Expert Baseball Picks and Previews

Tigers battling bullpen woes as Rangers visit The concerns about the Detroit Tigers’ bullpen figure to be amplified following another late-inning setback. Detroit has lost three of its last four games heading into Saturday night’s matchup against the visiting Texas Rangers, who opened the three-game series with a 5-4 win on Friday. Detroit rallied from an early 4-0 deficit to

White Sox pursue another memorable performance vs. Padres Will Venable made it back to where it all began on Friday night: San Diego. His MLB career started with the Padres in 2008, and he spent 7 1/2 seasons there, then went to the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Dodgers before retirement. While he made plenty of memories playing in San

Royals vie to ride power surge in rematch vs. Mariners When Jac Caglianone homered in the sixth inning Friday night in Seattle, nobody was more excited than Kansas City Royals teammate Vinnie Pasquantino. Pasquantino pinched his fingers together in a traditional Italian hand gesture then greeted Caglianone at the top step of the dugout with a kiss on both cheeks.

Red Sox eager to ride Jarren Duran’s blast to another victory over Astros There were encouraging signs from the Boston Red Sox’s offense on Friday night, and the team will look to build on that performance when it hosts the Houston Astros on Saturday afternoon. Jarren Duran’s three-run home run was the big blow in Boston’s 3-1 victory Friday. The

Phillies clash with Marlins, work to continue turnaround under Don Mattingly After a slow start to the season, the Philadelphia Phillies have a simple — and obvious — goal under interim manager Don Mattingly. “We’ve got to win ballgames,” right-hander Zack Wheeler said after the Phillies defeated the Marlins 6-5 on Friday night in Miami. “You can’t get too far

Rays’ Griffin Jax adjusting to potential new role as Giants await Tampa Bay right-hander Griffin Jax may be taking a new step in his career on Saturday evening when the Rays meet the San Francisco Giants in St. Petersburg, Fla. For the second time this season, the career reliever will make a start and perhaps get settled into what could

Stingy starters take mound for Brewers, Nationals Milwaukee’s William Contreras will aim to extend his torrid hitting stretch when the Brewers visit the Washington Nationals for the second game of a three-game series on Saturday afternoon. Contreras had four hits and drove in three runs in the Brewers’ 6-1 win on Friday. That performance came after he collected four hits

San Francisco Giants vs. Tampa Bay Rays The San Francisco Giants and Tampa Bay Rays continue their series Saturday at Tropicana Field after Tampa Bay controlled Friday’s opener with a 3-0 win. That result gives the Rays immediate momentum, but the market still has San Francisco priced as the slight favorite at -120. This is a tight betting matchup. The

Atlanta Braves vs. Colorado Rockies The Atlanta Braves and Colorado Rockies continue their series Saturday at Coors Field after Atlanta won a high-scoring 8-6 matchup on May 1. That result fits the venue, and the market is again expecting offense with the total set at 9.5. Atlanta is a heavy road favorite at -232, while Colorado comes back at +190