Thursday is traditionally a slow day on the diamond, but we have nine games to attack today, with the majority of them starting in the afternoon.
As you prepare to lock in for the NFL Draft, why not add a rooting interest by way of our MLB predictions?
Top MLB Predictions for Thursday, April 23
Before you lock in your MLB plays for the day, give the FREE Mock Draft Simulator one last spin. The NFL takes center stage tonight in Pittsburgh, and you know you’re going to be watching, so get ahead of the action and predict who your favorite team is going to call to the stand!
Yankees vs. Red Sox: Trent Grisham for 2+ Bases
Grisham had the two-homer game a week and a half ago, but outside of that, it’s been a brutal start to his third season in pinstripes.
Could we see that change tonight?
His strikeout numbers dip when holding the platoon advantage, something he’ll start this game with. Brayan Bello hasn’t shown signs of building on, or even sustaining, his strong 2025 season (3.35 ERA), but that shouldn’t be a massive shock given that his xERA was 4.48 and the zone contact numbers were off the charts.
He has some impressive moments, but he was walking a fine line last season, and he isn’t getting as lucky so far in 2026. With an 11.9% opponent barrel rate, he’s struggling in a major way, and with 68% of his pitches being either the cutter or sinker, he doesn’t really have many ways to get out of this funk in the short term.
As a team, the Yanks have been good with velocity, and that puts them in a prime position to produce against Bello’s 94-ish mph sinker. I’m expecting them to jump on him early and often, something that opens the door for Grisham to see pitches he can handle.
This season, opponents have had success against Bello with men on base: a limited repertoire allows the hitters to have a good idea of what is coming, and a lack of form requires him to be around the strike zone if he wants any chance at getting back into the dugout.
There are a lot of ways to leverage what feels like a mismatch, and I’ll be tying them together (Yankees to cover the spread and the under on Bello’s outs/strikeouts) in SGPs tonight to try to take full advantage.
Minnesota Twins vs. New York Mets: Twins at -1.5
Christian Scott makes his return to the majors after posting a 1.74 ERA, 0.58 WHIP, and 12:2 K:BB over 10 1/3 innings in his last two starts at Triple-A. That’s encouraging, yes, but this will be his first MLB start since 2024, as he required Tommy John surgery with an internal brace. It’s hard to trust Scott, and even harder to trust the Mets.
The Twins will give the ball to Joe Ryan, who brings a respectable 3.29 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and a 28:6 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 27 1/3 innings across five starts. The edge leans toward Minnesota because of the steadier production Ryan has provided.
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