5 Best MLB Bets, Player Props, and Home Run Picks for Saturday 8/23/25

In a given MLB slate, you've got tons of markets to dig through, from totals to home runs and strikeout props.

Which bets stand out for today's games?

Below, I'm going to run through my favorite bets in FanDuel Sportsbook's MLB betting odds. You can get additional insights from our daily MLB player prop projections.

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.

Today's Best MLB Bets, Player Props, and Home Run Picks

Houston Astros at Baltimore Orioles

Orioles Moneyline (-120)

The slight chalk behind the Baltimore Orioles seems appropriate today.

Dean Kremer is pacing for the second-lowest ERA of his career (3.97) and has done an exceptional job limiting hard contact (34.7% rate). The Houston Astros' up-and-down campaign against right-handers is currently in a valley as they've amassed the third-worst team OPS against righties in the past 30 days (.694).

On the other side, Cristian Javier is a bit of a wild card as he's returned from elbow surgery last year. Javier's 4.51 skill-interactive ERA (SIERA) through 8.0 innings, and he hasn't resembled the strikeout artist that preceded the injury with an 8.9% swinging-strike rate (SwStr%).

In addition to being the stronger offense, Houston's bullpen has the second-worst xFIP in MLB (4.47) over the past month. I like the O's to even the series at one.

Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox

Over 9.5 Runs (-104)

If the Minnesota Twins are the offense we're worried about a bit here, the over is probably the move.

At this point, the Chicago White Sox deserve a bit of credit in this split. The Pale Hose are eighth in wRC+ (112) against righties like Mick Abel in the past month. Abel, who came over from the Philadelphia Phillies in the Jhoan Duran deal, has a concerning 6.35 xERA that speaks to contact issues, and his put-away potential (19.4 K%) isn't supremely high, either.

Minnesota should still find success against Davis Martin, though. Martin has a 4.67 SIERA, and he's conceded 17 earned in his last six starts.

The real benefit of this line could be a Twinkies 'pen that, without Duran, just can't get outs. They're the one team behind Houston in reliever xFIP (4.64) over the past 30 days.

Colson Montgomery to Hit a Home Run (+390)

Abel's contact issues open the door to a dong prop. Colson Montgomery rounded the bases on Friday, but these odds to go back-to-back are sweet.

Minnesota's right-hander would rank 15th percentile or worse in groundball rate (29.9%), hard-hit rate (54.5%), and barrel rate (11.7%) if he qualified. There's a boatload of hard-hit baseballs in the air, which is how he's permitted a whopping 3.77 HR/9 to left-handed bats.

Montgomery is Chicago's most potent one. He's totaled a .770 OPS in the past 30 days against opposite-handed arms, and the power numbers are even better, including a .370 ISO, 53.8% flyball rate, and 48.7 hard-hit rate.

At 0.23 projected median home runs, FanDuel Research's MLB player prop projections would put him at +386 for a bomb.

Chicago Cubs at Los Angeles Angels

Angels Under 4.5 Runs (-125)
Cade Horton to Record 5+ Strikeouts (-132)

Even in MLB's eighth-best park for offense, the Los Angeles Angels' team total is too high.

On the surface, L.A. averages just 4.37 runs per game, and this is their worst split. The Halos have a poor 85 wRC+ against righties in the past 30 days, the fourth-worst mark in baseball. They're also punching out at the highest rate in the league (28.2%) in these parameters.

They'll face Cade Horton of the Chicago Cubs in this one, and Horton is on a heater that's nearly solidified him into a potential October rotation for the squad. He's got a 0.58 ERA and 23.9% strikeout rate in his last six starts, which is supported by a 4.06 SIERA. He's upped his changeup usage in this time, so I think the transformation is fairly sticky.

Chicago also has the very best bullpen xFIP in MLB over the past month (2.86), so this is a tough draw for offense. I'm adding Horton to record five-plus strikeouts given the Angels' tendency to whiff, as well. We've got him projected for 4.6 Ks.

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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.