MLB Opening Day Betting Odds Preview

Baseball is back on Thursday and the defending World Series champion Atlanta Braves will raise their championship banner when they open the season at home against the Cincinnati Reds.

The pitching matchup is expected to be Tyler Mahle for Cincinnati and Max Fried for Atlanta. At Bovada Sportsbook, the Braves are -200 home favorites.

Mahle faced the Braves once last season and took the loss in a 4-0 game after allowing four runs on four hits over six innings. In three career starts against the Braves, he is 0-1 with a 5.29 ERA.

Fried did not face the Reds last season. He’s faced Cincinnati three times in his career, compiling a 1-1 record and 5.14 ERA.

In seven games between Atlanta and Cincinnati last season, the Braves were 4-3. At home against Cincinnati, the Braves are 4-1 in their last five.

Astros roughed up MVP Ohtani in 2021

In the AL West on Thursday, double threat Shohei Ohtani will be on the mound when the Los Angeles Angels open the season at home against the Houston Astros as -130 favorites.

Ohtani had a difficult time pitching against Houston last year with an 0-1 record and a 6.10 ERA in two starts. In five career starts against the Astros, he is 0-2 with a 6.86 ERA.

Getting the call for Houston in the opener will be Framber Valdez. He was 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA in his two starts against the Angels last season, and in 11 career appearances against the Halos, he owns a 6-3 record and 4.01 ERA.

The Astros dominated this series last season with a 13-6 record against the Angels in 19 games. In their last eight games in Los Angeles, the Astros are 6-2.

Burnes opens for Brew Crew vs Cubs

In the NL Central, the Milwaukee Brewers are -160 road favorites when they open the season against the Chicago Cubs.

The expected pitching matchup is NL Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes for Milwaukee and Kyle Hendricks for Chicago.

Burnes was 2-0 with a tidy 1.35 ERA in three starts against the Cubs last season. Milwaukee won all three of those starts.

Hendricks faced the Brewers four times last year and posted a 1-1 record with a 6.14 ERA. The Cubs were 1-3 in those four starts and in Hendricks’ last nine starts against Milwaukee, the Cubs are 3-6.

The Brewers owned the Cubs last season with a 15-4 record in 19 games while winning 11 of the last 12 meetings. At Wrigley Field in Chicago, the Brewers have won six straight and were 8-2 last season.