For baseball fans, it’s the most wonderful time of the year. We are mere hours away from MLB Opening Day, the day when fans of every team can still harbor dreams of their squad going 162-0. And this year brings more excitement and intrigue than usual due to the numerous rule changes the powers that be have made to the game. So to get the season kicked off on the right foot for our bank accounts, here are some MLB Opening Day best bets.
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MLB Opening Day Best Bets
Tampa Bay (-1.5) vs. Detroit (+105) – 3:10 pm ET
The Detroit Tigers were awful last season. The Detroit Tigers are going to be awful this season as well. Picking Tampa Bay to win at -225 isn’t juicy enough for me, so I’ll lay the 1.5 runs. First off, they’re at home. Secondly, they are running out of their ace, Shane McClanahan, to the mound. And, lastly, Detroit’s starter Eduardo Rodriguez is meh, at best. Oh, did I mention that Detroit is awful?!
Philadelphia (+115) at Texas – 4:05 pm ET
The defending National League champion Phillies enter this season banged up, with sluggers Rhys Hoskins and Bryce Harper on the shelf for an extended period of time (Hoskins for the entire season). Yet I’m still getting in on them at plus money to win on Opening Day, on the road, no less. It comes down to the starting pitching. I just trust Phillies’ starter Aaron Nola more than his oft-injured counterpart, Jacob deGrom.
Toronto (-115) at St. Louis – 4:10 pm ET
Canada’s team kicks off its 2023 campaign on the road in St. Louis. Toronto sends Cy Young candidate Alek Manoah to the mound while the Cardinals counter with Miles Mikolas. You’ve got to lean heavily toward Toronto in terms of this pitching matchup. And the rest of their lineup is not too shabby, either. We get a nice number since Toronto is on the road here – but it’s moving in the wrong direction, so get in quick. The Blue Jays keep their hopes of an undefeated season alive for at least one game.
Dodgers (-170) vs. Arizona – 10:10 pm ET
The Los Angeles Dodgers are still projected to be one of the teams to beat this season in the National League. The Arizona Diamondbacks, well, are not. However, Zac Gallen is a good pitcher, so I’m not willing to lay the 1.5 runs to juice up this line. Dark horse Cy Young candidate Julio Urias takes the mound for Los Angeles tomorrow, and I like him leading the star-studded lineup to an Opening Day win.
Cleveland at Seattle – Over 6.5 Runs (-125) – 10:10 pm ET
Shane Bieber and Luis Castillo take the bump in this one, so you’d think it would be a low-scoring affair. However, with it being the first game of the year, you’d think they’d be on a short leash and not work too deep into the game. Plus, we’ve got a plethora of new rules to try to goose up scoring that the players need to get used to. I think we’ll see more than six runs in this game.
