Expert Baseball Picks and Previews

Reds turn to Brady Singer in bid for sweep at Pittsburgh The Cincinnati Reds have an injury-plagued bullpen and are down another key starter, yet they stand one game from sweeping the Pirates as they enter the finale of a three-game series on Sunday in Pittsburgh. The Reds will turn to right-hander Brady Singer (3-6, 4.81 ERA), hoping he can

Marlins seek to continue month-long surge vs. Cardinals There has been no June gloom for the Miami Marlins, who are hoping this month’s success serves as a springboard to postseason glory. The Marlins look to continue their winning ways when they face the host St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday. Miami improved to major league-best 17-5 in June by opening the

Angels’ Reid Detmers aims to overcome issues vs. A’s Los Angeles Angels left-hander Reid Detmers enters Saturday night’s game against the Athletics in Anaheim, Calif., having allowed three earned runs or less in nine of his last 11 starts. The bad news is that the two starts in which he allowed more than three earned runs came against the A’s.

Twins pursue series win against visiting Rockies The Colorado Rockies finished a 4-2 homestand on Wednesday with nail-biting finishes in nearly every game, and they continued that trend in the opener of a three-game series at the Minnesota Twins on Friday night. Colorado scored eight runs over the eighth and ninth innings to erase a 7-0 lead, but the Twins

Padres continue one-game-at-a-time philosophy vs. Dodgers As far as the San Diego Padres are concerned, the main task this weekend isn’t necessarily making the National League West a race again by sweeping the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers. “Keep stacking wins however we can get them,” first baseman Ty France said. “The good thing is we’re playing good baseball right now.”

Homecoming week continues as Braves visit Giants Mike Yastrzemski, Mauricio Dubon and Dominic Smith hope to continue a happy homecoming when the Atlanta Braves seek a second straight road win over the San Francisco Giants on Saturday night. All three ex-Giants were in the starting lineup when the Braves opened the set with a 3-1 victory Friday night. They combined

Athletics vs Los Angeles Angels ended 5-2 for Los Angeles, and the betting lesson was about control. The Angels did not need a massive offensive night. They needed enough scoring, cleaner pitching, and a finish that kept the Athletics from turning the game into a late upset spot. The pregame expectation leaned toward Los Angeles having the more trustworthy home

Atlanta Braves vs San Francisco Giants ended 5-0 for San Francisco, and the betting lesson was about run prevention taking complete control. Atlanta’s name value and lineup reputation did not matter once the Braves were held scoreless. The pregame expectation had to respect Atlanta’s offensive ceiling, but San Francisco had the home setting and a pitching path to make the

Los Angeles Dodgers vs San Diego Padres ended 15-3 for Los Angeles, and the betting lesson was about not overcomplicating elite offensive separation. The Padres had home-field and rivalry motivation, but the Dodgers turned the matchup into a blowout. The pregame expectation was built around a high-interest NL West matchup where San Diego had enough talent to attract support at