Cashing The Best MLB Picks For Opening Day

The MLB is finally coming back, and the season will start with the Yankees playing an away match in Washington, after which the Giants will clash with the Dodgers in LA. What better time to start betting than the opening day itself? Let’s take a look at what the season has to offer.

New York Yankees v. Washington Nationals

The Yankees will have Gerrit Cole debuting with them, at a price tag of $324 million. They will be playing the defending World Series champions Washington Nationals on Thursday. Cole was a maverick last season, he led the league in strikeouts and got a 20-5 record with an unbelievable WHIP of 0.895. In the American League, he had a 2.50 ERA and placed second in the AL Cy Young, only slightly trailing behind Justin Verlander.

The Washington Nationals also have an impeccable roster. They have three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer to put before the Yankees. At 35, he closed his 2019 season with 17-11 and a 2.92 ERA, and 1.03 WHIP. The Nationals were also able to win all their post-season games, six in total. He contributed heavily to their World Series title, the first-ever for the team.

It is generally understood that pitchers will do well in the early stages because the hitters take their time getting used to the pitch. That’s why it is the perfect time for pitchers to be throwing fastballs and curveballs, quite literally. This match will be an epic one because the best pitchers in the league will go up against each other - Cole and Scherzer. These two teams did not get a chance to go head to head against each other, but they are at par with most stats - Yankees were behind only in home runs and RBI. 

Don’t go over on your MLB picks because this game is the clash of the titans. Under is the way to go, and let me tell you why. So many times, going under on the Yankees has paid off. This includes in their last 7 interleague away games, last 5 road games, and last 5 road games with a total set of 7.0 - 8.5. Under also works out well for the last 7 games with these two teams playing each other in Washington and for their last 5 games, regardless of location.

Los Angeles Dodgers v. San Francisco Giants  

It comes as no surprise that Johnny Cueto will take the mound for the Giants in the second game of Thursday. He was unfortunately out for most of the 2019 season due to surgery. He could only towards the fag end of the season with 1-2 and a 5.06 ERA. His last game of the season saw him get tagged for five runs over two innings by the Dodgers - which ended in a 9-2 victory for the Dodgers. 

The other side will put up three-time NL Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw as their response. He had a fabulous season in 2019 - 16-5, 189 K’s, and a 3.03 ERA. At 32 years, he only allowed five runs over a whopping 19 innings against the Giants when they played each other last season. The Giants won’t be insurmountable when it comes to their offensive side. It might be nothing for Kershaw, given that Buster Posey won’t be playing for the Giants. Kershaw has consistently beaten the Giants throughout his career - a 23-12 mark, 1.74 ERA and a 0.83 WHIP. This is better than his overall career stats by a mile, and his career stats alone are noteworthy. 

But this LA roster won’t be running into their victory all that easily. We can’t forget that they’re playing at the start of a modified season, one which no one really knows what to expect from. The Giants have a lot to be confident about too - they have their star player Cueto completely rested and recovered, completing his almost two seasons long rehab. The main issue for them is what happens with the players apart from Cueto. The team has to play cohesively for them to beat LA. 

Let’s take a look at some historical odds to determine what is the best course of action. It’s under at 17-7-1 for the last 25 times that these two clubs met in LA and under against at 7-3 for the Giants in their last 10 away games where they played against a left-handed starter. Thursday games for the Giants are also under.