Expert MLB Picks and Previews

Orioles get first look at AL East as slumping Red Sox visit The Baltimore Orioles will face an American League East rival for the first time this season when the Boston Red Sox visit to begin a three-game series Friday night. Baltimore is 3-6 across its past nine games, so the Orioles are looking for consistency. Manager Craig Albernaz believes

Reds, Tigers riding high heading into weekend series Off to their best 25-game start to a season in two decades, the Cincinnati Reds host the Detroit Tigers in an interleague series opener on Friday night. Coming off a road trip that saw them sweep three games against the Minnesota Twins and take two of three from the Tampa Bay Rays,

Mariners’ big bats waking up ahead of series at Cardinals Maybe the Seattle Mariners’ big three are finally getting over their World Baseball Classic hangovers. Over their just-completed six-game homestand, Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodriguez and Josh Naylor’s bats started to heat up. The Mariners went 3-3 against a pair of American League West rivals, the Texas Rangers and the Athletics,

Angels visit Mike Trout-friendly Kansas City for 3-game series While the Los Angeles Angels have ended their first true skid on the young season, the Kansas City Royals continue to struggle. Looking to build on a needed victory, the visiting Angels try to hand the Royals a 10th loss in 11 games on Friday night. Los Angeles ended a four-game

Blue Jays in evaluation mode as homestand opens vs. Guardians The Toronto Blue Jays will try to gain some traction during a six-game homestand that starts Friday night against the Cleveland Guardians. The Blue Jays completed a 4-5 road trip with a 7-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday as they continue to seek the magic of last

Atlanta goes into Thursday afternoon at Nationals Park trying to close out the series with another division win. The Braves are 17-8 and lead the NL East, while Washington is 11-14 and sitting third after dropping Wednesday’s 8-6 game. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m. ET in D.C., with streaming coverage listed on MLB.TV. Atlanta turns to JR Ritchie

Milwaukee heads into Thursday afternoon at Comerica Park trying to win the series after Wednesday’s 5-2 loss evened things up. The Brewers are 13-10 and somehow still sitting fifth in the NL Central, while Detroit is 13-12 and second in the AL Central. First pitch is set for 1:10 p.m. ET, with Brandon Sproat lined up for Milwaukee and Tarik

Philadelphia goes into Thursday afternoon at Wrigley Field trying to stop the slide before this series gets away completely. The Phillies are 8-16 and have lost eight straight, while the Cubs are 15-9 and have won eight in a row after Wednesday’s 7-2 result. First pitch is set for 2:20 p.m. ET, and the listed TV coverage is NBC Sports

San Diego heads into Thursday afternoon at Coors Field trying to win the series after Wednesday’s 8-3 loss snapped some momentum. The Padres are 16-8 and tied atop the NL West, while Colorado is 10-15 and still trying to climb out of the division cellar. First pitch is set for 3:10 p.m. ET in Denver, with Padres.TV and Rockies.TV listed