The three words baseball fans have been waiting for: It’s Opening Day. This year’s edition of Opening Day features all 30 teams, which is the first time that has happened since 1968. There’s no better way to celebrate Opening Day than with a parlay, and how about one at mega odds? I’ve looked through the MLB slate and have found 3 picks that combine for a +701 payout at FanDuel Sportsbook. Be sure to also check out our MLB predictions for all 15 games and access all of our comprehensive MLB season preview content via our MLB betting guide. Now let’s get into my mega parlay for Opening Day.
Orioles ML (+108)
Twins -1.5 (+114)
Angels -1.5 (-125)
Parlay odds: +701
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Baltimore Orioles ML (+108) over Boston Red Sox
Surprisingly, the Red Sox have decided not to start Chris Sale on Opening Day. Instead, they will give Corey Kluber the ball. The 36-year-old was decent for the Rays in 2022 but found a home with the Red Sox when they lost Nathan Eovaldi and Michael Wacha. He will face an Orioles squad that is nearing the end of a rebuild and can cause havoc on Kluber in his Red Sox debut. In the last few seasons, Kluber has shifted from being a ground-ball pitcher to a fly-ball pitcher, and that shift could be his demise at Fenway. There are expected to be strong winds blowing out on Thursday in Boston, which should help the Baltimore hitters pepper the Green Monster and find the gaps in right-center field. The first few hitters in Baltimore’s lineup include Cedric Mullins, Ryan Mountcastle and Anthony Santander, who are a combined 20-for-62 (.322) against Kluber.
On the mound for the Orioles will be Kyle Gibson, another newly acquired veteran. Gibson will return to Fenway Park for just the 5th time in his career, but he has been weirdly incredible in Boston. He has a 1.57 ERA paired with a 0.628 WHIP, and has allowed a .143 batting average in 28.2 innings. That’s more of a historical advantage for Gibson, but a current one is that the Boston lineup is unfamiliar with Baltimore’s starter. The Boston starter with the most at-bats against Gibson is Rafael Devers, who is 4-for-12 with 2 strikeouts. After Devers, it’s Kiké Hernandez who is 0-for-3. The Orioles should jump on Kluber early and secure their first win of the season.
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Minnesota Twins -1.5 (+114) over Kansas City Royals
Zack Greinke will make his 7th career Opening Day start on Thursday. However, this Opening Day will be unlike any other. The 39-year-old will take the mound without a shift behind him and with a pitch clock counting down until each pitch. After having the lowest strikeout rate in the league last season, which means a lot of balls in play, and now with no infielders shifted over for when hitters pull the ball, it could be one of the worst seasons in Greinke’s long career. In 2022, he ranked in the 2nd percentile in whiff rate, 3rd percentile in xBA and 14th percentile in xSLG in 137 innings. Greinke is notorious for his off-speed pitches that range from 72 to 86 mph in velocity since his fastball has very little life left. And this strategy worked last year, but he might be one of the many pitchers that are impacted by the ban of the shift. His low velocity meant a lot of early swings that were normally guaranteed outs since the infield was shifted. Minnesota could knock Greinke out of the game early if they find the holes in the infield.
The Twins will start Pablo Lopez, the former Marlin who was part of the Luis Arraez trade. Lopez was excellent for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic, and he has the opportunity to shine as the ace for the Twins after being in Sandy Alcantara’s shadow in Miami for the last several seasons. With Minnesota’s new additions to their lineup such as Christian Vasquez and Joey Gallo, while also bringing back Carlos Correa gives them the offensive advantage. This Opening Day matchup should end in a multi-run win for the Twins.
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Los Angeles Angels -1.5 (-125) over Oakland Athletics
Returning from the World Baseball Classic as a champion and a hero to Japan, Shohei Ohtani is the Opening Day starter for the Angels. In 9.2 innings during the tournament, Ohtani allowed 2 runs and 5 hits with 11 strikeouts on the mound. He limited some of the best baseball players from around the world to a .152 batting average. While Ohtani was participating in high-leverage situations for Japan, Kyle Muller was getting shelled in Spring Training. After two failed seasons in Atlanta, Muller gets the opportunity to start in Oakland’s rotation. However, his Spring Training was less than ideal. He appeared in 18 innings and allowed 18 runs, 30 hits and 4 walks. Muller also allowed 3 home runs as his fastball continued to be his Achilles heel.
The 25-year-old will go from facing Spring Training lineups to a revamped Angels lineup that could be one of the biggest surprises in baseball. The top of their lineup gets a lot of attention with Ohtani, Taylor Ward, Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon, but the bottom half is sneaky good. They have Gio Urshela, Hunter Renfroe, Luis Rengifo and Brandon Drury, who are all capable of hitting at least .250 this season. With Ohtani on the mound and their healthy lineup behind him, the Angels could be a dangerous team. The Athletics are expected to be one of the worst teams in baseball in 2023, and that should start with a big loss on Opening Day.
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