MLB Daily Betting Guide: Opening Day Odds for April 7, 2022

Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago Cubs (2:21 p.m. ET)

Team Favored and Spread: Milwaukee -1.5

Total Runs: 10

The first game of the 2022 MLB season features an NL Central showdown between the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Last season, the Brewers went 15-4 against the Cubs with only two of those losses in Chicago.

Corbin Burnes gets the nod for the Brewers after going 11-5 with a 2.43 ERA last season. The Cubs will counter with Kyle Hendricks (14-7, 4.77 ERA).

Go with the Brewers to win and cover the runline and the under to hit as it did in six of the nine April matchups between the two teams last season.

Cleveland Guardians at Kansas City Royals (4:11 p.m. ET)

Team Favored and Spread: Cleveland -1.5

Total Runs: 8

These two teams have the worst odds of winning the AL Central this season, but one of the two will start out the season 1-0 after Thursday. The Guardians will turn to ace Shane Bieber to take on Zack Greinke and the Royals at Kauffman Stadium.

One player to watch is Jose Ramirez, who just signed a five-year extension with Cleveland. Last season, he hit .266/.355/.538 with 36 home runs, 103 runs batted in, 111 runs, and 27 stolen bases.

While the Guardians have the edge on the mound, the Royals get the nod offensively. Expect this one to be low-scoring and close. For that reason, take the Royals +1.5 and the under.

For an in depth look at the Guardians Opening Day matchup in Kansas City, CLICK HERE!

Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals (4:16 p.m. ET)

Team Favored and Spread: St. Louis -1.5

Total Runs: 8

First year manager Oli Marmol will try to get his tenure with the Cardinals started on the right foot as they host the Pirates at Busch Stadium Thursday. Marmol will turn to veteran Adam Wainwright to take the ball for a Cardinals’ who has the second-best odds to win the NL Central this year.

The Pirates finished the season last year with the worst statistical offense in baseball. They averaged just 3.76 runs per game, while the Cardinals averaged 4.34.

Expect the Cardinals to both win and cover on Opening Day, while the run total will likely stay under eight.

New York Mets at Washington Nationals (7:06 p.m. ET)

Team Favored and Spread: New York -1.5

Total Runs: 9

With both Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer dealing with injuries, new Mets’ manager Buck Showalter will turn to Tylor Megill to take the bump in this NL East showdown at Nationals Park.

Last season, Megill went 4-6 with a 4.52 ERA. The Nationals will counter with southpaw Patrick Corbin, who did not fare much better in 2021 going 9-16 with a 5.82 ERA.

Don’t be surprised if some of the sluggers like Juan Soto of the Nationals and Pete Alonso of the Mets have good days in this one.

Simply because of a deeper lineup, take the Mets to win and cover, but expect the total to go over the nine runs.

Cincinnati Reds at Atlanta Braves (8:09 p.m. ET)

Team Favored and Spread: Atlanta -1.5

Total Runs: 8

The Atlanta Braves start the defense of their World Series title at Truist Park on Thursday as they host the Cincinnati Reds. With the departures of Nick Castellanos, Sonny Gray, Amir Garrett, Jesse Winker, Eugenio Suarez, and others, the Reds seem like a shell of the team that went 83-79 last season.

The Braves, on the other hand, may have gotten better this offseason. While the loss of Freddie Freeman hurts, they picked up Matt Olson, Kenley Jansen, Eddie Rosario, Alex Dickerson, Collin McHugh, and Tyler Thornburg, and they will also get Ronald Acuna Jr. and Marcell Ozuna back this season.

Max Fried (14-7, 3.04 ERA) gets the ball in this one, opposing the Reds’ Tyler Mahle (13-6, 3.75 ERA).

Expect the pitching to take center stage in this one, but eventually, the Braves should pull away. Take Atlanta to win and cover, but expect the total runs to stay under eight.

Houston Astros at Los Angeles Angels (9:39 p.m. ET)

Team Favored and Spread: Los Angeles -1.5

Total Runs: 8.5

The Astros have won the AL West four of the last five seasons, but the Los Angeles Angels will look to dethrone them this year.

Reigning MVP Shohei Ohtani (9-2, 3.18 ERA) will get the ball on Thursday. Not only is he elite on the mound, but last season he hit .257/.372/.592 with 46 home runs, 100 runs batted in, 103 runs, and 26 stolen bases.

The Astros will counter with Framber Valdez (11-4, 3.14 ERA) and will take last season’s top-ranked offense (5.34 runs per game) into Angel Stadium.

Houston also has the longest winning streak on Opening Day at nine, and don’t be surprised if that continues Thursday. Take Houston +1.5 and the total runs to hit the over.

San Diego Padres at Arizona Diamondbacks (9:41 p.m. ET)

Team Favored and Spread: San Diego -1.5

Total Runs: 9

Opening Day concludes with an NL West matchup between the Padres and Diamondbacks at Chase Field.

The Padres will be without star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. (wrist), but expect Yu Darvish (8-11, 4.22 ERA) to come out strong in this one. Arizona will counter with veteran Madison Bumgarner (7-10, 4.67 ERA).

Last season, the Padres went 11-8 against the Diamondbacks, and they should be able to improve on that mark this season.

Take San Diego to cover the runline, but expect the total to stay under nine.

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