The 23-22 Nationals lost their third straight game last night as the Giants scored an easy 8-0 win to open the three game set. Starting pitcher Ryan Vogelsong, who suffered a broken hand, finally turned in a solid outing, limiting Washington to three hits and no runs over five innings, but San Francisco’s offense was the real star of the night. The Giants cranked out 17 hits as they pummeled Nats starter Zach Duke and relievers Craig Stammen and Henry Rodriguez.

San Francisco should not bank on the same sort of performance tonight, though, with Stephen Strasburg on the hill. Strasburg owns a lackluster 2-5 record; however, his 2.83 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and .217 batting average against suggest the win/loss total has more to do with a lack of run support. The  24 year old righty is also 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in two career appearances against the Giants.

San Francisco will look to foil the Nationals lineup for a second consecutive night with staff ace Matt Cain toeing the rubber. Cain has not looked like true number one starter this season, posting a 3-2 record with a 5.43 ERA in nine starts, but the Giants have found a way to win, at least recently, in spite of some ugly outings from the eight year vet.

San Francisco is 4-0 in Cain’s last four starts, including his last one, which saw him allow eight hits (three home runs) and six earned runs over 6.1 innings in an 8-6 win at Colorado.

MLB Picks Betting Trend: The Over is 7-2-1 in the Giants last 10 games as a home favorite with a total between 6 and 7 runs.

MLB Picks Washington Nationals vs San Francisco Giants: Provided by Bovada.lv

Washington Nationals +1.5 (-215), Over 6.5 (-110), +100 (Moneyline)

San Francisco Giants -1.5 (+175), Under 6.5 (-110), -110 (Moneyline)

Former Cy Young winner Zack Greinke, the Dodgers prized off-season acquisition, returned from the disable list last week and he exhibited fine form, limiting the Nationals to five hits and one earned run over 5.1 innings in a 3-1 L.A. victory. The win improved his record to 2-0 in three starts and his ERA and WHIP to 1.62 and 0.78, respectively.

The Dodgers will look for a similar performance tonight as they try to take their three game set with Milwaukee. Los Angeles opened the series with a 3-1 win last night as Clayton Kershaw allowed just three hits and one earned run over nine innings. The victory snapped a three game skid for the Dodgers and improved their record to 18-25 overall (last in the NL West).

The Brewers will look to even things up tonight with 25 year old right hander Hiram Burgos. Burgos is coming off two horrendous starts as he yielded 19 hits, 13 earned runs, and four walks over eight innings in road losses to the Reds and Pirates. For the season Burgos is 1-2 in five starts (Brewers 1-4) with a 6.58 ERA, and 1.50 WHIP.

Burgos has performed much better at Miller Park this season, though; the Puerto Rico native has given up just nine hits and three earned runs over 12 innings (two starts) pitching in Milwaukee.

Free MLB Picks Betting Trend: The Brewers are 6-1 in their last seven games as a home underdog with a total between 8.5 and nine runs. The Brewers are 9-1 in their last 10 games as a home dog with a moneyline spread between 120 and 140 and a total between 8.5 and 9 runs.

Free MLB Picks Los Angeles Dodgers vs Milwaukee Brewers: Provided by CarbonSports.ag

Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 (+125), Over 8.5 (-110), -130 (Moneyline)

Milwaukee Brewers +1.5 (-145), Under 8.5 (-110), +120 (Moneyline)

The Yankees lost out on a potential home sweep opportunity yesterday as their series finale with the Blue Jays was postponed due to weather. New York took the first two games of the series 5-0 and 7-2 to improve to 27-16 overall and give them a half game edge over the second place Red Sox in the AL East standings.

New York will look to extend its lead this evening with staff ace C.C. Sabtahia on the hill. Sabathia is 4-3 with a 3.19 ERA in nine starts this season and he has six quality starts to his credit. The 32 year old southpaw is coming off an unusual outing in which he allowed 10 hits over 6.1 innings but also struck out 10 to help the Yankees defeat the Mariner 4-3 in the Bronx.

Tonight will mark Sabathia’s second appearance of the season against the Orioles; he gave up one earned run over eight innings in a 5-2 Yankees win over Baltimore on April 12th in New York.

Well traveled veteran and former Yankee Freddy Garcia will counter Sabathia for the Orioles this evening. Garcia is 0-2 with a 5.51 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in three starts this season. He allowed 12 hits and eight earned runs over 9.2 innings pitched in his last two starts, both losses (KC 2-6, SD 4-8).

Free Baseball Picks Betting Trend: The Yankees are 5-1 in their last six games as a road favorite with a total between 7.5 and 8 runs.

Free Baseball Picks New York Yankees vs Baltimore Orioles: Provided by Sportsbook.ag

New York Yankees -1.5 (+110), Over 8 (-125), -147 (Moneyline)

Baltimore Orioles +1.5 (-130), Under 8 (+105), +137 (Moneyline)

The Phillies enter tonight’s game off a 4-3 extra innings loss to the Giants in San Francisco; however, Philadelphia did manage to take the series 2-1. Charlie Manuel’s squad, which sits third in the NL East with a 16-19 record, will look to bring its road record to an even .500 this evening with Cole Hamels on the hill.

Hamels’ 2013 campaign got off to a horrendous start as he gave up 16 hits and 13 earned runs in his first two outings, but he has since regained the form that earned him World Series MVP honors in 2008. The 29 year old southpaw notched his fifth consecutive quality start in his last appearance and he has yielded just five earned runs and 13 hits while striking out 20 in his last 22 innings of work (three starts). Nonetheless, Hamels improved play has mattered little to the Phillies as they are 1-6 in his seven starts.

Arizona will chase its fourth straight win and, perhaps, the National League West lead tonight with second year pro Patrick Corbin toeing the rubber. Corbin has been nothing short of brilliant this season, posting a 4-0 record, 1.80 ERA, and 1.08 WHIP in six starts. The 23 year old New York native has gone at least six innings in each of his six appearances this season and he has yet to allow more than two earned runs in any outing. Arizona is 6-0 in his six starts; it won those games by an average of 4.2 runs per game.

MLB Picks Betting Trend: The Diamondbacks are 9-1 in their last 10 games as a home favorite against a left handed pitcher and with a total between 7.5 and 8 runs.

MLB Picks Philadelphia Phillies vs Arizona Diamondbacks: Provided by CarbonSports.ag

Philadelphia Phillies +1.5 (-200), Over 7.5 (-110), +106 (Moneyline)

Arizona Diamondbacks -1.5 (+170), Under 7.5 (-110), -116 (Moneyline)

The Nationals notched their fifth win in six game last night, topping the Tigers 3-1 in what was supposed to be game two of their three game set (Tuesday’s game was postponed due to inclement weather). Washington’s offense managed just eight hits off of Detroit’s Anibal Sanchez, but another outstanding performance from starter Jordan Zimmerman enabled the Nats to get the win. Zimmerman, who is 6-1 with a 1.59 ERA in seven starts, allowed seven hits and one earned run while striking out seven over seven innings.

Washington Skipper Davey Johnson will hope for a similar performance this afternoon from veteran right hander Dan Haren. Haren owns an ugly 5.01 ERA and a lackluster 1.45 WHIP; however, he has looked more like his old self in his two most recent starts. Haren limited the Reds and Braves to 10 hits and three earned runs over 14 innings in 6-3 and 3-1 Nationals victories.

Detroit, which holds a 1.5 games lead over the Royals in the AL Central, will counter Haren with lanky right hander Doug Fister. The Fresno State product is 4-0 with a 2.48 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in six starts while the Tigers are 5-1 with him on the hill. Fister has earned five consecutive quality starts (three or fewer earned runs allowed over six or more innings) since his season debut. The four year veteran yielded three earned runs over five innings in that contest, an 8-3 win against the Yankees (April 5th).

Free MLB Picks: Take the Nationals +115.

Free MLB Picks Detroit Tigers vs Washington Nationals: Provided by Sportsbook.ag

Detroit Tigers -1.5 (+130), Over 7.5 (-115), -125 (Moneyline)

Washington Nationals +1.5 (-150), Under 7.5 (-105), +115 (Moneyline)

The Nationals slipped under the break even point for the first time this season with last night’s 4-2 loss to the Cardinals at Nationals Park. The setback, which represented Washington’s four consecutive loss, dropped Davey Johnson’s club to 10-11 overall and left it five games back of the NL East leading Atlanta Braves.

The struggling Gio Gonzalez gets the call tonight as he looks to overcome his recent woes and carry the Nationals to a much needed victory. Gonzalez started the season well enough, yielding just six hits and one earned run in wins over the Marlins and White Sox, but his last two outing were horrendous. The 27 year old southpaw gave up 12 hits and 12 earned runs over nine innings in meetings with the Braves and Mets, bringing his season ERA to a lackluster 5.85.

Unlike the Nats, the Reds ride a wave of positive momentum into this evening’s opener, having won eight of their last 10 games to improve to 13-9 overall. Cincinnati, which trails the front running Cardinals by a half game, will shoot for the NL Central lead with Bronson Arroyo on the hill.

Arroyo brings a 2-1 record, 3.54 ERA, and 0.96 WHIP into tonight’s game thanks to back to back tremendous outings. The 13 year veteran, who is 3-3 with a 3.92 ERA in 11 starts against the Nationals, pitched 16 innings against the Phillies and Marlins in his last two starts and allowed just 11 hits and four earned runs while walking one and striking out nine.

MLB Picks Betting Trend: The Reds are 7-3 in their last 10 games as a road dog against a left handed pitcher with a total between 7.5 and 8 runs.

MLB Picks Cincinnati Reds vs Washington Nationals: Provided by Bovada.lv

Cincinnati Reds +1.5 (-190), Over 7.5 (+100), +123 (Moneyline)

Washington Nationals -1.5 (+160), Under 7.5 (-120), -133 (Moneyline)

The Dodgers season has been an injury plagued disappointment thus far, but they can reach the break even point this evening with a win over the Mets. Los Angeles, which is 3.5 games out of first in the NL West, improved to 9-10 last night by taking its series opener with New York 7-2.

Second baseman Mark Ellis led the charge on offense, going 4-for-5 with two home runs and four RBI, while the Dodgers bullpen held the Mets to one hit over four innings in the win.

Los Angeles will look for a third straight win this evening with veteran southpaw Ted Lilly on the hill. Lilly, who is returning from a shoulder injury, has not pitched since May 23rd of 2012 when he surrendered nine hits and eight runs in an 11-4 loss at Arizona. Tonight will mark Lilly’s eighth career appearance against the Mets; he is 2-2 with a 3.68 ERA in his seven previous outings against New York.

The 9-9 Mets will counter the 37 year old Lilly with 24 year old phenom Matt Harvey. Harvey has been nothing short of spectacular this season, posting a 4-0 record with a 0.93 ERA and 0.66 WHIP in four starts. The Connecticut native, who has gone at least seven innings in each of his four starts, also has 32 strikeouts in 28 innings pitched.

Free Baseball Picks Betting Trend: The Under is 8-0-2 in the Dodgers last 10 games as a road dog against a right handed pitcher with a moneyline spread between 120 and 140. The Under is 8-1-1 in the Mets last 10 games as a home favorite against a left handed pitcher.

Free Baseball Picks Los Angeles Dodgers vs New York Mets: Provided by Sportsbook.ag

Los Angeles Dodgers +1.5 (-170), Over 6.5 (-120), +138 (Moneyline)

New York Mets -1.5 (+150), Under 6.5 (+100), -153 (Moneyline)

The Rangers recorded their fourth straight win last night, taking their series opener with the Angels 7-6. The win, which featured 15 hits from the Rangers, improved Texas record to 13-6 and increased its AL West lead to 1.5 games over the suddenly reeling Athletics.

Rangers Skipper Ron Washington will hand the ball to 29 year old right-hander Alexi Ogando this evening as the team attempts to win for the seventh time in its last 10 games. Ogando will almost certainly need to improve upon his last start in order for that to happen. The Dominican native, who enters tonight’s game with a 2-1 record and 3.32 ERA, gave up six hits and five earned runs over 2.1 innings last Thursday in a 2-6 loss at Wrigley Field. Prior to that outing, Ogando had allowed just two earned runs and 12 hits over 16.2 innings (three starts).

Last night’s loss snapped a three game winning streak for the Angels and dropped their record to 7-11 on the season. Los Angeles, which lost two out of three at Texas in its second road series of the year, will look to avoid its 12th loss with veteran lefty Jason Vargas toeing the rubber. Vargas, who is 4-6 with a 4.48 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in 16 career appearances against Texas, has already presided over three losses this season, giving up 27 hits and 11 earned runs over the course of 14.2 innings pitched. Like Ogando, the California native was particularly bad in his last start, giving up nine hits and five earned runs over 3.1 innings.

Free MLB Picks: The Rangers are 8-2 in their last 10 games as a road favorite against a left handed pitcher with a moneyline spread between 100 and 120.

Free MLB Picks Texas Rangers vs Los Angeles Angels: Provided by Bovada.lv

Texas Rangers -1.5 (+145), Over 8 (-105), -108 (Moneyline)

Los Angeles Angels +1.5 (-165), Under 8 (-115), -102 (Moneyline)

The White Sox nice start to the season devolved into a 4-7 record after they dropped five straight games to the Nationals and Indians, but they are nearly back to the break even point thanks to back-to-back wins over the Blue Jays.

Chicago dropped its series opener at Toronto 3-4 on Monday, but it bounced back on Tuesday with a 4-3 win of its own and it put itself in position for its third series win of the season with a 7-0 victory yesterday.

Chris Sale will take the ball this evening as he looks to close the deal for the White Sox. Sale opened the year with two outstanding starts, limiting the Royals and Mariners to 12 hits and three earned runs over 14.2 innings; however, he looked horrendous in his most recent outing. The left-handed Sale gave up eight hits and eight earned runs over 4 1/3 innings in a 4-9 loss to the Indians on Saturday to bring his season ERA to a lackluster 5.21.

The Blue Jays, who are a disappointment at 6-9, will counter Sale with reigning NL Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey. Dickey’s season has been a mirror opposite of Sale’s campaign thus far as he got lit up for 15 hits and 10 earned runs in his first two starts, but bounced back with a five hit one earned run effort in his last appearance.

MLB Picks Betting Trend: The White Sox are 0-10 in their last 10 games as a road dog with a total between 7.5 and 8 runs.

MLB Picks Chicago White Sox vs Toronto Blue Jays: Provided by CarbonSports.ag

Chicago White Sox +1.5 (-200), Over 7.5 (-120), +100 (Moneyline)

Toronto Blue Jays -1.5 (+170), Under 7.5 (+100), -110 (Moneyline)

The Cardinals, as their +26 scoring differential would indicate, have one of the league’s more potent lineups, but it was awful quite last night in Pittsburgh. St. Louis, which leads the NL Central with an 8-6 record, lost 5-0 to the Pirates in the finale of a weathered shortened series at PNC Park. The Cards struck out 11 times and managed just one hit in the shutout loss.

St. Louis will look to avoid a similar fate this evening against Phillies ace Cole Hamels. For his part, Hamels will work on duplicating his last outing rather than the two he had to open the season. The veteran southpaw allowed three hits and one earned run over six innings in his most recent start, but Philadelphia still lost the game 1-2 to the Marlins. Hamels hardly gave his team a chance in his first two appearances, yielding 16 hits and 13 earned runs over 10.2 innings in losses to the Royals and Braves.

For his career Hamels is 2-3 with a 3.27 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in nine starts opposite the Cardinals.

St. Louis, which is in the midst of a 10 game road swing, will counter Hamels with Adam Wainwright. Like Hamels, Wainwright had a rough season debut, giving up 11 hits and three earned runs over six innings in a 2-6 loss to Arizona, but he has been exceptional in his last two starts. The 31 year old right hander has given up just 11 hits and two earned runs while striking out 18 in his two most recent appearances (16 innings), both Cardinals wins.

Wainwright is 3-1 with a 2.20 ERA in nine career appearance against the Phillies (seven starts), and he is 1-0 with a 0.56 ERA in three outings (two starts) at Citizens Bank Park.

Free Baseball Picks St. Louis Cardinals vs Philadelphia Phillies: Provided by Sportsbook.ag

St. Louis Cardinals -110 (Moneyline), Over 7.5 (+105)

Philadelphia Phillies -110 (Moneyline), Under 7.5 (-125)