MLB Picks Today:
Expert baseball handicapper Greg Peterson shares his top MLB picks today for Sunday, April 26.
Check out Greg’s Daily MLB Lines and his Baseball Betting Show Podcast. Also, check out our MLB Betting Splits and tools from our friends at Ballpark Pal, including Strikeout Prop Projections and the MLB YRFI Report.
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1:35 PM Eastern
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Atlanta Braves
The Phillies entered Thursday losers of 10 straight games and are 14th out of the 15 National League teams in run creation away from home with 3.3 runs per game and now face Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale, who is down with his strikeouts from a season ago to just nine strikeouts per nine innings this season, but has been plenty effective with a 2.79 ERA, while Aaron Nola is having a continuation of his 2025 struggles when he had a 6.01 ERA with 1.7 home runs per nine innings allowed, posting a 5.06 ERA, but his 4.03 fielding independent with 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings point towards positivity.
Pick: Phillies vs. Braves Under 8.5 Runs (Greg’s Handicapped Total 7.6)
Boston Red Sox vs. Baltimore Orioles
The Red Sox entered the weekend 26th in scoring with under 3.7 runs per game after ranking sixth last season with 4.8 runs per game, and Saturday’s 17-run outburst may have been what they needed to get on track and send Connelly Early to the mound for a start, who in his small sample size of nine starts owns a 2.64 ERA with 10.8 strikeouts and 0.4 home runs per nine innings allowed, while Orioles starting pitcher Kyle Bradish has struggled with command this season, posting a 3.96 ERA with 4.7 walks per nine innings after making just 14 total starts in the 2024 and 2025 seasons due to injury.
Pick: Red Sox Moneyline +124 (Greg’s Handicap Red Sox -108)
1:37 PM Eastern
Cleveland Guardians vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Guardians starting pitcher Slade Cecconi has been hit hard this season, posting a 6.20 ERA with 1.8 home runs and 4.4 walks per nine innings, and the Guardians bullpen has regressed in a big way, ranking 23rd in ERA at 4.71 entering Saturday after being third in ERA a season ago, while Blue Jays starting pitcher Dylan Cease has dazzled this season with a 2.10 ERA and 1.45 fielding independent, getting 15.4 strikeouts per nine innings with zero home runs allowed and faces a Guardians lineup that entered the weekend 20th in run production with 4.2 runs per game.
Pick: Blue Jays Moneyline -130 and Under 8.5 Runs (Greg’s Handicap Blue Jays -173 and Total 7.8)
1:40 PM Eastern
Detroit Tigers vs. Cincinnati Reds
Reds starting pitcher Rhett Lowder has only produced 5.8 strikeouts per nine innings this season, but has been great at inducing soft contact with 0.3 home runs per nine innings allowed to keep his ERA low at 3.10, while Tigers starting pitcher Keider Montero has yet to allow a home run as well, but has a 3.68 ERA while also giving up plenty of contact with 7.2 strikeouts per nine innings and is backed up by a bullpen that entered the weekend 18th in ERA at 4.55, while the Reds are number one with a 2.68 ERA.
Pick: Reds Moneyline -104 (Greg’s Handicap Reds -131)
2:10 PM Eastern
Washington Nationals vs. Chicago White Sox
Nationals starting pitcher Foster Griffin has been rejuvenated in 2026 after spending the past three seasons overseas, posting a 3.38 ERA, though his 4.97 fielding independent with 1.7 home runs per nine innings allowed is a concern, but he has the support of an offense that entered the weekend third in scoring with 5.5 runs per game and will look to get to White Sox expected bulk pitcher Sean Burke, who will work behind opener Bryan Hudson and has a 4.10 ERA with 6.8 strikeouts per nine innings, while the bullpen supporting him entered the weekend 26th in ERA at 5.40, while the Nationals are 27th at 5.43.
Pick: Nationals Moneyline +110 (Greg’s Handicap Nationals -103)
2:15 PM Eastern
Seattle Mariners vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Mariners starting pitcher Emerson Hancock has been much improved this season, supplying a 2.83 ERA, but his 3.97 fielding independent with 1.6 home runs per nine innings allowed should give concern of regression, while Cardinals starting pitcher Michael McGreevy has pitched to a lot of contact with just 4.9 strikeouts per nine innings, but has done a good job of not hurting himself, posting a 3.29 ERA with 1.3 home runs and 1.6 walks per nine innings and faces a Mariners lineup that entered Saturday tied with the Kansas City Royals for the lowest road run output in baseball with 2.5 runs per game.
Pick: Cardinals +126 (Greg’s Handicap Cardinals -112)
4:05 PM Eastern
San Diego Padres vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
The Padres will bat first, but this is not a true road game as these teams are playing in Mexico City. Padres starting pitcher Michael King enters in better form, posting a 2.28 ERA with 0.3 home runs per nine innings, and in Mexico City, which has more elevation than any MLB city, getting strikeouts and soft contact is important, and King is getting 8.5 strikeouts per nine innings. Diamondbacks starting pitcher Ryne Nelson is up to a career-high 8.7 strikeouts per nine innings after getting 7.7 strikeouts per nine innings last season, but much of that is due to also facing more batters per inning, with his ERA up to 6.27 with 1.7 home runs and 3.9 walks per nine innings allowed and is supported by a Diamondbacks bullpen that entered this series 19th in ERA at 4.60, while the Padres entered fourth in bullpen ERA at 3.12.
Pick: Padres Moneyline -115 (Greg’s Handicap Padres -137)
4:10 PM Eastern
Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Dodgers starting pitcher Justin Wrobleski has been a master of getting soft contact this season, posting a 1.88 ERA despite getting only 3.4 strikeouts per nine innings, having yet to allow a home run and issuing only 1.9 walks per nine innings, while Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga has allowed far less contact in 2026 than last season when he had a 4.86 fielding independent with 7.3 strikeouts and 1.9 home runs allowed per nine innings, lowering to a 2.17 ERA with 9.9 strikeouts and 0.9 home runs per nine innings allowed this season. Though the Cubs entered the weekend with a 3.40 bullpen ERA, which ranks eighth in the league, currently over half of their regular bullpen arms are on the injured list.
Pick: Dodgers Moneyline -124 (Greg’s Handicap Dodgers -182)
