Expert MLB Picks and Previews

St. Louis heads into Houston on Saturday night after taking Friday’s opener 9-4, and that result matters because it shifted the feel of this series a bit. The Cardinals are still the road underdog, sitting at +128, while the Astros remain favored at -154 at Daikin Park. First pitch comes with Houston trying to avoid dropping the first two at

Baltimore heads into Progressive Field on Saturday night after taking Friday’s opener 6-4, but the market still gives Cleveland the edge at home. The Orioles come in at +112, the Guardians sit at -133, and that number tells you this is being priced as a fairly competitive game with a slight lean toward the home side. That usually creates a

Milwaukee heads into loanDepot Park on Saturday night after taking Friday’s opener 7-5, but the market still sees this as almost a pure coin-flip. The Brewers are sitting at -107, the Marlins at -112, with a total of 7.5 in a park that usually does not hand out offense for free. That balance is what makes the game interesting. It

Detroit heads into Fenway Park on Saturday in a spot that looks a little strange at first glance. The Tigers are the road favorite at -171 even after dropping Friday’s opener 1-0, while Boston comes back as a home dog at +142. That alone tells you the market is still pricing Detroit as the stronger overall side despite the loss,

Chicago heads into West Sacramento on Saturday in one of those games where the line says more than the teams do. The White Sox are sitting at +135, the Athletics at -162, and that creates a pretty clear betting question right away. Is Oakland really strong enough in this matchup to justify that kind of favorite price, or is the

Tampa Bay heads into PNC Park on Saturday night trying to clean up a flat opener after dropping Friday’s game 5-1. The Rays come in as a fairly live underdog at +141, while Pittsburgh is priced at -168 at home in a matchup with a total of 7.0. That total matters right away. It tells you the market expects a

San Francisco heads into Nationals Park on Saturday night after taking Friday’s opener 10-5, and the market is still keeping this one relatively tight. The Giants are a small road favorite at -117, the Nationals sit at -103, and the total is up at 9.5, which tells you the expectation is pretty clear. This is not being priced like a

New York heads into Wrigley Field on Saturday looking for a better response after getting hit 12-4 in Friday’s opener. The market still sees this game as tight, though, with the Mets at -102 and the Cubs at -118. That tells you the opener did not completely reshape the handicap, but it definitely adds pressure to the way bettors read

Cincinnati heads into Target Field on Saturday after stealing Friday’s opener 2-1, and that result matters because it immediately puts pressure on Minnesota to respond at home. The Reds come in as a +116 underdog, while the Twins are sitting at -139, which tells you the market still sees Minnesota as the steadier full-game side despite dropping the first game