respectively.

I'm a die-hard Cubs fan, and their offense is starting to click, but this is a massive test and I'm not sure they're ready for it. Their pitching staff is suffering injuries left and right, and they have an incredibly unreliable arm in Jameson Taillon on the bump tonight.

While the 34-year-old's 3.97 ERA might not seem overly alarming, his 6.06 FIP and 18% HR/FB rate say otherwise.

The Dodgers' bats have been underwhelming over the past week, and facing Taillon is a great opportunity for them to bounce back and do some damage.

Bet: Dodgers Run Line -1.5 (+125)

MLB Best Bets:

MLB Record: 32-22-1 (+9.19 units)

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Danny Burke
Danny Burke

Danny Burke is a betting analyst with a decade of sports media experience. He got his start at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, sharing picks on the local ESPN affiliate. After college, he hosted shows for VSiN in Las Vegas before returning to Chicago to launch 'Rush Hour', the first daily sports betting show from an Illinois casino. He also co-hosted 'Props and Locks' on Fox32’s Bears pregame show and ran 'Bet On, Chicago' on WLS-AM 890.

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