Our free MLB picks are out for Monday, April 11th, 2022! Make sure you check our MLB picks before the action kicks off.
Look below to find our free MLB picks for the five best games on today’s schedule!
Cleveland Guardians @ Kansas City Royals – 2:10PM ET
The Guardians and Royals will wrap up their four game season opening series in this one on Monday afternoon. After taking the first two games the Royals were blown away in the third by an offensive explosion from Cleveland. Now the Guardians will be looking to avoid the sweep in this game to split the series.
Tony Battalio
The Cleveland Guardians’ offense finally woke up in this one as they exploded for 17 runs on their way to a huge victory to notch their first win as the Guardians. Now they will be looking to cap off this series by winning game number four and getting themselves a split in the process. The starting pitching for the Guardians has looked fantastic as well throughout the first three games of the season and that is something they will be looking to keep up in this one as well.
The Kansas City Royals looked great through the first two games of the season. As they gave up one run in nineteen innings of game time. However, on Sunday the wheels not only fell off the bus, but the bus exploded entirely, as they gave up 17 runs to the Guardians. Now they will be looking to bounce back and get a win to take three out of four in this series and keep their good start to the season rolling. As for the result of this one, however, I can’t see it happening as I have the Guardians getting the win.
Tony’s MLB Pick: Cleveland Guardians (-106)
Jeffery Thomas
On Sunday, the Cleveland Guardians were finally able to get their first win of the 2022 season, and in an emphatic fashion. They beat the Royals 17-3 on the back of their rookie Steven Kwan who went 5-5 (four singles and a double). Kwan is now 8 for 10 on the year through three games, after hitting .469 in Spring Training. Oscar Mercado hit a grand slam and Owen Miller drove in a career-high 4 RBIs of his own in the offensive explosion. The four-game series will conclude with this matchup on Monday with Carlos Hernandez taking the bump against the Royals’ Aaron Civale.
The Guardians will surely carry a lot of Sunday’s momentum over into Monday’s series finale and I think that’ll help them get the win and split the opening series with Kansas City.
Jeffery’s MLB Pick: Cleveland Guardians (-106)
Marko Nadin
The Royals and the Guardians are about to play their fourth game of the opening series with Kansas City winning the first two games and the Guardians winning yesterday a by huge 17-3. This was the first win for Cleveland with the new name and their rookie Stefen Kwan had a brilliant night going 5-for-5. Owen Miller had a career-high four runs and Oscar Mercado hit a grand slam. The Guardians will have Aaron Civale on the mound today who had a good season last year with a 12-5 record and 3.84 ERA.
The Royals won the first two games of the series allowing only 1 point in total but yesterday was blown away. They will have Carlos Hernandez pitching tonight who was 6-2 last season with a 3.68 ERA. Kansas City has bounced back after losing 7 of their last 8 games and has won 5 of the last 7 games after allowing more than 5 runs in the previous one. Cleveland has lost 24 of the last 33 games following a win and 4 of the last five Monday games.
Marko’s MLB Pick: Kansas City Royals (-110)
Pittsburgh Pirates @ St.Louis Cardinals – 2:15PM ET
The Pirates and Cardinals will wrap up their four game season opening series in this one on Monday afternoon. After taking the first two games the Cardinals were blown away in the third by an offensive explosion from Pittsburgh. Now the Pirates will be looking to avoid the sweep in this game to split the series.
Tony Battalio
The Pittsburgh Pirates got their first win of the season on Sunday and now they will be looking to cap off this season’s opening series with another win to move to 2-2. They were down multiple runs early on but battled back to grab a 9-4 win after putting up five runs in the top of the third inning. They would add another two runs in the fourth and it was smooth sailing from there. Now they will look to keep the momentum rolling heading into the series finale on Monday afternoon.
The St. Louis Cardinals thought that when they scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning it would be enough to move to 3-0 on the season and set up the opportunity for the sweep. However, their pitching fell off the wagon and Pittsburgh would end up putting up a five-spot to bury the Red Birds for good on the way to a 9-4 win. Now St. Louis will be looking to bounce back and get themselves off to a respectable 3-1 start on the season. As for the result of this one that is what I expect as well as I have the Cardinals winning this one.
Tony’s MLB Pick: St.Louis Cardinals (-205)
Jeffery Thomas
It was looking like more of the same for the Pirates early on when they trailed by three in the third inning on Sunday to the Cardinals, who had already beaten them handily in the first two games of the season. However, a grand slam by Michael Chavis in the third followed by an RBI double gave Pittsburgh the lead for good as they won their first game of the 2022 campaign. That was Chavis’ second grand slam of his career and he finished a triple shy of the cycle in the game. Now after finally getting a win, the Pirates will look to bottle some of that offense up and carry it over into Monday’s series finale with the Cardinals.
The Cardinals let Sunday’s game slip away but I wouldn’t bank on seeing that again on Monday. It’s hard to beat a team when you give up a grand slam and it completely shifted the momentum of the game and the Cards were just never able to recover. Now with the series wrapping up, I expect to see more of what we got in the first two games, which were dominated by St. Louis in all aspects. Give me the Cardinals here.
Jeffery’s MLB Pick: St.Louis Cardinals (-205)
Marko Nadin
After dropping the first two games of the series, the Pirates bounced back with a 9-4 win yesterday. The Cardinals took the lead early but there came Michael Chavis hitting a grand slam for the Pirates who took over the lead and closed the game. It was his second career grand slam in the 14th at-bat with the bases loaded. The Pirates will have Zach Thompson tonight as a starter. This is the second season in the majors for the 28-years-old who was 3-7 last year with a 3.24 ERA.
The Cardinals won the first two games of the series with 9-0 and 6-2 and are the better team of the two. Dakota Hudson will start tonight who was only 1-0 last season with a 2.08 ERA. St. Louis has won 5 of the last 8 games against Pittsburgh and 8 of the last 10 games when the opponent scored more than 5 runs in the previous one. Pittsburgh has won 5 of the last 7 games four of the series but have lost the last 6 games with the total set at 11 or higher.
Marko’s MLB Pick: St.Louis Cardinals (-205)
Milwaukee Brewers @ Baltimore Orioles – 3:05PM ET
It has been a rough start for both of these teams this season. As they will both enter this brand new series with losing records and will be looking to get back on track against each other as the first full week of the season kicks off.
Tony Battalio
The Milwaukee Brewers got off to an underwhelming start this season. As they come into this match up with a record of 1-2 after dropping two games to the Chicago Cubs to open the year. They did get some of their momenta back after winning on Sunday to snag the series finally after a late run in the seventh inning put them ahead for good. They will be looking to rack up some wins over a Baltimore Orioles team that is already looking like one of the worst teams in Major League Baseball this season.
The Baltimore Orioles were swept by the Tampa Bay Rays to open up the season. Only three games into the season and it is already looking like they will be stuck in another rebuilding year. They have been one of the most disappointing teams in Major League Baseball for some time now and it doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon. They will be looking to grab a win in this one and open up the win column for themselves in the 2022 season. As for the result of this one, however, I have the Brewers grabbing the victory.
Tony’s MLB Pick: Milwaukee Brewers (-158)
Jeffery Thomas
The Milwaukee Brewers were able to win their first game of the season beating the Chicago Cubs 5-4. Mike Brosseau’s pinch-hit home run was the first of his career and snapped a tie in the 8th inning to secure the win for the Brew Crew. Still, it was a tough opening series for the Brewers who could only steal one win and had their top three starters get rocked. Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, and Freddy Peralta combined to give up 13 runs and 10 walks in 12 ⅔ innings. They’ll now give the ball to RHP Adrian Houser to face a Baltimore team on Monday that is coming off a sweep to the Tampa Bay Rays. Sunday’s loss for the Os was the worst, falling 8-0 and they are now 0-3 for the first time since 2007. Baltimore never led at any point in the series and struck out 37 times.
I think the line opening up so short is just an overreaction to the Brewers dropping a couple of games to a Cubs team that is much better than people expected. The Orioles will flirt with 100 losses this season while the Brewers will once again be in the playoffs and competing for the NL Central title, and the talent gap with these teams is vast. I like the Brewers here to get this road win and get their first winning streak of the year.
Jeffery’s MLB Pick: Milwaukee Brewers (-158)
Marko Nadin
The Baltimore Orioles lost all three games in the opening series against Tampa Bay scoring 4 runs in total. They were especially bad last night losing 8-0 with only 6 hits. The Orioles never led in any game of the series and they have a 0-3 start for the first time since 2007. Hoping to get to the first win of the season, the Orioles will start Bruce Zimmerman tonight who was 4-5 last season with a 5.04 ERA. The last time the Orioles defeated the Brewers was back in 2014.
The Milwaukee Brewers started the season with a 1-2 record in the series against the Chicago Cubs. After losing 5-4 and 9-0, the Brewers won last night by 5-4. They found themselves 3-0 down after the first inning but managed to regroup and win with a go-ahead run in the seventh inning. The Brewers will have Adrian Houser on the mound tonight who was 10-6 last season with a 3.22 ERA. The Brewers have won 7 of the last 9 games against AL East opponents while the Orioles have won 4 of the last interleague home games against a team with a negative record.
Marko’s MLB Pick: Baltimore Orioles (+134)
Boston Red Sox @ Detroit Tigers – 5:10PM ET
The Boston Red Sox will travel to Detroit to continue their road trip. Both of those teams are coming into this one with a losing record and will be looking to get back on track.
Tony Battalio
The Boston Red Sox had a rough time opening the season against their arch-rivals the New York Yankees. Now they will stay on the road and head to the Motor City, to face off with the Detroit Tigers. They managed to steal a win in the series finale to head into this game with a 1-2 record. The Red Sox added a run in the sixth to pull ahead for good. Now they will try to get the season going in the right direction as they take on the Tigers. Boston is a potential dark horse team to win it all in my opinion.
The Detroit Tigers are coming into this game after a rough opening series with the Chicago White Sox. They took a pounding on Sunday in the series finale as they would end up losing 10-1 to the White Sox. Now they will welcome the Red Sox as they look to get their season on track heading into the first full week of the 2022 Major League Baseball season. As for the result of this game I have the Boston Red Sox picking up the win in this one over the Detroit Tigers.
Tony’s MLB Pick: Boston Red Sox (-122)
Jeffery Thomas
The vibes were good in Detroit after their walk-off win on Opening Day but it’s been all downhill since then. The Tigers went on to lose the next two games to the White Sox by a combined score of 15-3 and now sit with a record of 1-2. They’ll hope to push their record back to .500 with a win on Monday against the Boston Red Sox who got their first win of the season, beating their hated rival Yankees 4-3.
This is a tough travel spot for the Red Sox who will be coming into Detroit off an emotional series on no rest against Detroit. The Tigers weren’t too competitive in their last couple of games but they still will be much improved this year and are catching the Red Sox at a good time after a late game on Sunday. I like Detroit to get this win at home against what should be a lethargic Sox squad.
Jeffery’s MLB Pick: Detroit Tigers (+104)
Marko Nadin
The Boston Red Sox are coming off a 4-3 win over the New York Yankees after dropping the first two games of the series. Bobby Dalbec was the key man for the Red Sox hitting what would be, a sixth-inning homer to take the team to the first win of the season. The Red Sox led by at least two runs in all three games against the Yankees but this one was the first one to win at the end. Boston is going to Detroit which they have defeated in 7 of the last 10 games. Michael Wacha will start for the Red Sox who was 3-5 last season with the Tampa Bay Rays and had a 5.05 ERA.
The Detroit Tigers are coming off a 10-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox losing the series 2-1 at home. They had only 2 hits in the game and had no hits and only two walk-offs in the last 7 innings. Detroit has won 11 of the last 16 games against a team with a losing record under 40% and has lost 5 of the last 6 games as a home underdog. They will have Matt Manning tonight at the mound who was 4-7 last season in his rookie year. The Red Sox have won 4 of the last 5 games as road favorites.
Marko’s MLB Pick: Boston Red Sox (-122)
Oakland Athletics @ Tampa Bay Rays – 6:40PM ET
The Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays will meet in this one as their seasons are heading in opposite directions already. The Rays reloaded over the off-season while the Athletics unloaded and had a fire sale.
Tony Battalio
The Oakland Athletics are coming into this game with a record of 1-2 on the season. They lost their opening series of the season to the Philadelphia Phillies but they did manage to snag a win on Sunday in the series finale to grab a little bit of momentum. Now they will be looking to take game one against a tough Tampa Bay Rays team as they head south to the sunshine state for this one. Taking the hill for the Athletics in this one will be Paul Blackburn. Who will be looking to rebound from a rough 2021 campaign?
The Tampa Bay Rays are coming off of an opening season sweep over the Baltimore Orioles as they are the only remaining undefeated team in Major League Baseball after the first four days of the regular season. Now they will look to get to 4-0 on the year by beating up on another team that is likely to be a bottom feeder in the American League this season. As for the result of this game I have the Tampa Bay Rays getting the victory over the Oakland Athletics in game one.
Tony’s MLB Pick: Tampa Bay Rays (-215)
Jeffery Thomas
The Tampa Bay Rays are off to a fast start in 2022 in hopes of winning the AL East for the third consecutive season. They swept their division rival Orioles in three games in a series where they never trailed. Brandon Lowe had a two-run homer on Sunday’s 8-0 win and Wander Franco had his second three-hit game of the season while driving in a pair of runs. They’ll now stay at home and host a new opponent, the Oakland Athletics who got their first victory of the new year on Sunday. It was a 4-1 win over the Phillies where Daulton Jefferies and four relievers combined for a three-hitter to avoid the sweep. It was a welcoming sign for the pitching staff after they gave up a combined 13 runs in the first two games of the series. It’s still expected to be a rebuilding year for the As but they’ll hope to stay competitive on Monday against a scary Rays team.
After Sunday’s win it’s looking like the Athletics are now in a tough spot. The Rays are rolling already and will come into this series looking for another sweep against an inferior opponent. Paul Blackburn struggled to keep runs off the board during Spring Training and if he can’t improve his form here, this game will get ugly early. I don’t see any advantages for Oakland in this game and expect Tampa Bay to win rather comfortably, pushing their record out to 4-0.
Jeffery’s MLB Pick: Tampa Bay Rays (-215)
Marko Nadin
The Tampa Bay Rays took advantage of the opportunity to start the season against one of the worst teams in the league and won the three opening games against Baltimore. They allowed only 4 runs in the three games and are coming off an 8-0 win. That was Ray’s 15th consecutive win over the Orioles and they matched up to their best start in the history of the team. Tonight they will have a chance for a record night as they start Louis Patino. The 22-year-old was 5-3 with a 4.31 ERA last season.
The Oakland Athletics opened the season against the Philadelphia Phillies winning 4-1 yesterday after dropping the first two games. The Athletics hit two home runs for the first win of the season. They will start Paul Blackburn tonight who was 1-4 last season with a 5.87 ERA. Oakland has won 8 of the last 9 games allowing 2 or fewer runs in the previous game and the Rays have won the last 6 games when their opponent allowed 2 or fewer runs in the previous game.
Marko’s MLB Pick: Tampa Bay Rays (-215)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
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