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Each week, we will take a look at the best and not-so-best Astros performances and stories of the week.

3 Up:

1. Lance McCullers Jr. : What a performance from LMJ last night vs the Red Sox. He goes 7 innings for the first time since 9/21/22. His final line: 7 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 9 K. NINE! This is Lance’s best start since 5/11/21 – which is the last time he went at least 7 innings and gave up 1 run or fewer. Incredibly encouraging outing from Lance, who maintained his velocity around 93 MPH for the full 7 innings and 96 pitches. Lance was in command all night, and gives hope that the “Old Lance” is still in there.

2. Jose Altuve: What slow start? Altuve had his 42nd 4-hit game last night, including 2 home runs. With that performance, Altuve leads the team in AVG, OBP, OPS, hits, walks, and total bases through 5 games. Every year, there are rumors of his demise. Every year, he proves those rumors to be greatly exaggerated. As an added bonus, he currently has a +4% success rate added defensively.

3. Christian Walker: Currently leading the team with 4 doubles, Walker has been stinging baseballs in the early going. While last season he really struggled against high velocity, an offseason conditioning program and a mechanical adjustment to his swing have led to excellent results so far against high velocity pitches. Espada moved him up to 5th in the order last night, and he delivered an RBI double. While he will always be a strikeout guy, he has also walked 3 times this season which is a great sign for a guy with a career .325 OBP that early on he is taking to the Astros new philosophy at the plate

3 Down:

1. Cristian Javier: The velocity issues that have plagued him since returning from Tommy John surgery last year still persist, and Javier lacks the kind of pinpoint control to be effective with a low velocity fastball. Javier likes to live at the top of the zone with his fastball, and that isn’t a place you can miss throwing 91. He still has great movement on his breaking stuff, but as we saw last year with Lance McCullers Jr., it is very hard to be successful as a MLB starter with a fastball no one fears beating them. It allows hitters to sit on breaking pitches knowing the fastball can’t beat them. It also allows them to spit on breaking balls because they are looking for them, so it becomes easier to identify when they will be out of the zone to lay off. Whether or not Javier can rediscover his prior form will be vital to his success. This is a major situation to watch for the Astros.

2. Bryan Abreu: No matter how much the Astros try to downplay things with Abreu, every red flag should be at full mast with him right now. Abreu averaged 97.3 MPH on his fastball in 2025, often hitting 99-100 MPH. When he came out on Sunday throwing 92, everyone in the organization should have been worried. Espada tried to say it was mechanical after the game, but for a guy to lose 5 MPH on his fastball doesn’t seem like mechanics to me. With Hader out likely until at least May, the team really cannot afford to lose Abreu for a long stretch. Maybe it’s just a dead arm period, maybe it’s more. They need to find out definitively and not take any chances with his health. Losing both back of the pen arms, two guys who have been thoroughly dominant, would be an incredibly tough blow to a team that has been ravaged by injuries the last two season.

3. Brice Matthews: Boy that 434 foot HR last night was a TANK, and I was really happy for him to get that blast. However it cannot obfuscate from the bigger picture, which is Brice has struck out 6 times in 9 AB, and he looked shaky in centerfield on Friday night, seeming to have trouble getting jumps on balls. Center field is the easiest of the outfield positions to see the ball clearly and get a good jump, so that was strange that he struggled so much with it Friday night. Cam Smith bailed him out on one play coming across to make a great running catch in right center on a play that should have been Matthews. Matthews let a couple of balls fall in front of him that he didn’t get good reads on as well. I am not down on Brice, but that HR was the lone bright spot on what was a tough week overall for him. Hopefully it gets him going.

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We kick off the first full week of MLB action with all 30 teams in action today, and prediction markets like Kalshi allow baseball bettors in every state (excluding Nevada) a chance to lock in their favorite MLB best bets.

To help you find some winners among today's games, we've polled our baseball experts for their favorite MLB picks today — as well as offering extra MLB expert picks from the rest of the Covers staff for Tuesday, March 31.

MLB expert picks for today

Pick	Odds
Josh Inglis: Rays ML	+123
Jon Metler: Giants ML	-133
Joe Osborne: Dodgers -1.5	-108

Prices courtesy of Kalshi.

Josh Inglis' expert pick: Rays moneyline

Price: 45¢ (+123) at Kalshi

There’s value on the Tampa Bay Rays at +123, with most books at +115, and THE BAT making them a slight favorite at -112. Shane McClanahan gets the start, and while there are fair questions about his workload and effectiveness coming off two major surgeries, he looked sharp this spring. He’s also backed by a lineup carrying momentum after a ninth-inning comeback win last night vs. a Milwaukee offense that finally didn't get to pick on White Sox pitching.

Jon Metler's expert pick: Giants moneyline

Price: 57¢ (-133) at Kalshi

If you’re a fan of backing elite starting pitchers, you’ll love this bet — we’re getting Logan Webb at a much better price than we should at Kalshi on Tuesday. The San Francisco Giants are trading as a 57% favorite, and I see clear value, as I price them closer to 66%. The Giants are 1–3 to start the season, but Rafael Devers and Luis Arraez profile very well at the top of the order against Germán Márquez, who relies heavily on his fastball. The humidity in San Diego is also expected to be high on Tuesday, which should further enhance the effectiveness of Logan Webb’s sinker.

Joe Osborne's expert pick: Dodgers -1.5

Price: 52¢ (-108) at Kalshi

This looks like a strong bounce-back spot for the Dodgers after taking their first loss of the season last night. Shohei Ohtani posted a 1.71 ERA at home last year, and he looks to be in peak form after punching out 11 in his final spring tune-up. Meanwhile, Tanner Bibee is a different pitcher on the road: He had a 5.17 ERA in away games last season — nearly two runs higher than his mark at home — and he was hit hard in one start vs. LA. Add in the Dodgers’ clear edge with the bats and bullpen to open the season, and this shapes up as a multi-run win.

More MLB best bets for today

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The Detroit Tigers visit the Arizona Diamondbacks once again tonight as they look to bounce back from a loss in the series opener. 

My Tigers vs. Diamondbacks predictions are eyeing Dillon Dingler to keep swinging it well for the visitors. 

Read more for my MLB picks for Tuesday, March 31.

Tigers vs Diamondbacks predictions

Tigers vs Diamondbacks best bet: Dillon Dingler 1+ RBI (+195)

Dillon Dingler was a key piece for the Detroit Tigers last season, hitting .278 across 126 games with 13 home runs and 57 RBI. He’s off to a red-hot start in this young 2026 campaign, batting .333 with five RBI already. 

The catcher drove in a run in Monday’s loss and has recorded at least one RBI in three games. 

When it comes to tonight’s matchup, the Tigers face Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Brandon Pfaadt, whose 5.25 ERA was the fifth-highest among all qualified starters last season. 

Dingler has typically been batting seventh, but is getting RBI opportunities hitting behind Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson, and uber-rookie Kevin McGonigle.

COVERS INTEL: Thirty-nine of Dingler’s RBI last season came against right-handed hurlers, and four so far this year are against righties as well.

Tigers vs Diamondbacks same-game parlay (SGP)

The Tigers may have lost the opener, but they were a perfect 3-0 last season against Arizona, and as a lineup, Detroit is hitting .360 against Pfaadt across 25 at-bats. Three different players in this lineup have registered multiple hits vs. the righty in minimal ABs. 

After a tough defeat in Game 1 of the series, Detroit should come out with some fire and jump on Pfaadt early, setting the tone for a victory. 

Colt Keith is 6-for-14 with three doubles, and in just four games, the 24-year-old has collected 2+ hits in three of those contests. 

He was 2-for-5 on Monday with a pair of doubles, and all of his damage has come against right-handed pitchers.

Tigers vs Diamondbacks SGP

• Dillon Dingler 1+ RBI
• Tigers moneyline
• Colt Keith 1+ hits

Tigers vs Diamondbacks home run pick: Riley Greene (+330)

Greene is hitting just .176 this season, but he finally found a bit of an offensive rhythm on Monday, finishing 2-for-5 with a pair of singles. 

Sometimes, all a hitter needs is some confidence to get them going, and Greene has homered against Pfaadt before, who gave up 26 bombs last season, 14 coming off left-handed bats. 

Greene also had a career year in 2025, clubbing 36 bombs. 

Tigers vs Diamondbacks odds

• Moneyline: Detroit -108 | Arizona -108
• Run line: Detroit -1.5 (+155) | Arizona +1.5 (-188)
• Over/Under: Over 9.5 (+110) | Under 9.5 (-134)

Tigers vs Diamondbacks trend

The Detroit Tigers have hit the Game Total Over in 76 of their last 142 games (+10.40 Units / 7% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Tigers vs. Diamondbacks.

How to watch Tigers vs Diamondbacks and game info

Tigers vs Diamondbacks latest injuries

Tigers vs Diamondbacks weather

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Rafael Devers is one of the most dangerous left-handed hitters in the majors.

A lot of his production comes against right-handed pitching, and my Giants vs. Padres predictions and MLB picks see him taking advantage of a gettable righty in German Marquez.

Giants vs Padres predictions

Giants vs Padres best bet: Rafael Devers Over 1.5 hits + runs + RBI (-135)

Rafael Devers has a mouthwatering matchup to jumpstart his campaign against German Marquez.

The veteran pitcher struggled mightily with lefties last season, allowing a .311 average, .396 wOBA, and 1.71 homers per nine innings.

Devers is a prime candidate to take advantage. Isolating Marquez’s three most-used pitchers against left-handed bats, Devers posted a .355 OBP and 59.9% hard hit rate against righties last season. Focus on Marquez’s two go-to pitches, and that hard hit rate spikes to 63.4%.

Devers should generate good contact in this matchup, and good things tend to happen when he does.

COVERS INTEL: Rafael Devers has posted an average exit velocity of 94.5 miles per hour over the last 10 balls put in play against Marquez’s pitch mix.

Giants vs Padres same-game parlay (SGP)

Jung Hoo Lee is another lefty poised to cause Marquez problems. He hit .286 against Marquez’s three most prominent pitches last season while striking out only 7% of the time. He’s great at getting the bat on the ball and generating contact, while Marquez struggles to miss bats.

Ace Logan Webb will take the bump for the Giants, and he is already ramped up from the WBC and starting the MLB’s season opener. He is a quality start machine, and the Giants are poised to provide him run support against Marquez.

Giants vs Padres SGP

• Rafael Devers Over 1.5 hits + runs + RBI
• Jung Hoo Lee Over 0.5 hits
• Giants moneyline

Giants vs Padres home run pick: Matt Chapman (+360)

Matt Chapman has made a lot of powerful contact out of the gate. He's responsible for the three hardest hit balls the Giants have this season, indicating the production is not far off.

Chapman has enjoyed a lot of success against Marquez in his career. He is 6-for-15 with four hits going for extra bases, three of which left the park.

Giants vs Padres odds

• Moneyline: San Francisco -135 | San Diego +115
• Run line: San Francisco -1.5 (+125) | San Diego +1.5 (-145)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 | Under 7.5

Giants vs Padres trend

Rafael Devers has cleared 1.5 hits + runs + RBI in four consecutive games working on zero days of rest. Find more MLB betting trends for Giants vs. Padres.

How to watch Giants vs Padres and game info

Giants vs Padres latest injuries

Giants vs Padres weather

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

It was, honestly, a much better opening week for the Guardians than many had anticipated, and there were plenty of positives to come out of it.

Chased History

Making his (technical) MLB debut on Thursday’s Opening Day, Chase DeLauter shocked the nation and made his name known. In his very first at bat, he launched an 85.3 mph slider from Logan Gilbert into right center field to give the Guardians a 1-0 lead. In the top of the ninth inning, he did it again on an 85.8 mph cutter from Cooper Criswell. On Friday, he decided he’d do it again and clobbered an 87.4 mph slider from George Kirby for another 1-0 lead for the Guards. On Saturday, he decided that wasn’t enough. He took Andrés Muñoz’ 96.6 mph offering 365 feet into left field. With one swing, he made Major League history by becoming one of only two players to hit four home runs in their first three career regular season games (Trevor Story 2016).

2-2 for 2

Facing a rotation of Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, and Bryan Woo, the Guardians’ odds were not in their favor. Many fans had come to terms with the fact that the team might start the season 0-4. I was one of them. However, we were pleasantly surprised with a 2-2 record that currently has the team in solo-second place in the American League Central. DeLauter’s superstar offensive showing and strong outings from multiple members of the bullpen gave the Seattle Mariners a run for their money and no guaranteed wins (well, except for Sunday). Vibes are great heading into the David vs. Goliath series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Good News for Bibee

It was a nerve-wracking scene on the mound in the sixth inning of Thursday’s opener as Tanner Bibee exited the game with the team’s trainer. It was later announced that he had left with right shoulder inflammation. While that was worrisome, Bibee shared that he was already feeling better after the game and was throwing weighted balls the following day. He threw a 25-pitch bullpen session on Saturday and said he felt good. He is still day-to-day, but hopes to be able to make his next start.

Social Media Spotlight

A lot of teams have their own home run celebrations that are always super fun to watch. Toronto has the home run jacket, the Mariners have the trident, and so on. The Guardians haven’t had a set celebration until now. After his first inning home run on Thursday, he donned a knight’s helmet (is that what you call it?) in the dugout.

It was unfortunate to see the Yankees’ perfect 3-0 record go by the wayside. Obviously that was never going to last, but it was almost more annoying to lose a close game, even when the opponent is a tough one in Seattle. Ryan Weathers didn’t go very deep, the bullpen was exposed a bit with Paul Blackburn one of the few arms left by the ninth (though David Bednar and Tim Hill went unused), and the offense couldn’t do anything with multiple opportunities against Luis Castillo, held to a single sacrifice fly and an 0-for-6 showing with runners in scoring position.

Whatever. So it goes. If it’s any solace, the Dodgers, Marlins (lol), and Blue Jays entered Monday undefeated as well, and all of them now have losses on their ledgers as well. The two-time defending champions surprisingly got blanked at home over six by rookie Cleveland southpaw Parker Messick in a 4-2 loss, the Fish fell to the White Sox in Chicago’s first win of 2026, and the woebegone team that the Marlins just swept away over the weekend pulled off the upset of the night in the Great White North.

Want more on that? I’m so glad you asked.

Toronto Blue Jays (3-1) 5, Colorado Rockies (1-3) 14

Every dog has its day, and that extends to the rebuilding Rockies. Remember, even though they lost an eye-popping 119 games a year ago, they also won 43. So roughly every four games, Colorado eked one out.

The Rockies didn’t leave this one to chance, either. They drew some fortune early on in a way that they honestly wouldn’t have wanted, as Blue Jays starter Cody Ponce—fresh off returning stateside after winning the 2025 KBO MVP with the Hanwha Eagles—suffered a knee injury while trying to field a comebacker in the third. He was carted off the field and Toronto had to gp to the ’pen early. Colorado scored its first run on that play, and though George Springer then promptly homered off Tomoyuki Sugano in his Rox debut, that was just a solo shot.

The Rockies regained the lead on small ball, Ezequiel Tovar leading off the fourth with a single, stealing second, and taking advantage of a bobble at second base from Ernie Clement to score their second run. Sugano departed two outs into the fifth with Springer due up next and a runner in scoring position, but the previous Springer dinger was one of only two knocks allowed. Jaden Hill got Springer to ground out to preserve the 2-1 lead.

From there, it was all Rockies.

Troy Johnston (??) got the party started in the sixth with a two-run shot off Spencer Miles, and Brendon Little was even worse for Toronto in relief of his bullpenmate. After fanning Kyle Karros, Braxton Fulford—see Matt Ferenchick on BlueSky for more on this amusing fella—singled in Jordan Beck, who had singled against Miles and stole second on Little. Defensive specialist Brenton Doyle got a knock of his own, 2025 All-Star Hunter Goodman walked to load the bases, and free-agent signing Willi Castro flared a two-run double to right. Tovar followed with a two-bagger of his own and the Rockies had a seven-run inning and a 9-1 lead.

The Jays went quietly in the sixth and seventh before effectively waving the white flag in the eighth by putting backup catcher Tyler Heineman on the mound. Doyle, Goodman, and Tovar all doubled as the lead increased to 13-1, and honestly, manager John Schneider might have regretted the surrender because former first-round pick Chase Dollander really faltered for Colorado in the Toronto half of the eighth. Andrés Giménez and Davis Schneider’s first long balls of the season cut into the lead, but 13-4 is far less interesting than 9-4 (Kazuma Okamoto also went yard an inning later against Dollander). Fulford tacked on with a homer off Heineman in the ninth, and that was all she wrote.

Houston Astros (3-2) 8, Boston Red Sox (1-3) 1

The date was September 21, 2022. Aaron Judge had already reached the 60-homer plateau with multiple weeks remaining in the season, Paul Skenes had only just transferred from the Air Force Academy to LSU, the cast-drama-riddledDon’t Worry Darling was No. 1 at the U.S. box office, and Twitter was blissfully not yet owned by That Particular Idiot. It was also the last time that injury-riddled Lance McCullers Jr. went seven innings in a ballgame. It’s a little weird to say that a 32-year-old turned back the clock, but that’s exactly what he did in his 2026 debut, firing seven brilliant frames of four-hit ball and striking out nine Red Sox in a smooth Houston victory.

If one of Boston’s prized signings had lived up to his end of the bargain, this might have been a pitchers’ duel. Alas for Red Sox Nation, Ranger Suarez’s debut was an absolute dud. He immediately loaded the bases in the first on three-straight singles and was fortunate to escape with just one run scoring on Carlos Correa’s double-play ball. Two innings later, Yordan Alvarez dropped the hammer with a two-run homer.

Suarez would be knocked out in the fifth, shortly after a solo shot from rookie Brice Matthews. Fellow offseason addition Johan Oviedo—previously a starter for the Pirates—piggybacked on Suarez and was slightly worse, Jose Altuve taking him yard twice. Suarez and Oviedo’s pitching lines were remarkably similar:

Suarez: 4.1 IP, 7 H, 4 R (4 ER), 1 BB, 3 K, 2 HR (loss)
Oviedo: 3.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R (4 ER), 1 BB, 3 K, 2 HR, HBP, WP

It’s not what you want. Well, it’s what we want, but it’s not what Alex Cora and Craig Breslow want.

Detroit Tigers (2-2) 6, Arizona Diamondbacks (1-3)9

The D-backs were one of the league’s last winless teams as they began their Monday night game against Detroit, and unlike the 0-4 A’s (who fell to Atlanta), they got off the schneid. However, they made life more complicated than it needed to be for their hometown fans, as they came close to squandering the 8-0 lead gifted to them by a decrepit-looking Justin Verlander in his return to a Tigers uniform.

It’s easy to underrate how young Corbin Carroll is, huh? He already has a nine-figure contract, two All-Star berths, a World Series run under his belt, and nearly 500 big-league games under his belt. Verlander is fading into memory, but we may still only be at Carroll’s ascent. He disrespected his elders by carving up JV, first with one of his patented triples (he’s led the NL in three consecutive seasons with 41 total from 2023-25) in the first to plate Ketel Marte, and then by clobbering a Verlander slider 403 feet for a three-run homer in the second.

Verlander was gone by the fifth, when Arizona tacked on three more to make it a blowout. And skipper Torey Lovullo got outstanding work from starter Michael Soroka in his D-backs debut. He fanned 10 in five scoreless frame, including an immaculate inning in the fifth — the first of 2026, the 119th in MLB history, and just the fourth by a D-backs pitcher.

This game was all but over. Then, it wasn’t. 2019 Nationals legend Joe Ross was abysmal in relief when he entered in the seventh. Dillon Dingler doubled in Kevin McGongile for Detroit’s first run after the rookie’s leadoff walk, Javy Báez singled him in, and following a Gleyber Torres knock, Colt Keith doubled to score both of them. A third out for Ross proved elusive, as Riley Greene singled to make it 8-5, sending Ross to the showers.

Ryan Thompson was no better, as he balked twice to move Greene to third and Spencer Torkelson shrank the lead to a measly two runs with a double to left. Eight consecutive pitchers out of the zone followed to McGonigle and Dingler, and Lovullo had to turn to the bullpen yet again. With the tying run at second and the go-ahead run at first, Juan Morillo restored sanity by getting Parker Meadows to ground out.

Ildemaro Vargas helped Arizona fans breathe a little easier with an insurance-run solo shot off Brant Hurter, and the one-two punch of Taylor Clarke and Paul Sewald slammed the door on the Tigers in order before they could get another shot.