We went 10-5 yesterday to bring our overall record to 21-17. To see what we got right and what we got wrong go look at the 3/30 picks. Another full slate of games today so let’s get to it!
Milwaukee at New York Yankees:
Marcus Stroman is pitching for the Yankees in this one. He had a really good start to 2024 before fading, and the Yankees didn’t want him in the rotation. The only reason why he is is because of all the injuries the Yankees have already incurred. New York has no faith in Stroman, so we have no faith in Stroman. Give us the Brewers. Pick: Milwaukee
Loss
Philadelphia at Washington:
MacKenzie Gore pitched really well for the Nationals in the opener, but they fell to the Phillies in extra innings. We don’t think Philadelphia will have as many problems with Mitchell Parker as they did with Gore. Give us the Phillies to win this won behind a good performance from Aaron Nola. In fact this is going to be our lock of the day. Pick: Philadelphia - Lock
Loss (Lock Record 1-3)
Baltimore at Toronto:
The Blue Jays are going to be relying on their starting pitching all year long. So far that has not been a good recipe against a dynamic Baltimore lineup. Chris Bassitt gets the nod in this one and we think he will be effective enough for Toronto to get the win. Pick: Toronto
Win
Colorado at Tampa Bay:
Tampa Bay is throwing Taj Bradley in this game, and we here at Sports Predictions are very high on him. We think he is going to be an all star this year. It will start with a dominant performance against an overmatched Colorado lineup. This could be our lock of the day, but we went the Rays yesterday and don’t want to do it two days in a row. Still Tampa Bay wins easy. Pick: Tampa Bay
Win
Pittsburgh at Miami:
Andrew Heaney vs Max Meyer. That is not a pitching matchup that gets our juices flowing. Combine that with two offenses that can’t take advantage of sub par starting pitching and you have a game that we won’t be watching. We have to pick it though so we are going to go with the Pirates. Pick: Pittsburgh
Loss
San Francisco at Cincinnati:
Robbie Ray is now a full year removed from his Tommy John Surgery, and he has looked really good this spring. That is good news for a Giants team that will need him to be at his very best this year. The Reds are countering with Nick Martinez, who is an average starting pitcher. We are going to ride with Ray and the Giants to get the win in this one. Pick: San Francisco
Win
Los Angeles Angels at Chicago White Sox:
Another game with a pitching matchup that is less than desirable, this game at least has Mike Trout in it. As long as Trout is healthy we think that he is appoint television every at bat. We think Trout will have a big day and lead the Angels to the win. Pick: Los Angeles Angels
Win
Cleveland at Kansas City:
Tanner Bibee was supposed to start opening day, but didn’t because he was under the weather. If he is fully recovered he is a good pitcher that can carve up a Kansas City lineup. On the other side is Michael Wacha, who was a revelation for the Royals last year. We expect a good pitching matchup here, but because we don’t know if Bibee is going to be 100% healthy, we are going to pick the Royals. Pick: Kansas City
Loss
Minnesota at St. Louis:
The St. Louis Cardinals are riding the hot bat of Nolan Arenado, who is anchoring a lineup that has some holes but is a lot of fun to watch. They grind out at bats and they only strike out five times on opening day. That is a very low number in today’s game. This is going to be a good matchup against Bailey Ober, who has averaged more than a strikeout an inning the last two years. Give us the Cardinals to work up Ober’s pitch count and win it against the bullpen. Pick: St. Louis
Win
Boston at Texas:
Jacob DeGrom gets his first start of 2025. As long as he stays healthy he is one of the best pitchers in baseball. The biggest issue with him has always been health. Since he is healthy right now, he will be the Jacob DeGrom of old and lead the Rangers to get the victory here. Pick: Texas
Win
Chicago Cubs at Arizona:
Two veteran pitchers are going at here with Matthew Boyd and the Cubs facing off against Eduardo Rodriguez and the Diamondbacks. We give the edge in this matchup to Arizona. Since the offenses are essentially a push, we are going to pick the Diamondbacks to get the win. Pick: Arizona
Win
Athletics at Seattle:
We have picked the Mariners all three games so far this year. With their pitching we feel like we are going to pick them more often than not. With that being said, we have to pick against them sometimes. With nothing other than the law of averages, we are going to go with the Athletics to get the win. Pick: Athletics
Loss
Atlanta at San Diego:
AJ Smith-Shawver is toeing the rubber for the Braves in this Sunday night matchup. This is probably the next guy in the Atlanta Braves pitching pipeline, which means he will probably be a very good pitcher. On the other side, Nick Pivetta makes his Padres debut after getting acquired in the offseason. We are going to go with Pivetta and the Padres getting the win. Pick: San Diego
Win
Happy picking everyone!