MLB Best Bets, Picks and Predictions for April 7: Trust Tarik and the Tigers
Written by: Danny Burke
Published: Tue Apr 07, 2026, 1:33 pm ET
Read Time: 5 minutes
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What's up, everybody? Welcome to another edition of our MLB best bets.
There are plenty of intriguing pitching matchups on the board tonight, but I've narrowed it down to three MLB best bets, picks and predictions for April 7, so let's dive in.
MLB Best Bets, Picks and Predictions for April 7
Cincinnati Reds vs Miami Marlins
Yesterday we took a stab on the Marlins moneyline, but they didn't hold up their end. Their starter, Janson Junk, did his job, but the offense never showed in a 2-0 loss to the Reds.
Despite that, I'm going back to the well with Miami today.
They'll hand the ball to Sandy Alcantara, who's been dominant out of the gate. Through two starts, he's logged 16 scoreless innings, allowing just seven hits while racking up 12 strikeouts against only two walks.
While his ERA sits at 0.00, what's even more encouraging is how strong the underlying metrics look. His expected ERA is just 1.44, paired with a 2.24 FIP, and he's generating ground balls at a 51% clip while allowing only a 31.7% hard-hit rate.
It's also tough to buy into what Cincinnati has been doing offensively. The Reds rank 29th in both wRC+ (91) and ISO (.107) against right-handed pitching this season, and this is a brutal matchup to try to reverse that trend.
On the other side, left-hander Andrew Abbott gets the nod. He's been solid enough through two starts (11.2 innings, four earned runs), but the advanced numbers suggest some regression, with a 4.63 xERA, 3.78 FIP and 1.37 WHIP.
The gap between these two starters is pretty clear, and I'm siding with the arm I trust more.
Bet: Marlins Moneyline (-132)
Detroit Tigers vs Minnesota Twins
The Detroit Tigers have dropped back-to-back games and will look to re-enter the win column tonight with their Cy Young winner, Tarik Skubal, taking the mound.
After a 7-3 loss to the Twins last night, there's no better arm to turn to. Skubal has picked up right where he left off from his award-winning 2025 season, tossing 13 innings through two starts while allowing just nine hits and one earned run off a solo shot. He has struck out nine and has not issued a single walk.
He will face a Twins lineup that has struggled against left-handed pitching, ranking 26th in wRC+ (66) and 25th in ISO (.079).
Detroit's offense has been far more productive against right-handers, ranking 12th in wRC+ (107) and 20th in ISO (.145).
They will go up against former Tampa Bay Ray Taj Bradley, who is off to a strong start in Minnesota. Through two outings, he has thrown 10.1 innings, allowing just one run on eight hits while racking up 12 strikeouts to four walks.
Bet: Tigers -1.5 (+115)
Atlanta Braves vs Los Angeles Angels
Let's cap off our MLB plays with a trip to California, where the Angels and Braves square off in game two of their three-game series.
The Angels took game one on Monday, 6-2, extending their win streak to three, while the Braves have now dropped three straight.
Tonight's pitching matchup features left-hander Yusei Kikuchi and right-hander Reynaldo Lopez.
I'm usually looking for spots to fade Kikuchi, and while I'm not going there with an outright Braves moneyline, I do expect Atlanta's offense to cause some damage.
In 100 plate appearances against lefties this season, the Braves rank ninth in both wRC+ (109) and OPS (.726).
That should translate here against Kikuchi, who through two starts owns a 6.52 ERA, along with a .382 BABIP, 1.97 WHIP and 45.7% hard-hit rate. He's allowed 14 hits and seven runs across 9.2 innings.
On the other side, Reynaldo Loepz has put up cleaner surface numbers to begin 2026, allowing just two runs on seven hits through 11 innings. But the underlying metrics tell a different story, with his FIP, xFIP and SIERA all north of 5.00.
Lopez is a walking red flag, and this is a spot where the Angels should take advantage.
Put it all together, and this sets up as a game where both offenses can get going, making the over the look here.
Bet: Total Runs Over 8.5 (-115)
Best Bets:
MLB Record: 15-8-1 (+7.17 units)
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Danny Burke is a betting analyst with a decade of sports media experience. He got his start at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, sharing picks on the local ESPN affiliate. After college, he hosted shows for VSiN in Las Vegas before returning to Chicago to launch 'Rush Hour', the first daily sports betting show from an Illinois casino. He also co-hosted 'Props and Locks' on Fox32’s Bears pregame show and ran 'Bet On, Chicago' on WLS-AM 890.
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