The opening week of the 2026 Major League Baseball season continues with a full 15-game slate on Saturday. It includes a couple of showdowns regionally televised on FOX – Royals vs Braves and Yankees vs Giants. The Twins and Orioles are squaring off on FS1 earlier in the day.
Here are my best bets, and also make sure to check out our MLB picks for predictions throughout the 2026 campaign!
Chicago Cubs -1.5 over Washington Nationals (-115)
Following a day off, look for the Cubs to regroup and bounce back from their Opening Day stinkbomb (lost 10-4 to the Nationals). Chicago is the far superior team on paper, and that should play out on the field in this particular matchup. The Cubs are going with Cade Horton, who finished runner-up in National League Rookie of the Year voting last year. Washington is countering with Miles Mikolas, who is coming off 6 consecutive losing seasons with St. Louis. The veteran right-hander has compiled ERAs of 4.78, 5.35 and 4.84. Nico Hoerner is 14-for-39 lifetime against Mikolas and Michael Busch is 6-for-15 with 3 home runs. The Cubs’ formidable lineup should be in for a big afternoon at Wrigley Field.
Houston Astros ML over Los Angeles Angels (-148)
It’s hard to see Houston beginning the season by losing 3 in a row to an inferior opponent. Beyond simply being “due” for a win, however, this should be a favorable matchup for the Astros. They are playing at home and sending Cristian Javier to the mound. Javier faced the Angels once last year and hurled 6.0 innings of shutout baseball. The right-hander has been incredible at home throughout his career, so another dominant performance can be expected against an unspectacular Angels lineup. The Halos are sending Reid Detmers to the mound. Converted from the bullpen, Detmers will be making his first start since 2024. The last time he was a starter, Detmers went 4-9 with a 6.70 ERA.
Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 over Arizona Diamondbacks (-111)
Unsurprisingly, the Dodgers are off to a 2-0 start. The 2-time defending World Series champions are title favorites once again, especially after Kyle Tucker joined an already imposing lineup led by Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts. Manager Dave Roberts’ club failed to cover the run line on Friday (won 5-4), but it crushed Arizona 8-2 on Opening Day. I anticipate a convincing win for the home side in this one. Tyler Glasnow is getting the ball for the Dodgers, while the Angels are countering with Eduardo Rodriguez. Although Glasnow may not require a lot of run support, he’ll probably get it. Freeman is 8-for-15 lifetime against Rodriguez with 1 home run; Teoscar Hernandez is 10-for-26 with 3 homers.
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