Our free MLB picks are out for Thursday, April 14th, 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!
St.Louis Cardinals @ Milwaukee Brewers – 5:14pm ET
The Cardinals and Brewers will be playing game one of their four-game weekend series in this one. The Cardinals are coming off of a rivalry series with the Kansas City Royals. While the Brewers are fresh off the heels of a three-game road series with Baltimore.
Tony Battalio
The St. Louis Cardinals are coming into this game with a record of 3-1 on the season. Their final game in the series with the Kansas City Royals was postponed on Wednesday afternoon. They are sitting in first place in the National League Central division as they hold a half game lead over the Chicago Cubs after the first week of the 2022 Major League Baseball season. The Cardinals will kick off a four game weekend set with the Milwaukee Brewers in this one. As Adam Wainwright is taking the mound for the Red Birds.
The Milwaukee Brewers were a lot of people’s pick to win the National League Central division this season. They have gotten off to a bit of a slow start as they are coming off of a series win over the Baltimore Orioles. Their 4-2 over Baltimore on Wednesday has them at .500 on the season at 3-3 coming into this four game series with the Cardinals. Taking the mound for them in this game will be Brandon Woodruff. He is 0-1 on the season with a 17.18 Earned Run Average. He will be looking to get back on track in this one. However, I think it’ll be the Cardinals who get the victory in this one.
Tony’s MLB Pick: St. Louis Cardinals (+132)
Jeffery Thomas
The St. Louis Cardinals once again got an unexpected day off when they got their game with the Kansas City Royals postponed due to inclement weather. It’s the second game of St. Louis’ season that has been postponed so far and was set to be the series finale. Now they’ll shift their focus to their division rival Milwaukee Brewers who beat the Baltimore Orioles 4-2 on Wednesday night. It was a bounce-back performance by Corbin Burnes who had a rough Opening Day, but went for 7 scoreless innings and eight strikeouts against the Os for his first win in the new season.
The Milwaukee Brewers got a nice win on Wednesday but it was over the Baltimore Orioles who are not a good team by any means. It’s hard to back the Brewers with how bad their offense has been this year, only averaging 3 runs a game and getting shut out twice in six games. The Cardinals have shown enough pop from their offense to tell me that they can pull away so I’m going with the road team here.
Jeffery’s MLB Pick: St. Louis Cardinals (+132)
Marko Nadin
The Milwaukee Brewers are 3-3 for the season so far and are coming off back-to-back wins over the Baltimore Orioles. The Brewers are among the 5 worst teams in the league recording only 3.18 runs per game. Defensively they have started pretty well as they are second in the league with 10.41 strikeout per game and fifth with 0.53 allowed home runs per game. The Brewers will start Brandon Woodruff tonight who is 0-1 for the season with a 17.18 ERA.
The St. Louis Cardinals are 3-1 for the season as they won 2 of three games in the series against Pittsburgh and the lone game against Kansas City. The Cardinals are second in the league with 6.25 runs per game and lead the league with 2 home runs per game. They will start Adam Wainwright tonight who is 1-0 for the season. The Cardinals have won 5 of the last 6 games against Milwaukee and 8 of the last 9 first games of the series. The Brewers have won 4 of the last 5 games as home favorites.
Marko’s MLB Pick: St. Louis Cardinals (+132)
Washington Nationals @ Pittsburgh Pirates – 6:35pm ET
The Nationals and Pirates will be playing game one of their four-game weekend series in this one. The Nationals are coming off of a three-game series with the Atlanta Braves. While the Pirates are fresh off the heels of a two-game home series with the Chicago Cubs.
Tony Battalio
The Washington Nationals are coming into this game with a record of 3-4 through their first seven games of the season. The Nationals are only a couple years removed from a World Series victory but certainly don’t look like that same team that won it all. They look to be going through the early stages of a rebuild. They are coming off of a 2-1 series victory against the defending World Series champions the Atlanta Braves. They will be looking to get this four game weekend series against the Pittsburgh Pirates underway with a victory as well.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are coming into this game with a record of 2-3 through their first five games on the season. They are coming off of a two-game series split with the Chicago Cubs and will now be looking to make it two victories in a row with this series opener against the Washington Nationals. Pittsburgh is projected to be one of the world teams in Major League Baseball this season. As for the result of this game I have the Washington Nationals getting the victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates to open up this four-game set.
Tony’s MLB Pick: Washington Nationals (+110)
Jeffery Thomas
The Washington Nationals will open up a four-game road series with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday after stealing the series against the Atlanta Braves on the road. Wednesday’s 3-1 win over the Braves was their second win in the three-game set and a much needed result after losing three of four to the Mets to open the season. Jon Gray only allowed 1 hit in 5 innings of work, but now the Nats will turn to rookie Joan Adon on Thursday to try and shut down the Pirates. Adon’s first start was rough, giving up 4 runs in just 4 ⅓ innings of work, so he’ll need to have much better stuff in this one. The Pirates wrapped up their quick two-game series with the Cubs up with a 6-2 win and have now won 2 of 3 after starting the season 0-2.
This is a battle of two bad teams, but I think the Nationals are rolling out with a massive disadvantage at starting pitcher. Adon got tattooed in his first start of the year and it wasn’t an outlier, because he was a guy who had an ERA over 4.00 in the minor leagues last year. He is not a good pitcher and I can not back Washington with him on the mound.
Jeffery’s MLB Pick: Pittsburgh Pirates (-130)
Marko Nadin
The Pittsburgh Pirates are 2-3 for the season and are coming off a 6-2 win over the Chicago Cubs. The Pirates are fifth in the league with .260 AVG and 12th with 8.79 strikeouts per game. They will start JT Brubaker tonight who is 0-1 for the season with 12 ERA. The Pirates have won 4 of the last 5 games as home favorites but have lost 5 of the last 7 first games of a series and 6 of the last 7 games following a win.
The Washington Nationals have started the season with a 3-4 record. After losing 3 of 4 games in the series against the New York Mets, they won 2 of 3 games in the series against the defending champions Atlanta Braves. Washington is ranked 20th in the league with 3.77 runs per game. They have won 7 of the last 10 games against Pittsburgh but have lost 12 of the last 14 games and allowed no more than 2 runs in the previous game. The Nats will start Joan Adon who is 0-1 for the season with an 8.31 ERA.
Marko’s MLB Pick: Washington Nationals (+110)
Philadelphia Phillies @ Miami Marlins – 6:40pm ET
The Phillies and Marlins will be playing game one of their four-game weekend series in this one. The Phillies are coming off of a rivalry series with the New York Mets. While the Marlins are fresh off the heels of a two-game road series with the Los Angeles Angels.
Tony Battalio
The Philadelphia Phillies are coming into this matchup with a record of 3-3 through their first six games of the 2022 Major League Baseball season. Philadelphia is coming off of a series with the New York Mets where they ended up losing the final two games of the series on Tuesday and Wednesday. Now they will be looking to bounce back against the Miami Marlins in this four game weekend series. Taking the mound for the Phillies in this game is Kyle Gibson who is 1-0 on the season with a 0.00 Earned Run Average.
The Miami Marlins are off to a horrible start through their first five games of the season. As they come into this game with a record of 1-4 on the season. They are coming off of a quick two game set with the Los Angeles Angels where they were swept by the Angels by scores of 2-6 and 3-4. They have lost three in a row now and both of their series against the Giants and Angels. Now they will be looking to bounce back against the Philadelphia Phillies in this one. As for the result of this game, however, I have the Phillies getting the victory.
Tony’s MLB Pick: Philadelphia Phillies (-102)
Jeffery Thomas
The Philadelphia Phillies will start up a four-game series with their division foes in the Miami Marlins on Thursday after dropping their series with the New York Mets. It’s two straight losses now for the Phillies, who started off hot, winning three of their first four games. The Miami Marlins have lost four of their first five games this season after getting swept by the Los Angeles Angels in a two-game set. Thursday will be the home opener for the Marlins, and after having a day off they’ll hope that is enough to regroup and get things rolling in the right direction after a slow start.
The Philadelphia Phillies have aspirations of winning the divisions and to do that they’ll have to take care of teams like the Miami Marlins. I know Philly will be highly motivated after losing two straight and Miami has only won 3 of their last 12 games dating back to last season.
Jeffery’s MLB Pick: Philadelphia Phillies (-102)
Marko Nadin
The Miami Marlins have won only one of the opening five games of the season and are coming off a 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. The Marlins are ranked 12th in the league with 0.83 home runs per game. They will start Sandy Alcantara wonight who was 9-15 last season with a 3.19 ERA. Miami has won the last two games against the Phillies and 7 of the last 9 games against teams with a winning record.
The Philadelphia Phillies are 3-3 so far in the season and are coming off back-to-back losses to the New York Mets. They are 16th in the league with 4.17 runs per game and 10th with 1.17 runs per game. The Phillies will start Kyle Gibson tonight who is 1-0 for the season with 0.29 WHIP. Philadelphia has won 4 of the last 5 first games of a series, 7 of the last 9 game allowing 5 or more runs in the previous game and have lost 6 of the last 7 road games.
Marko’s MLB Pick: Miami Marlins (-116)
Los Angeles Angels @ Texas Rangers – 8:05pm ET
The Angels and Rangers will be playing game one of their four-game weekend series in this one. The Rangers are coming off of a two-game series with the Colorado Rockies. While the Angels are fresh off the heels of a two-game road series with the Miami Marlins.
Tony Battalio
The Los Angeles Angels have one of the most talented teams in Major League Baseball. They just haven’t quite been able to put it together the last couple of seasons. Everyone is thinking that this season is going to be different and so far it’s certainly looking like it will be. The Angels come into this game with a record of 3-3 on the season. Shohei Ohtani is taking the mound for the Angels in this one as he is 0-1 on the season with a 1.93 Earned Run Average after starting against the Astros to open the season.
The Texas Rangers are another team that is expected to be good this year, as the American League West Division is looking like it is going to be very competitive. The Rangers have completely retooled their roster after some big moves over the off-season and now they will look to make a run this season. However, they come into this game with a record of 1-4 on the season as they have gotten off to a terrible start though five games. As for the result of this game I have the Los Angeles Angels picking up the victory.
Tony’s MLB Pick: Los Angeles Angels (-134)
Jeffery Thomas
The Texas Rangers will host Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday with Dane Dunning on the mound. He had a decent but not great outing in his first start of the year against the Toronto Blue Jays, going 5 innings and giving up three earned runs. Dunning has had his struggles against the Angels in his career though, as he holds a 1-2 record with a 7.71 ERA in three career starts against them. Ohtani on the other hand, has never lost to the Rangers, going 3-0 with a 2.86 ERA in four career starts against Texas.
When the Angels get quality starting pitching like they will in this game, it’s going to be very tough to beat them. Their lineup has plenty of firepower and against this unreliable Rangers pitching staff should have plenty opportunities to drive in runs. The Rangers have a long way to go before competing with teams like LAA so give me the Angels to get this win.
Jeffery’s MLB Pick: Los Angeles Angels (-134)
Marko Nadin
The Texas Rangers have started the season with a 1-4 record and their only win so far has been against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Rangers are coming off back-to-back losses to the Colorado Rockies. Somehow Texas are ranked fifth in the league scoring 5.73 runs per game and 4th with 6.55 strikeout per game. Texas will start Dane Dunning tonight who was 5-10 last season with a 4.51 ERA. The Rangers have won 5 of the last 6 games as underdogs 5 of the last 7 games following a loss.
The Los Angeles Angels are 3-3 for the season and are coming off back-to-back wins over the Miami Marlins. They are ranked third in the league defensively with .196 AVG but score only 3.33 runs per game which puts them 24th. The Angels will start last season’s AL MVP Shohei Ohtani who is 0-1 for the season with 1.93 ERA. The Angels have won 6 of the last 10 games against Texas and 5 of the last 7 Thursday games.
Marko’s MLB Pick: Los Angeles Angels (-134)
Detroit Tigers @ Kansas City Royals – 8:10pm ET
The Tigers and Royals will be playing game one of their four-game weekend series in this one. The Tigers are coming off of a three-game series with the Boston Red Sox. While the Royals are fresh off the heels of a rivalry series with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Tony Battalio
The Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals will meet in this American League Central division rivalry matchup. The Tigers come into this game with a record of 2-4 through their first six games of the season. They lost the last two games in their series to the Boston Red Sox and have lost four of their last five games on the season. They will be looking to bounce back against a Kansas City Royals team that has been shaky as of late as well.
The Kansas City Royals will be coming into this game with a day of rest after their series finale with the St.Louis Cardinals was postponed on Wednesday. After starting the year with a 2-0 record they now stagger into this one with a record of 2-3 on the season as they have lost their last three games of the year. Now they will be looking to bounce back against the Detroit Tigers and frankly, I don’t see it happening as I have the Tigers picking up the victory in this one.
Tony’s MLB Pick: Detroit Tigers (+106)
Jeffery Thomas
The Detroit Tigers got that exciting Opening Day walk-off victory over the Chicago White Sox and fans believed it was going to be a great year. They had all new acquisitions like Javier Baez and Austin Meadows to name a couple, and it appeared the team had worked its way out of their rebuild. But now, after the past five games fans are forced to pump the brakes. Detroit is 1-4 in their last five games after their 9-7 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday where pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez was roughed up by his former team. The Kansas City Royals have also been struggling, losing three straight after starting the season 2-0. Their game with the Cardinals Wednesday was postponed due to weather.
The Detroit Tigers are throwing out Casey Mize to deal with this Royals lineup on Thursday and I don’t think that’s a recipe for success. Mize was lit up in his first start this season and the Tigers overall are just 1-5 in their last six against Kansas City. With Zach Greinke on the mound for the Royals they hold a significant pitching advantage and I like them to get this victory.
Jeffery’s MLB Pick: Kansas City Royals (-124)
Marko Nadin
The Kansas City Royals have started the season with a 2-3 record and are coming off three consecutive losses, two against Cleveland and the last one against St. Louis. The Royals are on top of the league being strikeout 5.6 times per game and are at the bottom of the league allowing 6.8 runs per game. They have won 5 of the last 6 games against Detroit, 12 of the last 16 opening games of the series and 9 of the last 12 games following a day off.
The Detroit Tigers are 2-4 for the season and are coming off back-to-back losses to the Boston Red Sox. Detroit is ranked 28th in the league allowing 5.67 runs per game. They will start Casey Mize who is 0-1 for the season with a 7.20 ERA. The Tigers have won 4 of the last 5 games following a day off but have lost 13 of the last 17 games against teams with a losing record.
Marko’s MLB Pick: Kansas City Royals (-124)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
