Expert MLB Picks and Previews

Cincinnati heads into loanDepot Park on Wednesday night riding a five-game winning streak, and that is not a small thing this early in the season. The Reds are 8-3, sitting second in the NL Central, and they just took Tuesday’s game 6-3 in 10 innings after finally breaking through late against Sandy Alcantara. Miami is 6-5 and still third in

The Athletics are back at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night for the second game of this series, with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m. ET. New York enters 8-2 and sitting on top of the AL East after Tuesday’s 5-3 comeback win, while Oakland is 3-7 and still searching for traction after another late bullpen letdown. This one will stream

Detroit and Minnesota meet again Wednesday night at Target Field, with first pitch set for 7:40 p.m. ET on FS1. The Tigers enter at 4-7 and trying to stop a three-game slide, while the Twins are 5-6 after back-to-back wins in this series. It is still early, sure, but this already feels like a useful division barometer because both clubs

Kansas City and Cleveland are back at it Tuesday afternoon at Progressive Field after the Royals took Monday’s opener 4-2. The Royals come in 5-5, the Guardians are 6-5, and the first pitch was moved up to 1:10 p.m. ET because of the cold-weather forecast in Cleveland. This looks like one of those AL Central games where the environment matters

Baltimore and Chicago meet again Tuesday afternoon at Rate Field after the Orioles took Monday’s opener 2-1 behind a strong group pitching effort. Both clubs are 4-6, but the setup for Game 2 leans clearly toward Baltimore on paper. First pitch was moved up to 3:10 p.m. ET because of the cold-weather forecast, and the Orioles hand the ball to

Arizona heads into Citi Field on Tuesday afternoon trying to keep a two-game winning streak going, but this is a tougher spot than the records alone make it look. The Diamondbacks are 5-5, the Mets are 6-4, and New York has won three straight after finishing off a road series win in San Francisco. First pitch was moved up to

The Cubs and Rays are back at it Tuesday night at Tropicana Field, with first pitch set for 6:40 p.m. ET in St. Petersburg. Chicago comes in 4-6 after dropping Monday’s opener 6-4, and the offense still looks a bit uneven through the first stretch of the season. Tampa Bay is 5-5, has won three straight, and looked comfortable in

San Diego heads to PNC Park on Tuesday night trying to extend a three-game winning streak after Monday’s 5-0 shutout in the series opener. The Padres are back to 5-5, while Pittsburgh sits 6-4 after having its five-game winning streak snapped. First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. ET, and this one gets a lot more interesting than the opener

Milwaukee heads into Fenway Park on Tuesday night as one of the hottest teams in baseball. The Brewers are 8-2, they have won two straight, and they already took Monday’s opener 8-6 in a game where they kept answering every Boston push. The Red Sox are 2-8, they have dropped three in a row, and the early-season margin for error