MLB Betting Lines Today, Analysis and Picks for the 2024 Opening Night Games

2024 MLB Opening Night Game Odds: As fun as it has been to watch spring training games these past few weeks, the truth is that we have all been impatiently waiting for Opening Day.

MLB Games Odds: Saturday, March 28, 2024 | 2024 MLB Regular Season

There are now only 7 days to wait before we get to the meaningful games, and you can tell that teams are ready to get started, as most of the Opening Day pitchers have already been announced. Besides that, the odds are now available for the full slate of games on March 28, but you should be aware that any odds mentioned here may well change before we get to the first pitch of the season. Still, we can take a quick look at those MLB odds and get some idea of how we might spend our betting dollars.

1:10 PM | MLB Game Odds

The day begins with the Brewers on the road to face the New York Mets, with the home team in as a slight favorite at odds of -120.

Brewers vs Mets Betting Odds
Baseball Odds Today for 2024 MLB Regular Season

3:05 PM | MLB Games Odds

There are a pair of games going off at this time, with the Braves starting as a slight favorite at odds of -105 against the Phillies, who have knocked them out of the postseason in the last 2 seasons. We also have The Orioles (-210) at home to the LA Angels.

4:10 PM | MLB Games Odds

This is where the majority of the Opening Day games fall. The Reds are in as a firm home favorite against the Nationals at odds of -190. The Dodgers will open their season at home against the Cardinals and are currently sitting at -200. The Minnesota Twins are a road favorite at odds of -125 against the Kansas City Royals. The game between the Yankees and Astros has yet to hit the board, so keep an eye open for that one coming soon. The Marlins open at home against the Pirates and are the favorite at odds of -140. The Detroit Tigers are a bit of a sexy pick this season and open as the favorite at odds of -125 versus the White Sox. There is little separating the Jays and the Rays, but Tampa in as a slight favorite at -105. An NL West matchup sees the Padres in as a -120 favorite over the Giants.

7:35 PM | MLB Game Odds

Only one game at this time point, but it is a good one, with the World Champion Texas Rangers starting the defense of their crown against the Chicago Cubs. The champs open the season as a favorite at odds of -120.

10:07 PM | MLB Game Odds

This is a bit of a strange start time, but it will be Oakland opening at home against the Cleveland Guardians, who are a solid favorite at odds of -180.

10:10 PM | MLB Games Odds

We close out Opening Day with a couple of late games, starting with an NL West matchup between the Rockies and the Diamondbacks. It is Arizona who are in as a home favorite at odds of -220. We also have a clear favorite in the final game of the day, which sees the Seattle Mariners host the Boston Red Sox. It is Seattle who are in as the favorite at odds of -190.

Who will be the Worl Series winner at the end of the upcoming season? That is the question that the majority of baseball fans have on their minds right now, but it’s one that is pretty tough to answer without more data to draw upon.

Sure, we know what the starting lineups for each team will be, and we also know how well, or poorly, each of those teams are doing in spring training, but things have a way of not necessarily going as expected once the actual regular season begins. We are now just a couple of weeks away from the start of the season, so it won’t be too long before we start to get some answers. Opening Day falls on March 28th with a full slate of games, so let’s look at the entire schedule for day one.

Milwaukee Brewers at New York Mets

The early games begin with the NL Central champions heading to the Big Apple to face a Mets team that is looking to bounce back after a 2023 season that saw them finish below .500. A win and a strong start to the new season is something that is imperative for both teams.

LA Angels at Baltimore Orioles

Given the talent they have had for the past few years, you have to say that the Angels have underwhelmed. Now that Shohei Ohtani is gone, things might be about to get worse, and they have a tough road trip to face an Orioles team that should be in the hunt to win the AL East.

Atlanta Braves at Philadelphia Phillies

There is sure to be an element of revenge for the Atlanta Braves in their opening game of the season, as they are on the road to face the Philadelphia Phillies, the team that has knocked them out of the postseason in each of the last 2 seasons. This might well set the tone for the rest of the NL East battle that is coming this season.

Detroit Tigers at Chicago White Sox

We have another divisional battle on tap for the opening day of the season, with the Tigers hitting the road to face the Chicago White Sox. All signs point to Chicago having another rough season, but can the Tigers make a run at the division title? The AL Central looks wide open, so who can really say.

Minnesota Twins at Kansas City Royals

The Royals have been one of the pleasant surprises of spring training, but as we mentioned at the top of this piece, things tend to be very different once the real games begin. The Royals will welcome the AL Central champion Minnesota Twins on Opening Day in what could be a fun one to watch.

New York Yankees at Houston Astros

There are sure to be some fans and pundits who believe that we are looking at a potential preview of the ALCS with this matchup. The Astros have made a habit of getting to that point over the past few years, while the Yankees are looking to bounce back after an injury ravaged 2023 season.

Pittsburgh Pirates at Miami Marlins

The Pirates got last season off to a fantastic start, but they quickly fell from grace, plummeting down the standings over the course of the season. The Marlins had a winning season in 2023, but they never really challenged for the NL East title. They will be looking to take a step forward this season.

San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres

If we are being honest, the battle in the NL West is almost certainly going to be for 2nd place, as the Dodgers are more than likely going to win it in a canter, just as they did last season. The Giants and Padres will be looking to get into that race, so doing well in divisional games is essential.

St. Louis Cardinals at LA Dodgers

No matter which team you follow, I think it’s safe to say that we are all anxiously waiting to see what Shohei Ohtani does with the Dodgers in his first season with his new team. The Cardinals are expected to have a big season in 2024, but this is a tough ask for them on Opening Day.

Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Rays

This is another great divisional matchup, with both of these teams believing that they can be in the hunt to win the AL East. The Jays tend to rely heavily on offense, while the Rays are all about pitching and defense, so it will be interesting to see which way this matchup goes.

Washington Nationals at Cincinnati Reds

It was a winning season for the Reds in 2023, but can they keep that going and improve on their performance from last year? They certainly have a great chance at getting off to a winning start, as the Nationals are once again expected to have a disappointing year, just as they did in 2023.

Chicago Cubs at Texas Rangers

This matchup is interesting in a number of different ways. The Cubs believe they have a shot at winning the Central, and they will get the chance to start the season with a win over the defending champions. The Rangers are about to find out how tough it is to repeat, so getting off to a winning start is imperative.

Cleveland Guardians at Oakland As

We are all just waiting for the Oakland As to finally make the move to Las Vegas, which is supposed to be happening in a few short years. In the meantime, the fans are going to need to suffer through another miserable season, which begins with the Cleveland Guardians heading to town.

Boston Red Sox at Seattle Mariners

It has been a down few years for the Red Sox, who ended last season at the very bottom of the AL East. They are looking to climb back this season and will open things up with a trip to Seattle to face the Mariners, which finished just 2 games out of the lead in the NL West. Can they challenge again this season?

Colorado Rockies at Arizona Diamondbacks

The final game of Opening Day sees an NL West matchup, with Colorado hitting the road to face the Arizona Diamondbacks. The D-Backs made it into the Wild Card last season, while the Rockies finished dead last. I think there is a very good chance we might be looking at more of the same this year.

How to Bet Yankees at Nationals MLB Odds & TV Info

The 2020 Major League Baseball season will be like no other in history with the coronavirus still raging across the United States and the season cut down to 60 games. It all begins Thursday night from Washington, D.C., as the defending World Series champion Washington Nationals host the New York Yankees.

• When: Thursday, 7 PM ET
• Where: Nationals Park, Washington, DC
• Probable pitchers (away/home):  Gerrit Cole/Max Scherzer
• TV: MLB Extra Innings
• Stream: MLB.tv, ESPN+
• Radio: http://mlb.mlb.com/media/player/mpa/?c_id=mlb
• Opening MLB Lines: Yankees -135 / Nationals +125 (total 7.5)

Why Bet on Yankees?

The Yankees are favored to win the AL pennant this season even though they lost No. 2 starting pitcher Luis Severino to season-ending Tommy John surgery a few months ago. The Yankees played 21 of their 31 scheduled Grapefruit League games in Florida, going 11-8-2 before spring training was shut down on March 12. They finished their Grapefruit League action with a winning record for the fourth straight season (Major League-best 24-9-1 mark in 2017, 18-13-1 in 2018 and 17-10-4 in 2019).

If the season had started on time, sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton would not have been available. Judge didn’t play this spring because of a stress fracture in his rib cage but homered twice Sunday in an exhibition vs. the Mets. Stanton went yard too. DJ LeMahieu played three innings at second base Sunday. LeMahieu missed the first couple weeks of summer camp workouts following a positive test for COVID-19.

It’s big ticket free agent signing Gerrit Cole on the mound – he pitched twice in the 2019 World Series vs. Washington while a member of the Astros. Cole was utterly dominant last year and that earned him a record-breaking $324 million contract this winter.

Cole, 29, was 20-5 with a 2.50 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 326 strikeouts against 48 walks in 212 1/3 innings in 2019. He was also 4-1 with a 1.72 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 36 2/3 postseason innings. He led the majors in strikeouts, ERA+ and strikeout rate, and the AL in ERA and FIP, among other categories. He finished second to former teammate Justin Verlander in AL Cy Young Award balloting.

Not only is Cole’s deal the richest ever signed by a pitcher but his $36 million average annual value is the highest in baseball history, topping Mike Trout ($35.5 million). New York is believed to have outbid the Angels and Dodgers for Cole’s services. The Yankees made Cole their first-round selection (28th overall) in the 2008 MLB Draft, only to see him honor his commitment to UCLA.

“Obviously when you are talking about a player at the level of Gerrit Cole, in a lot of ways, that’s a game-changing type talent,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.

Cole struck out nine batters over 5 2/3 scoreless innings in an intrasquad game Sunday at Yankee Stadium. Cole scattered four hits and one walk across the 84-pitch outing. The 29-year-old should be stretched out to around 100 pitches.

Why Bet on Nationals?

The Nationals lost all three home games of last year’s World Series yet still won the first title in franchise history thanks to winning all four games in Houston. Normally, the Nats would raise their championship banner and give out the World Series rings before the home opener, but GM Mike Rizzo is putting those on hold while there are no fans in attendance.

“I think as far as raising the banner and the distribution of rings, we’re going to wait for our fanbase to be involved to do those types of things,” Rizzo said. “Those are once-in-a-lifetime things to do and our fanbase is such a big factor in helping us win that thing. They earned it, they deserve to be involved in it and we’re going to wait for them to do it.”

The Nats did have a virtual ring ceremony in May. In a cool move Thursday, Dr. Anthony Fauci will throw out the ceremonial first pitch. He’s the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and arguably the nation’s leader in the coronavirus.

Scherzer is on the mound, and of course he’s a three-time Cy Young Award winner and among the NL favorites for this season at Mybookie.  Scherzer posted a 2.92 ERA and 243/33 K/BB ratio over 172 1/3 innings in 2019, along with a 2.40 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 30 postseason frames. Scherzer had a start during the playoffs pushed back due to a neck issue and also battled a back/shoulder problem prior to that but he’s healthy now.

Scherzer needs to be better than he was Saturday in a scrimmage, though, as he gave up seven runs over five innings in his start against the Phillies. Scherzer allowed a pair of three-run homers early, but he got better as the night went along and retired nine of 10 to finish up.

“I got beat around a little bit,” he said. “… but that’s good. Have to work out of the stretch, have to make pitches in those type of situations. “That’s what happens in the regular season. It’s not always just going through lineups and everything’s easy.”

A fly-ball pitcher, Scherzer allowed two homers in just three games last season, including twice down the stretch in September. He has given up two or more long shots in 58 contests over his career.

“Max is going to come out Opening Day and be fired up and compete. Today was no different,” said manager Dave Martinez. “He likes to go through innings in Spring Training where he struggles and he’s got to dig deep. We know that. I think he’s going to be ready. He said he felt really good after he came out, which was nice.”

This is the fourth time that Scherzer will start Opening Day for Washington. According to FanGraphs.com, Scherzer led all Major League Baseball pitchers in Fielding Independent Pitching (2.45) and ranked second in Wins Above Replacement (6.5) last year. According to Statcast, Scherzer throws: Four Seamer (48.2%), Slider (20.6%), Changeup (14.5%), Curve (8.7%), Cutter (7.9%).

Scherzer and Zack Greinke are the only pitchers in MLB to record at least 10 wins in every season dating to 2010. Scherzer’s streak of eight 200+ strikeout seasons is second in MLB history behind Hall of Famer Tom Seaver (9, 1968-76). Scherzer has crossed the 250-strikeout mark for five consecutive years (2014-18). In doing so, he became the fourth pitcher in MLB history to compile four consecutive seasons or more with 250+ strikeouts. He joined Randy Johnson (1997-2002), Ferguson Jenkins (1968-71) and Pedro Martinez (1997-2000), all Hall of Famers.

Game Trends

• Yankees are 11-5 in their last 16 Thursday games.
• Yankees are 3-7 in their last 10 during game 1 of a series.
• Yankees are 3-7 in their last 10 road games.
• Nationals are 6-2 in their last 8 games as an underdog.
• Nationals are 9-3 in their last 12 interleague games.
• Nationals are 9-3 in their last 12 home games vs. a right-handed starter.
• Under is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings in Washington.
• Under is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings.