MLB Picks

Game 2 of today’s doubleheader between the San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies could quickly turn into a bullpen game, with both teams likely to have short leashes on their starters. San Francisco will send Adrian Houser to the mound, who is 0-3 with a 7.36 ERA with a 1.79 WHIP through 5 starts. For the Phillies, Andrew Painter will get the nod, entering at 1-2 with a 5.25 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP through 5 games. 

Offensively, neither team has been impressive overall this season. The Phillies hold a .662 OPS and are averaging 3.8 runs per game. As for the Giants, they haven’t been much better, holding a .654 OPS while averaging 3.3 runs per game. Even though their offensive production has been minimal, both starting pitchers have struggled. The last time Houser faced Philadelphia, he allowed 4 earned runs on 9 hits over 6 innings. Painter had similar issues in his last outing against the Giants, giving up 4 earned runs on 9 hits in just 4 innings.

Despite both offenses being inconsistent, this matchup sets up well for a high-scoring game. In a game between 2 vulnerable starters with the likelihood of heavy bullpen usage in a doubleheader, both teams should have the opportunity to put runs on the board. 

Giants vs Phillies Game 2 prediction: Over 7 (-105) available at time of publishing. Playable to -115.

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The Toronto Blue Jays open a 4-game series at Target Field in Minneapolis against the Minnesota Twins on Thursday. The Jays streak in with 4 wins in the past 5 outings, and pitching has been a major reason for the turnaround. After opening 10-15 in the first 25 games, Toronto’s pitching has been much better lately, allowing 3 or fewer runs in 4 of the past 5 games, with 11 totals runs in the span (2.2 RPG). That including a 3-0 win against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, and an 8-1 rout of the Red Sox on Wednesday. The Jays have won 3 straight starts with RHP Kevin Gausman on the hill, too.

For the Twins, they’ve dropped 7 of the past 8 games, as well as 11 of the previous 13 outings. RHP Bailey Ober is on the bump for the Twins, who are 3-3 in his 6 outings this season — including losses in the past 2 appearances. Twins pitching as a whole has been shelled, allowing 42 runs in the past 7 games, including a 6-1 loss at Tampa Bay in Ober’s last outing and a 7-4 loss April 19 against the Cincinnati Reds with Ober toeing the slab. Let’s back Toronto with its ace on the hill, as Minnesota just isn’t getting the job done lately.

Blue Jays vs Twins prediction: Toronto Blue Jays ML (-135) available at time of publishing. Playable to -150.

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The Detroit Tigers and Atlanta Braves finish their series on Thursday afternoon, with the Tigers looking to avoid a sweep. The Braves won the first 2 games 5-2 and 4-3, persevering through the heart of the Tigers’ starting rotation. Detroit will hope that Framber Valdez can salvage a win this week, while Atlanta counters with Bryce Elder.

Valdez had 1 blowup outing this season when he gave up 8 earned runs over 5 innings against the Minnesota Twins. Outside of that poor outing, the righty has been stellar for Detroit, allowing 2 or fewer earned runs in each of his 5 other starts. One concern is that Valdez doesn’t go deep into games, and the Tigers’ bullpen has struggled this season with a 4.52 collective ERA, putting them in the bottom half of the league.

Elder had a hot start to the season for the Braves, pitching 3 shutout outings in his first 4 starts. His ERA was as low as 0.77 entering his 5th start, but 2 straight games of 3 earned runs have him coming back down to earth. Elder’s xERA over the past few seasons showed he was never as bad as a 5+ ERA suggested, but in 2026, he is outperforming the numbers, and it is coming back around.

The Tigers find a way to get the win off Elder in this game, with Valdez pitching deep enough into the game to hold on for the victory.

Tigers vs Braves prediction: Detroit Tigers ML (+110) available at time of publishing. Playable to +105.

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The Houston Astros and Baltimore Orioles get back in action on Thursday afternoon after Wednesday’s game was postponed due to weather. The teams will play a doubleheader on Thursday, with the first game pitting Lance McCullers Jr. vs. Chris Bassitt. Baltimore took the first game of the series on Tuesday by a score of 5-3.

McCullers Jr. has been in the middle of an especially poor stretch of play, allowing 15 earned runs over his last 14.1 innings. The righty has a 6.75 ERA, but his 4.94 xERA suggests that his performances should start coming back around soon. That said, the Orioles are going to be a tough matchup for that to start happening, as Baltimore has a .324 wOBA, putting them 8th-best in the majors in that category.

Bassitt allowed 10 earned runs over his first 2 starts, giving Baltimore a little bit of buyer’s remorse after stealing him from their AL East foes. Nevertheless, he bounced back as he has done in the past, going 2 games with just 1 earned run. Instead of building on it, Bassitt had another tough outing in his last start, allowing 8 hits and 5 earned runs over 5.1 innings.

The Astros have the worst bullpen ERA in the league, and the Orioles are also in the bottom half. It’ll be all hands on deck in the bullpen with Wednesday’s game postponed, but be aware that the teams may need to save some of their leverage arms for the second game.

Astros vs Orioles Game 1 prediction: Over 9 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number. 

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Game 1 of today’s doubleheader between the San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies offers both teams a chance to build momentum. Taking the mound for the Giants will be Logan Webb, who enters at 2-3 with a 4.86 ERA through 6 starts. Webb hasn’t been as sharp as last season — his cutter and sweeper haven’t generated the same swing-and-miss — but this matchup presents an opportunity to get back on track against a struggling Phillies lineup. For the Phillies, the lefty Cristopher Sanchez will take the mound, who is 2-2 with a 2.94 ERA through 6 starts. Sanchez faced the Giants earlier this season when he gave up 2 earned runs on 11 hits in 5 innings pitched. 

Over their last 10 games, the Giants are averaging 3.9 runs per game with a .693 OPS. As for the Phillies, they’re averaging 3.7 runs per game with a .627 OPS. One player Philadelphia needs to get going is Kyle Schwarber, who is batting just .130 with 3 home runs over his last 12 games. The Giants are batting .261 against lefties this season, and that could create problems for Sanchez as he’ll be looking to bounce back from his last outing. While Webb hasn’t been great on the road this season, posting a 2-1 record and a 5.00 ERA, he’ll be ready to go in this matchup.

I get it, it’s hard to trust either offense in this one, but I’m going to side with the Giants in the first game of this doubleheader based on their success against lefties, the stronger bullpen and because they’ve been in better offensive form over their last 10 games. 

Giants vs Phillies Game 1 prediction: San Francisco ML (+120) available at time of publishing. Playable to that number.

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The Pirates are looking to avoid a 4-game sweep at the hands of the Cardinals when they meet in the series finale on Thursday afternoon at PNC Park. The Pirates should feel good about their chances, as they will send reigning Cy Young winner Paul Skenes to the mound. It’s safe to say that the former LSU Tiger and No. 1 overall pick has righted the ship following his rough Opening Day outing against the Mets. In 5 starts in April, Skenes owns a stellar 0.95 ERA and is holding opposing hitters to a measly .106 batting average. He’s also racked up 29 strikeouts with just 5 walks over 28.1 innings of work. With the way he is rolling right now, the Cardinals will have their hands full with Skenes in this one.

On the other side, right-hander Hunter Dobbins will toe the rubber for the visitors. Dobbins will be making his first MLB appearance of the season after starting the season on the IL. He pitched to a 4.13 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in 13 appearances with Boston last season. The Pittsburgh offense isn’t exactly setting the world on fire right now, but they’ve still managed to score 13 total runs in the first 3 games of this series. Pittsburgh is 4-2 this season when Skenes pitches, and those 4 wins have come by differences of 6, 11, 6, and 5 runs. Look for Skenes to lead the Pirates to a multi-run victory in this one.

Cardinals vs Pirates prediction: Pittsburgh Pirates -1.5 (+105) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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I lean towards the over on the posted game total in Thursday’s matchup between the Colorado Rockies and the Cincinnati Reds. Michael Lorenzen is the scheduled starter for Colorado, as the journeyman right-hander is set to make his 8th appearance of the season. Lorenzen is fresh off his best outing of the year, tossing 7 innings of 1-run ball in a win against the Mets. Outside of that strong start, however, Lorenzen has struggled in 2026. His 5.97 ERA and 5.49 xERA are worrisome marks, and his inability to generate strikeouts has put a ton of pressure on the defense behind him. Opponents have a .322 xBA and a 50.4% hard-hit rate so far, so I don’t expect back-to-back strong starts.

Andrew Abbott is set to start this game for the Reds in what will be his 7th start of the year. Abbott outperformed expected metrics in previous seasons, and his ability or inability to repeat that in 2026 was a topic of fantasy baseball analysts during the offseason. So far in 2026, Abbott has been unable to produce much, posting a 6.59 ERA in his first 28.2 innings of work. His strikeout production is way down, and his batted-ball profile leaves a lot to be desired. Abbott’s 5.56 xERA is a full run better than his actual ERA so far, but still a worrisome mark. He benefits from drawing Colorado outside of Coors Field, but I still expect runs from both sides in this game.

Rockies vs Reds prediction: Over 9 (+100) available at time of publishing. Playable at that price.

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The Washington Nationals put up 14 runs in a dominant win over New York on Wednesday, but the Mets will look to avoid yet another series loss with Freddy Peralta (3.90 ERA, 1.21 WHIP) on the mound. You know what you’re getting with Peralta, but the righty has recorded only 1 quality start in 6 appearances this season and is backed up by a bullpen that surrendered 7 ER against Washington just last night. 

On the other side, Miles Mikolas (8.49 ERA, 1.84 WHIP) takes the mound for Washington, sitting in the 20th percentile or worse in a bevy of categories: pitching run value, xERA, strikeout rate, whiff rate and more. He’s been better ever since allowed 11 ER in 4.1 innings against the Dodgers, but a 5.48 xERA isn’t much to write home about — especially with a struggling bullpen unit ready in relief. The Mets have had their offensive woes this season, but this is an ideal matchup to get back on track and drive in some runs. With all things considered, I’ll taker the over in this spot.

Nationals vs Mets prediction: Over 7.5 (-120) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number or better.

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It is getaway day on Thursday, so the Arizona Diamondbacks and Milwaukee Brewers have an afternoon dish. These teams have split the first 2 games in the series, with Milwaukee’s offense exploding on Tuesday, followed by several Arizona homers on Wednesday. With a couple of veteran arms on the mound Thursday, we should expect the offenses to be held in check a bit more. I think the wrong team is favored in this spot, so I am happy to take the Diamondbacks to win this game.

Brandon Woodruff and Michael Soroka will toe the slab on Thursday afternoon. Both guys are looking for redemption seasons, and both have started well through the first month. What moves the needle for me in this game, though, is the offenses vs right-handed pitching. The Diamondbacks, with all their switch hitters, can stack the top half of the lineups with lefties, and they have a top-10 slugging percentage vs RHP. The Brewers, on the other hand, are in the bottom 10. I think the Snakes have a much better opportunity to hit for damage than the Brewers, especially with the current construction of the Milwaukee lineup that is missing several key bats to injury. Give me the D-Backs.

Diamondbacks vs Brewers prediction: Arizona Diamondbacks ML (+105) available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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The third and final game of this series between the Kansas City Royals and the Athletics will be played on Thursday afternoon. This will be the rubber match of the series, as both teams have won 1 game. The Athletics will send lefty Jeffrey Springs to the mound, who started off the season strong but has struggled in his last 2 outings — surrendering 11 earned runs and 5 home runs. One of those games was played at their home ballpark, and he gave up 4 homers in that game. The Royals will counter with Noah Cameron, who has given up 5 earned runs in 2 of his last 3 starts. He has a 5.13 ERA in 26.1 innings this season.

These 2 pitchers have been giving up runs lately, and playing in a ballpark that is prone to producing high-scoring games won’t be of any help to them. We have yet to see an offensive outbreak between these teams yet in this series, and I think that changes on Thursday afternoon. Give me the over in this one.

Royals vs. Athletics prediction: Over 9.5 (-115) available at time of publishing. Playable to that number.

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The Houston Astros will look to build some momentum heading into Game 2 of their doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles. Over their last 11 games, Houston is hitting .241 while averaging 4.5 runs per game. Baltimore has been similar, batting .231 and averaging 4.8 in that same span. While the offenses are fairly even, the biggest difference in this matchup comes from the bullpen. The Astros have struggled in that department, posting a league-worst 6.27 ERA, while the Orioles have been far more reliable with a 4.14 ERA. 

Houston will turn to Peter Lamber to start the game, who is 1-1 with a 3.27 ERA through 2 starts. He’s coming off a strong outing against Cleveland, tossing 6 scoreless innings with 8 strikeouts. Baltimore will send Brandon Young to the mound, who enters at 2-0 with a 2.53 ERA through 2 starts. While Young pitched well in his first outing, he struggled in his last start against Boston, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits over 5.2 innings. Lambert may have a slight edge based on his latest outing, but with both teams likely to lean on their bullpens in a doubleheader setting — that’s where the difference lies.

Given Houston’s ongoing struggles late in the game, Baltimore is in a much better position heading into Game 2. While the Astros may have some early success against Young, I expect Baltimore to pull away as the game goes on and secure a win in Game 2 of this doubleheader. 

Astros vs Orioles Game 2 prediction: Baltimore Orioles ML (-130) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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