Ricky Dimon
The week in Major League Baseball wraps up with a more than full 16-game schedule on Easter Sunday (Washington and Colorado are playing a double-header). I’m on an absolute heater to start the year, with a 15-8-1 record so far in this best bets piece while going 3-for-5 on Same Game Parlays at +481, +632 and +439 odds. Pickswise’s MLB handicapping team on the whole is 22-9-1 on their best bets. Let’s keep it going as we get into my MLB best bets of the day!
Also don’t forget to check out our MLB picks for Sunday’s slate.
MLB best bet: Cincinnati Reds vs Baltimore Orioles Over 9.5 (-105)
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing
I’m not sure any total – at least within reason – is high enough for this showdown between Cincinnati and Baltimore. The first 2 games of this interleague series resulted in 11 and 14 runs, with the Reds accounting for 13 runs and the Orioles responsible for 12. The O’s have crossed the plate 27 times in their last 4 outings. Not lagging too far behind, the Reds have scored 31 runs in their last 5 while allowing 32 during the same timeframe.
Given Sunday’s pitching matchup, there is no reason to think that anything will change. Carson Spiers is taking the mound for Cincinnati and he is 0-2 with a 6.08 ERA and 1.50 ERA through 9.1 innings of work across 2 starts. Baltimore is countering with Charlie Morton, who is 0-4 with an 8.84 ERA and 1.91 WHIP. At 41 years old and coming off a mediocre campaign in his fourth a final season in Atlanta, Morton was already presumed to be washed by many. Fast forward 4 starts for the Orioles and now everyone shares that sentiment. I expect both pitchers to get rocked on Sunday.
MLB best bet: Arizona Diamondbacks vs Chicago Cubs Over 7 (-120)
Odds available at Bet365 Sportsbook at time of publishing
If you think the Reds-Orioles series has been fun, how about Diamondbacks-Cubs?!?! Friday’s opener saw an unbelievable 16 runs scored in the eighth inning alone as Chicago treated the Wrigley Field faithful to a 13-11 victory. The home team cruised by a more modest 6-2 margin on Saturday, although that was still another good performance by the Cubbies’ bats considering that Zac Gallen was on the mound for the Snakes. Chicago leads Major League Baseball with 143 runs so far this season. No other club has more than 122.
Another unspectacular pitching matchup on Sunday pits Arizona’s Merrill Kelly against Chicago’s Jameson Taillon. Both of those guys are well-respected names, which is part of the reason why this total of 7 is lower – perhaps much lower – than it should be. Kelly (5.57 ERA, 1.33 WHIP) and Taillo (5.40 ERA) are well off their games in 2025. Both offenses are extremely familiar with the respective opponent, too. Eugenio Suarez is batting .265 lifetime against Taillon with 5 home runs in 34 at-bats. Justin Turner is 10-for-26 at Kelly’s expense with a pair of doubles. I’m hammering the over with confidence.
