Best MLB Bets Tuesday, April 21: Today’s Predictions, Picks & Props
Paul Connor
Host · Writer
The 2026 MLB season is in full swing, bringing a fresh slate of betting opportunities to the board every single day. As always, SportsGrid is here to help you navigate the 162-game marathon with our premier daily best bets. Whether you’re targeting moneylines, run lines, or player props, we have you covered.
Here are my top plays for today’s slate!
Note: All odds are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook and are subject to change after the publication of this article.
Best Bet #1: CHI Shota Imanaga OVER 6.5 Strikeouts (+118) vs. Philadelphia Phillies
If it isn’t broken, we absolutely aren’t fixing it. Imanaga (1-1, 2.45 ERA, 0.77 WHIP) is fresh off a dominant road outing against this same Phillies lineup, striking out 11 batters over six innings of one-run ball. Even more impressively, the star southpaw generated a staggering 26 swinging strikes, the highest single-game mark of any pitcher in baseball so far this season (per Bleed Cubbie Blue).
Imanaga has now racked up 20 punchouts across his last 12 frames and has safely eclipsed tonight’s 6.5 threshold in three of his first four starts. While you can never completely discount a sleeping giant like the Philadelphia offense, which ranks 27th in runs scored per game, the value here is too good to pass up.
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Best Bet #2: Cleveland Guardians Moneyline (-142) vs. Houston Astros
Houston snapped its four-game skid yesterday, blowing out the Guardians 9-2. However, carrying that momentum into tonight will be a very tall order as Cleveland hands the ball to left-hander Parker Messick.
Messick has been absolutely dealing, compiling a 3-0 record, a 1.05 ERA, and a suffocating 0.78 WHIP. Conversely, the Astros are trotting out Ryan Weiss, who has been incredibly generous to opposing lineups.
In addition to lugging around a 6.75 ERA, Weiss’s command has been highly erratic, issuing free passes to an alarming 13.9 percent of the batters he’s faced. Simply put, such a massive discrepancy on the mound makes laying the juice on a Guardians bounce back a no-brainer.
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