MLB Picks Today:
Expert baseball handicapper Greg Peterson shares his top MLB picks today for Thursday, April 2.
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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2:10 PM Eastern
Minnesota Twins vs. Kansas City Royals
Royals starting pitcher Cole Ragans last season posted a 4.67 ERA in 13 starts, but the 2.50 fielding independent shows he was pitched better than the ERA would indicate. He allowed just one home run per nine innings while getting 14.3 strikeouts per nine innings. Ragans faces a Twins lineup that entered Wednesday night hitting .200 with three runs per game to start the season. Twins starting pitcher Taj Bradley allowed just one run in 4 1/3 innings in his first start of 2026. Bradley had a tumultuous 2025 in a Twins uniform, posting a 6.61 ERA with 1.7 home runs per nine innings after joining the team late in the season. He gets to face a Royals lineup that was last in the league in scoring at home last season with 3.7 runs per game, which led to the team moving the fences in at Kauffman Stadium in the offseason.
Picks: Royals Run Line -1.5 +140 and Under 9.5 Runs
(Greg’s Handicap Royals Run Line -1.5 +114 and Total 8.2)
9:40 PM Eastern
Atlanta Braves vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
Braves starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez made just one start the entire 2025 season after a career year in 2024 in which he posted a 1.99 ERA with 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings. While he allowed just one run in six innings in his first start of 2026, he got just three strikeouts. Lopez has to face a Diamondbacks lineup that was fourth in scoring last season with 4.9 runs per game. Diamondbacks starting pitcher Ryne Nelson got roughed up in his first start of the season against the Los Angeles Dodgers, allowing four runs in 4 2/3 innings after last season posting a 3.39 ERA. Nelson did not get a lot of whiffs with just 7.7 strikeouts per nine innings. He is backed up by a bullpen that ranked 27th in ERA at 4.82.
Pick: Braves vs. Diamondbacks Over 8.5 Runs
(Greg’s Handicapped Total 9.2)
9:45 PM Eastern
New York Mets vs. San Francisco Giants
Giants starting pitcher Robbie Ray ended the 2025 season in a funk, posting a 5.54 ERA with 1.3 home runs and 4.1 walks per nine innings after the All-Star Break last season. Mets starting pitcher David Peterson posted a 6.34 ERA with 4.2 walks per nine innings after the All-Star Break last season. Both bullpens may take a step back this season with closer Edwin Diaz gone from the Mets and the Giants traded much of a bullpen that was fourth in ERA at 3.48 at the trade deadline in 2025.
Picks: Giants Moneyline +112 and Over 7 Runs
(Greg’s Handicap Giants +108 and Total 7.8)
