MLB Opening Day Betting Odds Preview

Baseball betting is back on Thursday as all 30 teams take to the field on Opening Day.

The reigning World Series champion Houston Astros start their title defense at home against the Chicago White Sox. In the series opener, the Astros are -150 favorites at Bovada Sportsbook.

Framber Valdez will get the start for Houston after going 17-6 with a 2.82 ERA last season. Valdez has faced Chicago five times in his career, posting a 3-1 record and 3.41 ERA that includes a pair of wins last season.

Getting the start for Chicago is Dylan Cease, who is coming off a 14-8 season with a 2.20 ERA. Cease has had trouble with Houston in the past, compiling a 0-3 record and a bloated 6.30 ERA in four starts.

Last season, the Astros and White Six met seven times and Houston held a slim 4-3 advantage. At home, the Astros have dominated this matchup with an 8-1 record in their last nine vs the White Sox.

Scherzer, Alcantara set up for pitchers’ duel in Miami

The top pitching matchup on Opening Day may be in Miami where Max Scherzer will start for the New York Mets and Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara gets the call for the Marlins. The Mets are -125 road favorites at Bovada.

Scherzer was 11-5 with a 2.29 ERA last season. He’s faced the Marlins plenty in his career and has owned them at times with a 15-5 record and 2.94 ERA in 26 starts.

Alcantara was 14-9 with a 2.28 ERA in his Cy Young season, during which he faced the Mets four times, going 1-1 with a 3.33 ERA.

Last season, the Mets were 13-6 in 19 games against the Marlins. That includes a strong 8-2 record on the road against Miami.

Rangers favored with new ace deGrom on the mound

There are a few interesting interleague matchups on Opening Day, starting with the Texas Rangers hosting the Philadelphia Phillies as -130 favorites.

The Phillies, last year’s World Series losers, will start Aaron Nola, who was 11-13 with a 3.25 ERA last season. Nola has never faced the Rangers, but in 26 interleague starts he’s 9-10 with a 3.49 ERA.

Texas will send new ace Jacob deGrom to the mound. The often-injured deGrom made only 11 starts last season with the Mets and went 5-4 with a 3.08 ERA. He’s faced the Phillies 20 times in his career, posting a stellar 9-1 record with a 2.18 ERA.

Cole, Yankees have had clear advantage over Giants

The other notable interleague matchup is the San Francisco Giants at the New York Yankees. The Yankees are -175 favorites.

The Yankees give the ball to Gerrit Cole. He was 13-8 with a 3.50 ERA last season. He’s had little trouble against San Francisco in his career with a 5-1 record and 3.15 ERA in seven starts.

The Giants will start Logan Webb. He was 15-9 with a 2.90 ERA last season. He has never faced the Yankees but has had mediocre results in interleague play with a 4-6 record and 4.19 ERA in 15 starts.

In this matchup, the Yankees have won four straight and seven of the last nine games.