Rounding the Bases: MLB Straight Up Picks for Every Game Today (Back Reid Detmers and Angels vs. Red Sox)
The second Saturday of the MLB season is here and all 30 teams are in action. Things get started at 1:10pm et in an American League showdown between the Oakland Athletics and Detroit Tigers.
They'll wrap up on the West Coast when the Los Angeles Angels host the Boston Red Sox in an interleague showdown starting at 9:38 pm et. In between those two games is a loaded slate of baseball action.
In this article, I'm going to give you my pick for which team will win all 15 games. Let's dive into it.
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Oakland Athletics vs. Detroit Tigers Moneyline Pick
- Pick: Athletics +142
The Tigers may be 6-1 this season, but they're just 22nd in the Majors in the OPS, only a few spots ahead of the A's today, who are starting arguably their best pitcher in Paul Blackburn. If there's any time to take a shot on the A's as significant underdogs, it's today.
Cleveland Guardians vs. Minnesota Twins Moneyline Pick
- Pick: Guardians +134
The Twins offense has been worse than you think, ranking 24th in the Majors in OPS through their first six games while batting just .209. Carlos Carrasco is going to have a bounce-back performance for Cleveland tonight.
Miami Marlins vs. St. Louis Cardinals Moneyline Pick
- Pick: Cardinals -148
The Marlins are a complete disaster. Their bullpen might be the worst in the Majors and their offense is sporting an OPS of just .589. Until they win a game and find some level of momentum, I'll continue to fade them daily. I'll take Steven Matz and the Cardinals.
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Chicago Cubs Moneyline Pick
- Pick: Cubs +160
The Cubs' offense has been the biggest surprise so far this season. They're batting .279 with an OPS of .838 through their first handful of games. One of the Dodgers' big offseason acquisitions, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, had a rough first outing against the Padres, giving up four hits and five earned runs in just one inning, but then bounced back against the Cardinals in his second start. I'm not ready to completely trust him as a bettor yet so I'll back the underdog Cubs at home.
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Washington Nationals Moneyline Pick
- Pick: Nationals +146
The Phillies have got off to a slow start offensively this season, batting just .230 with an OPS of .680 through their first week of action. They'll find their stride at some point this season, but until they do, we should take a shot on teams like the Nationals who are home underdogs against this Philadelphia team.
Baltimore Orioles vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Moneyline Pick
- Pick: Pirates +112
Are the Pirates going to be a playoff team this year? They've got off to a hot start, going 6-2 through their first eight games, and ranking seventh in the Majors in OPS over that stretch. I'm going to ride this momentum and back the Pirates to get the job done as home underdogs.
New York Mets vs. Cincinnati Reds Moneyline Pick
- Pick: Reds -112
The New York Mets are a complete disaster and I have no interest in betting on them for the foreseeable future. They're batting just .167 on the year, the worst mark in the Majors by a significant margin. The Reds are a no-brainer of a bet today.
Houston Astros vs. Texas Rangers Moneyline Pick
- Pick: Astros -108
The Rangers offense is the better unit, but I don't trust Jon Gray, who gets the start for them today. I'd rather back J.P. France of the Astros and hope they can get the win on the road in today's battle of Texas.
Toronto Blue Jays vs. New York Yankees Moneyline Pick
- Pick: Blue Jays +102
The Blue Jays offense has gotten off to a slow start, but now they're rolling out their ace, Kevin Gausman against the Yankees. We know the Jays' offense is more talented than the numbers they've posted, so what better night to turn things around with their ace on the mound against an AL East rival?
Chicago White Sox vs. Kansas City Royals Moneyline Pick
- Pick: Royals -210
The White Sox offense is batting .186 with an OPS of .579 so far this season so we won't hesitate to bet against them. They're shaping up to be one of the worst teams in Major League Baseball this season.
Seattle Mariners vs. Milwaukee Brewers Moneyline Pick
- Pick: Brewers -116
Seattle is another offense we should stay away from. The Mariners have the second-worst OPS in the Majors so far at .560 while the Brewers come in at eight at .774. There's a chance the Brewers run away with this one and we're getting great odds on them at home.
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Atlanta Braves Moneyline Pick
- Pick: Diamondbacks +176
The Diamondbacks, who are fifth in the Majors in OPS at .822, don't deserve to be this big of underdogs, especially with Brandon Pfaadt on the mound. Max Fried was horrific in his first start, so let's back Arizona as a massive road 'dog.
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Colorado Rockies Moneyline Pick
- Pick: Rockies +118
The Rays offense hasn't got off to the start you may have expected. They're 16th in OPS through their first week of action and the Rockies are coming off a big come-from-behind win against them last night. I'm willing to bet on Colorado to keep its momentum going.
San Diego Padres vs. San Francisco Giants Moneyline Pick
- Pick: Giants -108
This game is rightfully set as a coin flip so I'll take the home team in this one. Keaton Winn gave up three earned runs in his first start but his 1.38 FIP shows he played much better than those numbers indicate. I'll back him to have a solid start tonight.
Boston Red Sox vs. Los Angeles Angels Moneyline Pick
- Pick: Angels -122
Reid Detmers gets the start for the Angels tonight and as a big defender of his, I have to pick the Angels in this spot. He gave up just one earned run in 5.0 innings pitched in his first start this season.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.