| Los Angeles Angels vs. Baltimore Orioles |
| Patrick Sandoval vs. Corbin Burnes |
| The Matchup |
| This one on paper looks to be one sided heading into opening day with newly acquired ace on the mound for the Orioles. There will be a lot of excitement heading into this one as Baltimore has a ton of expectations in 2024. Sandoval gets the nod for the Angels after a rather pedestrian 2023 season where there was plenty of bumps along the road. He will go up against the young guns of the Orioles lineup led by Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson and will look to limit the scoring early with hopes of finishing 5 innings. On the other side of things, Burnes faces an Angels lineup that is missing the big bat of Ohtani this year but still has some formidable foes in Trout, Drury and Sano (if he can find that power swing that made him successful in Minnesota). |
| The Wagers |
| Orioles ML -165 Nolan Schanuel – HR +850 Burnes 7+ K’s -115 |
| Big money is all over the Orioles ML in this one and I am going with the public in this one. Burnes stuff is just too overpowering and will give this lineup trouble. I’m going out on a limb here with the Schanuel homer but I think he might be able to sit on one of those Burnes cutters and blast one out of the park. At +850 there is enough value there to place a small unit wager on it. Burnes is a great spot here to get some K’s early on and I can see him getting to the that 6/7 mark fairly early. Only thing that may hold him back is the willingness of managers to go to the bullpen early in the beginning of the season. Regardless, I am going with my gut here and thinking Burnes will hit this mark today. |
| Detroit Tigers vs. Chicago White Sox |
| Tarik Skubal vs. Garrett Crochet |
| The Match up |
| These two teams seem to be heading in different directions heading into the 2024 season with the Tigers on the up and up looking to contend and the White Sox seemingly headed for the cellar of the AL Central. The Tigers will look to see if they have their ace of the future in Skubal as he looks to build on a solid 2023 campaign. Skubal finished the year strong only allowing 3 runs over his final 5 starts of last year and his fastball looks to have that same life it had then during Spring Training. On the other side of things, Garrett Crochet is looking to get back on track after being hyped up as a top prospect that saw him seesaw between the starting rotation and bulpen over his first couple seasons in the bigs. He has an overpowering fastball to go along with some nice off speed pitches but his big what if is if he can control them consistently. This match up between two fire balling lefties is a must watch for me today as I have high expectations in Skubal to lead the staff in 2024 and surprise some teams. |
| The Wagers |
| Tarik Skubal O 6.5 K’s -105 |
| Only going with one wager in this match up and going right to my guy Skubal. I think he will be able to overwhelm the Chicago hitters quite early on in this game and hit the 7 K mark. If he is controlling his fastball early on his off speed pitches will be enough to produce a number of swing and misses. This should be an easy 1 unit play today as we look to start off hot. |
| Minnesota Twins vs. Kansas City Royals |
| Pablo Lopez vs. Cole Ragans |
| The Match up |
| We could be in for a preview of two arms that will find themselves right in the thick of things in the AL Cy Young race as we head into the dog days of summer in this one. An early season matchup of two of the bright young arms the game has to offer. The Twins look to be the early favorites in the division this year but don’t bat an eye at the young core of the Royals. Led by Bobby Witt Jr. this team has all the makings to put things together and make a run at a playoff berth. I will be keeping a close on Ragans in this one as he has burst onto the scene and looks like the real deal in KC who needed a top of the rotation guy to really solidify the team and put them in the playoff conversation. |
| The Wagers |
| Bobby Witt Jr. O 1.5 Hits +205 Royce Lewis U 0.5 Hits +150 |
| Swinging for the fences in this game with my picks as it seems criminal to think Witt can’t pick up 2 hits in the first game of the year. Lopez may cause some issues with that fastball but Witt has shown time and time again that he is a premier hitter in this league and why not take a risk on opening day. Royce Lewis is a dark horse guy for me this year as I tend to expect some big thing out of the former top prospect. However, I think Ragans and company might be a little too much for him to handle on opening day. He will get it together as the season progresses but I think they’ll keep him out of the hit column in this one as we look to hit on two solid returns. |
| New York Yankees vs. Houston Astros |
| Nestor Cortes vs. Framber Valdez |
| The Match up |
| This one could definitely be a precursor of the ALCS this season as these two teams head into the season with lofty expectations. With no Verlander and Cole on the mound this one is a match up between two lefties who control the pace of play with their off speed pitches. The Yankees lineup is looking to stay healthy and has the star power to really compete this year if everyone is on the field. Led by Soto and Judge, Framber may have a hard time navigating the first couple of innings. With no Cole, Nestor gets the nod in this one and looks to make an early statement against the juggernaut that is the Houston Astros. This will either be a shootout or a low scoring game, no in between. |
| The Wagers |
| Yankees +1.5 -155 Juan Soto O 0.5 HR +550 |
| Going Yankee heavy with my wagers in this one and sticking with my thought that this may be a close game. Give me extra runs for the Yankees and I can see them easily covering this one. To go along with the extra 1.5 runs I am booking Soto to hit a long ball in his Yankees debut and really give the fans something to cheer about. |
| Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Miami Marlins |
| Mitch Keller vs. Jesus Luzardo |
| The Match up |
| For the first time in a long time things seem to be looking up in Pittsburgh. They have young core led by Keller and Hayes and Cruz and just the right amount of veteran presence on a team that could make a run a playoff berth. Mitch Keller looks to take advantage of this Marlins lineup and put an exclamation on a very hopeful season for the Pirates. Down in Miami, Luzardo is looking to show that last year was no fluke and he is a top of the rotation type arm. Still only 26, Luzardo throws a fastball that has some life and his arm slot seems to throw opposing hitters for a loop at times. A nice match up to begin the year of two teams that have not given their fans much to cheer about the past 5 years looks to set expectations for the remainder of the season. |
| The Wagers |
| Mitch Keller O 4.5 K’s -130 Pirates 1st 5 innings -0.5 +145 |
| I think this one may be the Mitch Keller show as this line of 4.5 K’s just seems to low for him in this spot. The Marlins do have guys that can make contact but I still think he gets to this number with ease. Along with Keller looking to make an early statement, I think this Pirates team jumps on Luzardo early and sets the tone. Leading by a run after the first 5 innings seems doable and with a +145 return I am willing to throw .5 units on this wager. |
| San Francisco Giants vs. San Diego Padres |
| Logan Webb vs. Yu Darvish |
| The Match up |
| When the schedule came out I had this one circled as one of my favorite early season match ups. Two teams with a lot to prove both to themselves and to the rest of the NL West. The Padres haven’t quite lived up to the hype the past couple seasons and the Giants surprised many two years ago before faltering last season. A strong offseason for the team by the bay has them thinking they have a shot to contend with the big bad Dodgers. Logan Webb looks to reproduce the magic he had in 2023 and really take his spot as the ace of this Giants staff. Yu Darvish is another year older but still has plenty left in the tank, can he continue to spot his pitches and be an effective strikeout guy? That is yet to be seen but today will be a good start. Buckle up folks as this officially starts what could be a crazy year out west as it is crazy to think 4 teams in this division could be right there in the playoff picture come September. |
| The Wagers |
| Giants ML -110 |
| Don’t have too many feelings on this one but I do think the Giants will edge out the Padres as they are coming back from Korea and may be a little tired after all the excitement they went through out there. I’m not sold on Yu being the pitcher he once was so I can see the Giants getting out to an early lead and not looking back. |
