Top 3 MLB Odds, Picks & Predictions: Saturday (4/4)
Entering the weekend, all 30 Major League Baseball teams have played games both at home and away, so we now have enough data with which to make our best MLB picks & predictions.
Saturday’s MLB slate consists of seven games in the 4:10 p.m. ET or earlier window, so bettors should be sure to get their wagers in early. Here are the best MLB picks & predictions for Saturday, April 4th.
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Saturday’s Best MLB Picks & Predictions
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook | This Season: 0-3-0 (-2.5 units)
St. Louis Cardinals at Detroit Tigers
Jack Flaherty spent his first six full seasons with the Cardinals, and allowed just two hits over six scoreless innings when facing his former teammates for the first time in 2024.
Flaherty has since regressed significantly, infamously leading the league with 15 losses last season. A lack of control led to his WHIP increasing from 1.068 in 2024 to 1.280.
Flaherty's four walks issued in his debut are not inspiring, and St. Louis was lucky to allow just five runs in a three-game series against the Mets, after New York went 1-for-29 with runners in scoring position.
Pick: Over 7.5 Runs (-105)
Los Angeles Dodgers at Washington Nationals
No matter which Dodgers pitcher opposes Nationals righty Jake Irvin today, I was always going to look long and hard into their run line odds.
Irvin has allowed a troubling .304/.350/.570 slash line in 92 career at-bats against opposing Dodgers hitters. And three Dodgers regulars - Teoscar Hernandez, Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith - each have an OPS of .871 or better against the hurler.
Tyler Glasnow earned a no-decision despite making a quality start in his first outing, and he should stifle Washington’s offense enough to help L.A. cover this alternate run line, as the -175 odds to lay the -1.5 runs were too steep for my liking.
Pick: Dodgers Alt -2.5 (-120)
Chicago Cubs at Cleveland Guardians
Shota Imanaga followed up a 15-win rookie season, where he finished in the top five in the National League Cy Young voting, with a less inspiring 9-8 record last year. And once the calendar turned to August, the Cubs faltered in the southpaw's starts, going just 3-9 in his final 12 outings, including the playoffs.
Chicago appears to have the better bullpen on paper, entering the series with a 3.18 ERA. But in terms of xERA, Cleveland's relievers ranked 12th compared to the Cubs at 20th, so I prefer the Guardians in the later innings if Slade Cecconi can match Imanaga early.
Cleveland went 4-3 in Cecconi's first seven starts last year despite scoring one total run in the three losses, and not scoring more than three runs in three of the four wins. Thus, it shouldn’t take much run support for Cleveland to clinch a series victory as underdogs.
Pick: Guardians Moneyline (+119)
Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.