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MLB 2020 Opening Day Odds, Picks, and Best Bets

Robert Duff

by Robert Duff in MLB Baseball

Updated Jul 22, 2020 · 10:11 AM PDT

Jacob deGrom in the wind up
The New York Mets will send Jacob deGrom to the hill to face Mike Soroka and the Atlanta Braves on opening day. Photo by Arturo Pardavila III (Wikimedia).
  • The betting lines and probable pitchers have been revealed for MLB 2020 Opening Day games
  • Which moneylines and run totals look to be the best bets on the docket?
  • Below, see the early odds for every game plus predictions

Arrival of Opening Day has never been this late. And yet, here it is – the matchups are sorted, the probable pitchers are penciled in, and MLB is about a week away from calling “play ball”.

The New York Yankees and defending World Series champion Washington Nationals will literally get the baseball rolling on July 23rd. It’s the first game of a doubleheader that will see age-old rivals the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers clash in the nightcap.

Every other MLB team swings into action on July 24th.

2020 MLB Opening Day Odds

Away Team Moneyline Runline Total (Over) Home Team Moneyline Runline Total (Under)
New York Yankees -135 -1.5 (+138) O 7 (-131) Washington Nationals +125 +1.5 (-158) U 7 (+111)
San Francisco Giants +249 -1.5 (+115) O 8 (+100) Los Angeles Dodgers -280 +1.5 (-135) U 8 (-120)
Atlanta Braves +116 N/A O 7 (-105) New York Mets -126 N/A U 7 (-115)
Detroit Tigers +168 N/A O 8 (-120) Cincinnati Reds -183 N/A U 8 (+100)
Toronto Blue Jays +161 N/A O 7 (-120) Tampa Bay Rays -175 N/A U 7 (+100)
Miami Marlins +184 N/A O 8 (-130) Philadelphia Phillies -200 N/A U 8 (+110)
Kansas City Royals +192 N/A O 8 (-115) Cleveland Indians -210 N/A U 8 (-105)
Milwaukee Brewers +100 N/A O 8.5 (-110) Chicago Cubs -110 N/A U 8.5 (-110)
Baltimore Orioles +179 N/A O 9.5 (+100) Boston Red Sox -195 N/A U 9.5 (-120)
Colorado Rockies +120 N/A O 9.5 (-110) Texas Rangers -130 N/A U 9.5 (-110)
Minnesota Twins -109 N/A O 8.5 (+100) Chicago White Sox -101 N/A U 8.5 (-120)
Pittsburgh Pirates +157 N/A O 7.5 (-115) St. Louis Cardinals -170 N/A U 7.5 (-105)
Seattle Mariners +237 N/A O 7.5 (-110) Houston Astros -265 N/A U 7.5 (-110)
Arizona Diamondbacks +124 N/A O 8 (-130) San Diego Padres -134 N/A U 8 (+110)
Los Angeles Angels +121 N/A O 8.5 (-120) Oakland Athletics -131 N/A U 8.5 (+100)

Odds as of July 13.

The Yankees and Dodgers are looked upon as a likely World Series matchup and both teams are favored in the Opening Day MLB odds.

Yankees Hold Bullpen Edge

As if the Bronx Bombers facing the reigning World Series champs wasn’t enticing enough as a reintroduction to big league baseball, bettors get Washington’s Game 7 starter (Max Scherzer) going up against the Game 5 winner for the Houston Astros, new Yankee ace Gerrit Cole.

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In reality, though, it won’t be these aces who deal the winning hand. Managers have made it clear that they’ll go easy on their starters to start out. Some have suggested they’ll be on two-inning limits to commence the year.

At MLB.com, they rank the Yankees with baseball’s #1 bullpen. Washington didn’t crack the top 10.

Pick: New York Yankees (-135)

NL East Showdown

The Atlanta Braves are two-time defending NL East champions. The New York Mets believe that they are legitimate contenders in 2020. So why not set the tone on opening day?

Last season, in an epic showdown, Jacob deGrom of the Mets and Washington’s Scherzer both reached double digits in strikeouts. That hadn’t happened on Opening Day since 1970.

DeGrom pitched six innings of shutout ball and got the win. The Mets will rise to the occasion again this year.

Pick: New York Mets (-126)

Hold Those Tigers

They leveled the Palace of Auburn Hills on the weekend and it’s going to have trouble cracking the medal contenders when it comes to 2020 implosions on the Detroit sports scene.

The Detroit Red Wings are the NHL’s worst team by a country mile. The Tigers were equally inept as baseball’s worst team in 2019. And Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan is probably going to have to play Ohio State at some point this season.

The Tigers open against the Cincinnati Reds and are sending Matthew Boyd to the hill. Last year, he surrendered an MLB-worst 39 home runs. This is whom the Tigers classify as the ace of their pitching staff.

The Reds figure to be a decent squad this season. They’ll handle the Tigers without much fuss.

Pick: Cincinnati Reds (-183)

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