MLB Opening Day Picks 4/5: Braves Mets, Red Sox Tigers, Dodgers Padres

MLB Opening Day Picks and Predictions 4/5: Atlanta Braves at New York Mets, Boston Red Sox at Detroit Tigers, LA Dodgers at San Diego Padres, Phillies Pirates, Nats Cubs, Blue Jays Indians, Marlins Reds

MLB is playing tricks on us. There was “Opening Day”, a 6:00 AM affair in Japan between two terrible teams that nobody cares about. Last night was “Opening Night”, a fun game on national television between the Marlins and Cardinals. Now today is Opening Day again according to their website, because this is the first full day of games in baseball.

It’s at the very least an exciting one. Roy Halladay, Stephen Strasburg, and Clayton Kershaw are all in action, while the pitching matchup between the Red Sox and Tigers is a dandy with Justin Verlander and Jon Lester on the hill. Johan Santana is back in baseball and pitches against the rival Atlanta Braves. Pitching should rule the day, particularly because it seems to take the bats a while to catch up to pitching each season.

Atlanta Braves (-110) at New York Mets
Hanson Vs Santana

For me, this game comes down to Johan Santana not being ready to take out a borderline playoff team in the Atlanta Braves. He hasn’t pitched in quite some time, meaning the Mets will be going to the bullpen relatively early even if he is dominant. Additionally, are we sure that Santana can shut down the Braves? If Santana is on, he’ll go six innings and give up a couple runs. If he’s off, he could get hit pretty well.

The Braves offense is far from elite, but the Mets are worse.

Braves 5 – Mets 3

Confidence: 3/6
Value: 5/6

Boston Red Sox at Detroit Tigers (-150)
Lester Vs Verlander

Was there a more dysfunctional team last season than the Boston Red Sox? Was there a pitcher more consistent than Justin Verlander? Combining these two factors should give the Tigers a huge edge early in this game.

Additionally, I like what the Tigers did with their lineup to overcome injuries. Their defense will suffer, but that won’t matter until the late innings. Hopefully that’s enough for Detroit to pull out a win.

Tigers 4 – Red Sox 3

Confidence: 2/6
Value: 1/6

Philadelphia Phillies (-180) at Pittsburgh Pirates
Halladay Vs Bedard

I’m playing the pitching match up here. I really believe these teams are relatively equal in terms of their rosters, especially with all the injuries the Phillies have suffered to the heart of their lineup. However, Roy Halladay pitches great in the big game, and he’s hard to bet against when the Phillies play the Pirates.

Phils 4 – Pirates 2

Confidence: 3/6
Value: 1/6

Washington Nationals (-160) at Chicago Cubs
Strasburg Vs Dempster

Stephen Strasburg seems ready to be a legitimate ace and is fully recovered from his injuries. Neither team is very good, which makes it hard to buy into a line like this, especially when you consider that they won’t overwork Strasburg. I think the Nats can score on Dempster, but this is a tough one. My advice is to probably just stay away.

Nats 4 – Cubs 3

Confidence: 1/6
Value: 1/6

Toronto Blue Jays at Cleveland Indians (even)
Romero Vs Masterson

I think Justin Masterson is in for a big season, and an opening day win could be the first step. The Blue Jays offense could be one of the best in baseball, but Masterson at home for these odds could absolutely shut them down. This should be a fun one.

Indians 5 – Blue Jays 4

Confidence: 1/6
Value: 2/6

Miami Marlins at Cincinnati Reds (-150)
Buehrle Vs Cueto

Mark Buehrle was the most overpaid free agent last year, and after the Marlins offense struggled against Kyle Lohse, it’s hard to imagine them hitting an ace like Cueto. I like the Reds here, though I don’t find much value in the line. They’ll make another mediocre run at the playoffs, and it all starts on the first day of the season.

Reds 5 – Marlins 2

Confidence: 2/6
Value: 1/6

Los Angeles Dodgers (-160) at San Diego Padres
Kershaw Vs Volquez

The Dodgers start the season with one of the best pitchers in baseball. The Padres start the season as one of the worst teams in baseball. To me, that sounds like a nice road win for the Dodgers and Magic Johnson.

Dodgers 5 – Padres 1

Confidence: 3/6
Value: 2/6