Will Warren Underdog MLB Picks Today, 4/8: Baseball Projections + More

Quick Summary of Today’s Top Underdog Plays: 

• Shohei Ohtani (LAD): Lower Than 5.5 Strikeouts (Gets a tough road matchup vs. Toronto)
• Will Warren (NYY): Higher Than 5.5 Strikeouts (Facing strikeout-prone Athletics lineup at home)

The 2026 MLB season is now in full swing. It’s been an entertaining first week of baseball with plenty of highlights, storylines, and breakout players to watch. Let’s now focus on the Wednesday, April 8th slate of games with our top Underdog MLB Picks. We’ll break down a pair of MLB DFS projections to lock in as you enjoy today’s action. 

Underdog Fantasy MLB Picks: Wednesday, 4/8

Shohei Ohtani MLB Underdog Fantasy Pick: Lower Than 5.5 Strikeouts 

Fading Shohei Ohtani in any facet is always risky. However, we’re doing it today with the two-way star on the mound for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Specifically, let’s bank on Ohtani’s strikeouts to be limited in a tough road matchup against the Toronto Blue Jays. 

Ohtani notched 6 strikeouts over 6 scoreless innings in his first start of the season. It was an impressive outing, but the strikeouts will be tougher to come by today. The Blue Jays have just a 19.7% K rate this year, the 3rd-lowest in the MLB. This continues a trend from last season, when Toronto had a league-low 17.8% K rate. That included a 17.5% strikeout rate against right-handed pitching. 

Of course, Ohtani has elite swing-and-miss stuff. Yet, the Blue Jays will make the righty work for outs in this start. It’s also worth noting that Ohtani had a lower strikeout rate on the road last year (29.1%) than at home (38.5%). Plus, it helps that Toronto just faced him twice in the World Series not too long ago. 

Will Warren MLB Underdog Fantasy Pick: Higher Than 5.5 Strikeouts 

Will Warren entered this season as a potential breakout pitcher for the New York Yankees. The early returns are encouraging, as he boasts a 2.70 ERA over his first two starts. That includes 5.2 strong innings with 6 strikeouts at home against the Marlins last time out. Let’s back the right-hander to take advantage of a soft matchup today. 

The Athletics have a league-worst 30.1% strikeout rate so far this season. That K rate jumps to 35.2% on the road, which is also dead last in the majors. Plus, they have just a .241 wOBA (30th in MLB) and .178 batting average (28th) in road games. 

It’s an ideal spot for Warren to rack up strikeouts. The Yankees’ righty was sharp in Spring Training with a 1.42 ERA across 22.2 innings, and it seems he’s carried that over into the regular season. Notably, Warren posted a 26.2% strikeout rate at home last year compared to a 21.8% K rate on the road. That bodes well for his punchout upside today, especially in this matchup.