Our free MLB picks are out for Saturday, April 23rd, 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!
San Francisco Giants @ Washington Nationals – 1:05PM ET
The San Francisco Giants and Washington Nationals will be playing the second game of their three game series in this one. In game number one it was the Giants who came out with the victory, now they will be looking to clinch the series in game two.
Tony Battalio
The San Francisco Giants started this series off on the right foot as they grabbed a 7-1 win over the Washington Nationals on Friday to open up the series. Now they will be looking to clinch the series in this second game on Saturday. The Giants were the best team in baseball last year during the regular season and they look to be the best team in baseball so far this season as well. Taking the mound for them in this one will be Alex Wood who is 1-0 on the year with a 1.93 Earned Run Average.
The Washington Nationals will now be looking even this series up in game two as they took a pounding in the opener on Friday night. Washington comes into this one with a record of 6-10 through their first 16 games of the season. They look nothing like the team that won the World Series just a couple years ago. The Nationals will need a great performance in this one to even the series but unfortunately for them I don’t see that happening as I have the Giants picking up the victory.
Tony’s MLB Pick: San Francisco Giants
Jeffery Thomas
The San Francisco Giants started off this weekend series with the Washington Nationals by getting a 7-1 win on Friday. All seven of those runs were scored in the second inning and Jakob Junis was able to record his first win of the season. Junks was called up earlier in the day from the Triple A squad and pitched five scoreless innings against the Nationals who are now 6-10 on the season.
The Giants will turn to Alex Wood on Saturday and he should be able to back up his solid start to the season with another good outing against this struggling Nationals squad. Dating back to last season, San Francisco has won 41 of their last 53 games when priced as the favorite and Nats have lost 44 of their last 63 when priced as the underdog. Those trends will continue with another win for the Giants on the road in this game.
Jeffery’s MLB Pick: San Francisco Giants
Marko Nadin
The Washington Nationals are on a bad start of the season as they are at the bottom of the NL East with a 6-10 record. They have lost the last three games, two to the Arizona Diamondbacks and the opening game in the Giants series by 7-1. The Nationals are ranked 19th in the league scoring 3.66 runs per game and 28th allowing 5.38 runs per game. Washington has lost 50 of the last 72 games overall and 17 of the last 24 against teams from the NL West.
The San Francisco Giants are third in the NL West with a 9-5 record so far in the season. They came into the series against the Nationals losing 3 of the previous four games against the New York Mets. San Francisco is the best defensive team in the league allowing only 2.66 runs per game and are ranked second allowing 0.43 home runs per game. The Giants will start Alex Wood who is 1-0 for the season with a 1.93 ERA. The Giants have won 16 of the last 22 second games of a series.
Marko’s MLB Pick: San Francisco Giants
St.Louis Cardinals @ Cincinnati Reds – 4:10PM ET
The St.Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds will be playing the second game of their three game series in this one. In game number one it was the Cardinals who came out with the victory, now they will be looking to clinch the series in game two.
Tony Battalio
The St.Louis Cardinals are coming into this one after getting the win in the series opener by a score of 4-2 on Friday. Now they will go into the second game of this series looking to clinch the series over their National League Central division rivals. The Cardinals are having a fast start to the 2022 Major League Baseball season as they come into this game with a record of 8-4 as they sit in first place of the National League Central.
The Cincinnati Reds are having a rough start to the season as they just lost their tenth straight game and come into this one with the worst record in Major League Baseball. They are 2-12 and in last of the National League Central at the moment as they look to be on pace to be the worst team in the league this season. Taking the ball for the Reds in this one will be Trevor Mahle who is 1-1 on the season with a 7.82 Earned Run Average. As for the result of this one I’m taking the St.Louis Cardinals to get the victory.
Tony’s MLB Pick: St.Louis Cardinals (-108)
Jeffery Thomas
The St.Louis Cardinals were able to take the opening game of this series 4-2 on Friday and extend the Reds’ losing streak out to 10 games. This is the longest losing streak in six years for the franchise that was decimated by free agent departures, trades and injuries. They have been outscored 63-20 in this stretch and the Cardinals will look to take advantage of that and build on their small lead in the NL Central in the early going.
The Cardinals are looking like a legit contender for the National League while the Reds will be a team that we pick on all season and fade. Cincinnati’s offense is putrid and the Cardinals have the advantage in every aspect of this game so they won’t have any problems winning this game on Saturday.
Jeffery’s MLB Pick: St.Louis Cardinals (-108)
Marko Nadin
The Cincinnati Reds are the worst team in the league so far with a 2-12 record. They have lost the last 10 games being swept in the series against the Dodgers and the Padres and have lost the first game of the series against the Cardinals by 4-2. The Reds are scoring 3 runs per game which ranks them 27th in the league and are ranked 29th allowing 6 runs per game. Cincinnati will start Tayler Mahle who is 1-1 for the season with a 7.82 ERA. The Reds have won 4 of the last 5 home games.
The St.Louis Cardinals are on top of the NL Central with a 8-4 record. After winning the series against the Miami Marlins by 2 games to 1 they won the opening game of the series against the Reds. The Cardinals are ranked 9th in the league scoring 4.63 runs per game and 6th in the league allowing 3.17 runs per game. They will start Dakota Hudson tonight who is 0-1 for the season on a 7.71 ERA. The Cardinals have won 26 of the last 35 road games.
Marko’s MLB Pick: St.Louis Cardinals (-108)
Miami Marlins @ Atlanta Braves – 7:20PM ET
The Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves will be playing the second game of their three game series in this one. In game number one it was the Braves who came out with the victory, now they will be looking to clinch the series in game two.
Tony Battalio
The Miami Marlins dropped the first game of this series and now will be looking to bounce back in game two. The Marlins come into this game with a record of 5-8 through their first 13 games of the season. They currently sit in fourth place of the National League East as we are through the first three weeks of the Major League Baseball season. Taking the ball for the Marlins in this second game will be Elieser Hernandez who is 1-1 on the year and has a 4.22 Earned Run Average.
The Atlanta Braves got the victory in game number one and now they will be looking to clinch the series in this second game. The Braves are coming into this one with a record of 7-8 record through their first 15 games of the season. They are in second place of the National League East division. The Braves are having a bit of a championship hangover after their amazing run to the title last year. As for the result of this one I’m going with the Atlanta Braves to get the win.
Tony’s MLB Pick: Atlanta Braves (-166)
Jeffery Thomas
The Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves will face off again on Saturday after the Braves took the opening game of the series 3-0 on Friday. Kyle Wroght struck out a career-high 11 batters in the win and moved his record on the season to a perfect 2-0. It was actually Wright’s second straight start where he set a career-high in Ks, throwing for 9 in his last start. His era now sits at 1.06 after three starts this year and Miami’s loss was credited to Trevor Rogers who has struggled in the early going. Rogers’ record is now 0-3 on the season with an ERA over 12.
The Marlins Marlins have been struggling mightily at the plate, providing no run support for their pitchers. They’ve scored 1 run or less in three of their last four games and facing this Miami team gives Atlanta starter Ian Anderson a chance to lower his inflated ERA. I don’t think the Marlins will just magically start to produce a lot of offense out of nowhere, and the Braves themselves are only averaging 2.4 runs a game in their last five games. I mean the Braves as a side, but this game should once again go well under the total much like their Friday meeting. Neither team is firing on offense right now.
Jeffery’s MLB Pick: Under 8 Runs (-105)
Marko Nadin
The defending champions Atlanta Braves are second in the NL East with a 7-8 record. After dropping the series against the Los Angeles Dodgers by 2 games to 1 they won the opening game of the series against the Marlins by 3-0. Atlanta is ranked 17th in the league scoring 3.92 runs per game and 26th allowing 4.67 runs per game. Atlanta will start Ian Anderson who is 1-1 for the season with a 6.48 ERA. Atlanta has won the last 8 games played on Saturday.
The Miami Marlins are fourth in the NL East with a 5-8 record. After losing the series against the Cardinals by 2 games to 1 they dropped the first one against the Braves. The Marlins are 20th in the league scoring 3.55 runs per game and 11th allowing 3.71 runs per game. Miami will start Elieser Hernandez who is 1-1 for the season with a 4.22 ERA. Miami has won 5 of the last 6 games against NL East opponents but have lost 8 of the last 11 games against teams with a losing record.
Marko’s MLB Pick: Atlanta Braves (-166)
Baltimore Orioles @ Los Angeles Angels – 9:07PM ET
The Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Angels will be playing the second game of their three game series in this one. In game number one it was the Orioles who came out with the victory, now they will be looking to clinch the series in game two
Tony Battalio
The Baltimore Orioles shocked the Los Angeles Angels and picked up a win in game one of this series and now they will be looking to close it out in game two. The Orioles now come into this game with a record of 5-9 as they are in last place of the American League East division. The win in game one of this series helps build them some momentum moving forward especially if they can get the win in this series.
The Los Angeles Angels are coming into this game looking to bounce back in game two of this series. They have been playing hot so far this year. They come into this game with a record of 8-6 through their first 14 games of the season. They are the second best team in the American League at the moment. Taking the ball for them in this middle game will be Noah Syndergaard who is 2-0 on the year. As for the result of this one I’m taking the Los Angeles Angels to get the win.
Tony’s MLB Pick: Los Angeles Angels (-250)
Jeffery Thomas
The Baltimore Orioles were able to get their fifth win of the season on Friday night with a 5-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels. The Os were able to jump out to a 5-0 lead by the sixth inning and then the bullpen hung on to bring the win home over a dangerous Angels lineup. Neutralizing Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani was a key part of the victory, as the two superstars combined to go just 1-7 with 4 strikeouts in the loss. The Angels now sit at 8-6 and are tied with the Oakland Athletics atop the AL West.
The Angels are in a great spot to bounce back on Saturday with Noah Syndergaard taking the jump but he will be opposed by Spencer Watkins who is coming off a decent start of his own. Watkins just gave up 2 hits and 1 run in five innings of work last time out and actually hasn’t given up more than 1 run in either of his two starts this season. This will be the best lineup he’s faced by far though, and I think after a down game Friday the offense will come back alive for LAA and lead them to a nice home win to start the weekend.
Jeffery’s MLB Pick: Los Angeles Angels (-250)
Marko Nadin
The Los Angeles Angels are second in the AL West with a 8-6 record. They have won the last two series against Texas and Houston, dropping a game in both of them. The Angels started well against the Orioles winning the first game by 5-3. The Angels are ranked fifth in the league scoring 5.09 runs per game and are second in the league hitting 1.27 home runs per game. They will start Noah Syndergaard who is 2-0 for the season with a 1.59 ERA. The Angels have won 6 of the last 7 games as favorites.
The Baltimore Orioles are at the bottom of the AL East with a 5-9 record. They are coming off a 3-1 series loss to the Oakland Athletics and have dropped the first one against the Angels. Baltimore is the worst scoring team in the league with only 2.33 runs per game but defensively are ranked pretty good as they stand in seventh place allowing 3.42 runs per game. The Orioles will start Spencer Watkins who is at 2.25 ERA this season. The Orioles have lost 52 of the last 70 games overall.
Marko’s MLB Pick: Los Angeles Angels (-250)
Kansas City Royals @ Seattle Mariners – 9:10PM ET
The Kansas City Royals and Seattle Mariners will be playing the second game of their three game series in this one. In game number one it was the Mariners who came out with the victory, now they will be looking to clinch the series in game two
Tony Battalio
The Kansas City Royals started the season with a record of 2-0 on the season but have since fallen apart. Now they come into this middle game with the Seattle Mariners with a record of 5-7 through their first 12 games of the season. They are in last place in the American League Central at the moment. They will be looking to bounce back as they try to avoid another series loss. Taking the ball for them in this one will be Carlos Hernandez who is 0-0 on the year with a plus 7 Earned Run Average.
The Seattle Mariners are looking to be on pace to end their lengthy playoff drought. They come into this game looking to clinch the series in game two and set themselves up to get a sweep in game three. They come into this game with a record of 8-6 through their first 14 games of the season as they are tied for first place in the American League West. As for the result of this game I’m taking the Seattle Mariners to pick up the win.
Tony’s MLB Pick: Seattle Mariners (-156)
Jeffery Thomas
The Seattle Mariners were able to bounce back from their loss on Thursday to the Texas Rangers by winning the series opener against the Kansas City Royals on Friday. Chris Flexen recorded his first win of the season, moving his record to 1-2 and Salvador Perez of the Royals hit his fifth home run of the year in the loss. Kansas City is now 5-7 on the year and Brad Keller saw his record move to 0-2 despite his ERA being a very respectable 2.55.
The Royals are the last team left in the MLB without a road win and I don’t think that will change on Saturday. I like the pitching advantage for the Mariners with Matt Brash over Kris Bubic and I’m easily taking Seattle’s offense over the Royals’. Bubic’s ERS is north of 10 so it hasn’t been a great start to the year for him and I’m not banking on him to turn things around just yet. Give me the Mariners at home.
Jeffery’s MLB Pick: Seattle Mariners (-156)
Marko Nadin
The Seattle Mariners are second in the AL West with a 8-6 record. After winning the previous two series against Houston and Texas, the Mariners started well against the Royals with a 4-1 win. Seattle is ranked third in the league with 1.36 home runs per game and they are scoring 4.38 runs per game which ranks them 14th in the league. Seattle will start Matt Brash who is 1-1 for the season with a 3.38 ERA. Seattle has won 9 of the last 13 games as favorites.
The Kansas City Royals are at the bottom of the AL Central with a 5-7 record. They have lost the last two games against Minnesota and Seattle. The Royals are 12th in the league with 3.74 runs per game and are ranked 16th allowing 4.09 runs per game. They will start Kris Bubic who is 0-1 for the season with a 10.80 ERA. Kansas City has lost 7 of the last 10 second games of the series and 9 of the last 12 games as underdog.
Marko’s MLB Pick: Seattle Mariners (-156)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
