MLB Picks Today:
MLB picks today, including Tigers vs. Guardians, Padres vs. Cubs, and Red Sox vs. Yankees.
Expert baseball handicapper Greg Peterson shares his top MLB picks for Thursday, October 2.
Check out Greg’s Daily MLB Lines and his Baseball Betting Show Podcast. Also, check out our MLB Betting Splits and our new tools from Ballpark Pal, including Strikeout Prop Projections and the MLB YRFI Report.
1:08 PM Eastern
Detroit Tigers vs. Cleveland Guardians
Guardians starting pitcher Slade Cecconi enters with a 4.30 ERA but a higher 4.64 fielding independent, with only 7.4 strikeouts and 1.6 home runs allowed per nine innings. He is supported by a bullpen that ranked second in ERA during the regular season at 3.45. Tigers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty owns a 4.65 ERA with 1.3 home runs and 3.3 walks allowed per nine innings but faces a Guardians lineup that is 29th in run creation at home, averaging 3.8 runs per game.
Picks: Tigers Moneyline -102 and Under 7 Runs (Greg’s Handicap: Tigers -112 and Total 6.8)
3:08 PM Eastern
San Diego Padres vs. Chicago Cubs
Padres starting pitcher Yu Darvish has struggled this season with a 5.38 ERA and 1.8 home runs allowed per nine innings, and he could be further hurt by the wind expected to be blowing out on Thursday. He is backed by a Padres lineup that ranks 23rd in road scoring, averaging just under 4.2 runs per game. Cubs starting pitcher Jameson Taillon comes in with his best form of the season, allowing just eight total runs across his past seven starts, but still owns a 3.68 ERA overall with 1.7 home runs allowed per nine innings for a 4.66 fielding independent.
Picks: Cubs Moneyline -110 and Over 7.5 Runs (Greg’s Handicap: Cubs -126 and Total 9.1)
6:08 PM Eastern
Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees
The Yankees will give rookie Cam Schlittler the start on the mound. He owns a 2.96 ERA with 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings but also has a 3.74 fielding independent with 3.8 walks per nine innings allowed. He is backed by a Yankees bullpen that ranks 28th in ERA since July 1 at 5.19, while the lineup leads the league in both home runs and total runs, averaging 5.2 per game. Red Sox starting pitcher Connelley Early has been impressive in his small sample size at the big-league level, posting a 2.33 ERA. This will be just his fifth career start, and while he has collected 29 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings pitched, three of his four starts came against teams below .500.
Picks: Yankees Moneyline -153 and Over 7.5 Runs (Greg’s Handicap: Yankees -158 and Total 7.8)
