Walk-Off Wagers: MLB Best Bets Today (Bet Padres in Yu Darvish's 2025 Debut)

Iain MacMillan | Jul 7, 2025

Yu Darvish is set to make his 2025 debut on July 7. / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

It's a new week which means we have a brand new slate of MLB games to watch and bet on this Monday.

The best way to fight the Monday blues is by cashing in on a few bets, so I'm going to do my best to do exactly that. I have three bets I'm locked in for today's slate, including the Padres to take down the Diamondbacks in Yu Darvish's 2025 debut.

Let's dive into them.

Top MLB Picks Today

Odds via Caesars Sportsbook

• Pirates vs. Royals UNDER 9 (-115)
• Brewers +115 vs. Dodgers
• Padres -125 vs. Diamondbacks

Pirates vs. Royals Prediction

We have a battle of lefties set for today's interleague matchup between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Kansas City Royals. Andrew Heaney (4.16 ERA) will get the start for the Pirates and Noah Cameron (2.56 ERA) will be on the mound for the Royals.

It's important to note that both teams have been worse offensively when facing left-handed pitching this season. The Royals rank 25th in OPS against lefties at .637 and the Pirates come in at 27th in that stat at .619. That's enough to lead me to believe we're going to see a low-scoring game tonight, I'll take the UNDER with the total set at a relatively high number of 9.0.

Pick: UNDER 9 (-115)

Dodgers vs. Brewers Prediction

The Los Angeles Dodgers have struggled a bit, compared to their usual dominant selves. Their offensive is just ninth in OPS over the past 30 days (.758), which is behind the Brewers who come in at seventh in that stat at .761. Over the past two weeks, the Dodgers have been even worse offensively, ranking just 14th in OPS in that time frame at .715.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto gets the start for the Dodgers tonight, but he will be matched by Freddy Peralta of the Brewers, both of which have sub-3.00 ERAs. The Brewers do have an advantage when it comes to their bullpen. One of the biggest weaknesses of the Dodgers has been their relievers, which rank 24th in the Majors in bullpen ERA at 4.46.

With the Brewers at home tonight, I think there's some value on them as underdogs at +115.

Pick: Brewers +115

Diamondbacks vs. Padres Prediction

Yu Darvish is set to make his 2025 debut for the San Diego Padres tonight, which makes this a great spot to back them. He had a 3.31 ERA in 16 starts in 2024, showing no signs of slowing down.

Tonight, he and the Padres will take on the Arizona Diamondbacks, who will be starting Zac Gallen. Gallen has a 5.45 ERA this season with a 1.365 WHIP, which should set the Padres' offense up to have a big game. Even if he survives his start, the Diamondbacks will eventually have to turn to their bullpen which is one of the worst in the Majors with an ERA of 5.06.

The Padres are the side to back tonight.

Pick: Padres -125

---

Use our exclusive Caesars Sportsbook promo code SICZRDYW to double your winnings on your next 10 bets. Simply deposit $10 or more and place a first-time wager of at least $1, and Caesars will give you 10 100% profit boost tokens.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

You can check out all of Iain's bets here!