Ricky Dimon
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MLB Opening Day is upon us. The 2024 Major League Baseball may have officially started last week in South Korea, but for all intents and purposes Thursday marks the grand return of America’s national pastime. All 30 MLB teams are taking the field, so there is a smorgasbord of baseball to watch and all kinds of betting opportunities. Shohei Ohtani probably can’t wait to make a parlay on the season-opening action – and I can’t, either. Below is my MLB mega parlay for Thursday; also be sure to check out all of our MLB picks for the day’s action and throughout the season.
Orioles -1.5 (+120)
Cubs ML (+104)
Mariners -1.5 (+128)
MLB parlay odds: +923
For this MLB mega parlay, I am going with 2 favorites on the run line and 1 underdog on the money line. Let’s break down each of the 3 legs.
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Baltimore Orioles -1.5 over Los Angeles Angels (+120)
The Orioles are without question a team on the rise. They have the young talent to make a deep run this season — even if the AL East is loaded. Knowing they have a window to win now, they went out and got Corbin Burnes for exactly that reason. Baltimore hands the ball to Burnes on Opening Day, and even though starters are volatile and on pitch counts in these early starts, you have to think Burnes is a huge advantage over the Angels’ Patrick Sandoval. LA’s lineup is also nothing special now that Shohei Ohtani is gone. Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon are momentarily healthy, but Burnes should still be able to keep the Angels’ bats mostly in check. Look for the O’s to make an early statement and dominate their first game of the 2024 campaign.
Read our full LA Angels vs Baltimore Orioles predictions
Chicago Cubs ML over Texas Rangers (+104)
The Cubs are one of my longshot plays this season, and why not? No, they are not as good as they were when they won the World Series in 2016 – at least not on paper. But I think they will be better than expected and the path to a National League Central title shouldn’t be too difficult to navigate. Once in the postseason, anything can happen. We saw that yet again in the form of none other than the Rangers this past fall. The defending champions will send Nathan Eovaldi to the mound, while the Cubs counter with Justin Steele. Needless to say, it should be a good pitching matchup. Steele was especially impressive in 2023, going 16-5 with a 3.05 ERA. On the other side of the ledger for Chicago, Cody Bellinger is back to lead the offense along with Dansby Swanson, Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ. Give me the visitors at plus-money odds.
Bet better on baseball in 2024 with our MLB betting guide
Seattle Mariners -1.5 over Boston Red Sox (+128)
Luis Castillo is the anchor of my fantasy baseball pitching rotation, so I certainly hope he gets off to a good start on Thursday. I think he will, too. The right-hander won 14 games last year and compiled a 3.34 ERA. In 6 of his final 10 starts, he worked at least 6.0 innings without allowing more than 2 runs. It’s also worth noting that Castillo started the 2023 campaign in incredible form. He pitched 6.0 innings of 1-hit, shutout baseball on Opening Day against Cleveland and through 4 starts he allowed a grand total of 2 runs in 24.2 innings. Castillo should be able to victimize an underwhelming Boston lineup in similar fashion. For the Red Sox, Brayan Bello (12-11, 4.24 ERA last season) is promising but inexperienced. Castillo and the Mariners should have a sizable edge on Thursday.
Don’t miss our MLB World Series best bets from 4 of our best baseball handicappers!
