This article is part of our MLB Picks series.
MLB Picks for Giants vs Mets: Expert MLB Bets and Player Props for April 20
After a successful 2-1/+1.52 day over at Best Bets last Friday, I'm back with another Game Focus for Thursday's short slate. The season is off to an interesting start as teams thought to be strong (Astros, Mariners, Phillies, Cardinals, Dodgers, Padres) all have losing records while the Twins, Rangers, Brewers, and Diamondbacks lead their respective divisions. Today's focus sends us out west as the Mets and Giants kick off a 4-game series in San Francisco.
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New York Mets at 
San Francisco Giants
The Mets are off to a respectable 12-7 start and sit two games behind Atlanta in the NL East while the Giants appear to be in rebuild mode. Mets hitters have seen plenty of Giants starter Sean Manaea and have had good success with four batters sporting an OPS of over 1.000 in their careers. NY starter Kodai Senga is coming off a poor start in Oakland and has struggled with walks in his three starts, giving up 10 in just 16 innings pitched. One thing the Giants do well is hit the long ball (3rd in MLB with 28) and if Senga puts guys on base, they have the ability to make him pay. The weather looks lovely in the Bay Area and I expect runs to be put up in bunches tonight.
MLB Best Bet: Mets/Giants OVER 8.5 (+106) @ FanDuel
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The Mets are one of the teams that have embraced the stolen base this year, ranking 4th in the league with 21 thefts as a team. I'm going to combine that with one of the aforementioned hitters that have hit Manaea well in their career, Tommy Pham. Pham is 5-for-8 in his career off Manaea with an insane 2.125 OPS. Pham still has wheels and has a couple of stolen bases on the season already, and given the chances he will be on base frequently tonight, his SB odds are worth a flier.
MLB Best Bet: Tommy Pham Stolen Base (+750) @ DraftKings
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Francisco Lindor is another player that has hit Manaea well in his career, posting a 1.083 OPS on 4-for-12 hitting. Three of those four hits went for extra bases, including one home run, and that where I'll look for my final prop of the night. Lindor has hit for power this year with four homers already in 2023. With pleasant weather, good history, and a good power stroke in place, I like Lindor to go deep tonight.
MLB Best Bet: Francisco Lindor Home Run (+550) universally
For those inclined to play the bigger odds plays, clearly I foresee a lot of runs scored tonight and I do like the value on the Mets, who are clearly the better team, at -115 for some cover.
Best Bets Recap for Mets vs Giants
Here's a recap of my best Game Focus bets for today's Mets/Giants contest:
- Mets/Giants OVER 8.5 (+106) @ FanDuel
- Tommy Pham Stolen Base (+750) @ DraftKings
- Francisco Lindor Home Run (+550) universally
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