Betting MLB Home Openers – Part Two

The first wave of teams playing in there home ball parks has passed and the next group is ready to kickoff their celebration, having a couple of wins or losses, unlike their predecessors. In all, seven different teams will be conducting Opening Day ceremonies, with a festive mood surrounding each one.

Texas at Detroit 1:05 E

The Detroit Tigers are looking for support after a 1-3 start north of the border and return to Comerica Park to begin the home part of the schedule. The Detroit pitching once again has not been good except for the game Zach Miner pitched. The Tigers turn to Armando Galarraga in their home opener, who won 13 games as a rookie. Last season Detroit won five of his six home starts against teams that had winning records. The Tigers will tussle with Texas, who is off to their best start since 1996. The Rangers obliterated Cleveland pitching in scoring 9.7 runs per game and raised their record to 8-1 against AL Central teams. Texas brings back Kris Benson, who has not pitched since September of 2006, after undergoing surgery. The Tigers are -135 money line favorites with a total of 10 at Betjamaica.com. The Rangers are 12-3 OVER after scoring eight runs or more two straight games.

Toronto at Cleveland 4:05 E

The Toronto Blue Jays should take a picture of the AL East standings, being in first place, since the quality of the competition is likely to catch up and surpass them as the season wears on. For now anyways, the Blue Jays bats are hot and will go up against a pitching staff that looks like it’s a mess already. This is Cleveland’s home opener and they need starter Scott Lewis to pick up right where he left off from last season. The left-hander was a September call-up and won all four starts with a sparkling 2.63 ERA. This afternoon, he will try to become the first Tribe pitcher to win first five games in 88 years. The Indians are 20-6 against the money line after a game with a combined score of 17 runs or more and are a -145 favorite with total of nine. Cleveland has caged the Blue Jays with 15-2 record at home.

Chicago at Milwaukee 4:05 E

Opening Day in Milwaukee is always one of the more festive occasions in baseball, with a light grey cloud of smoke emitting from the grills packed with hamburgers and every sausage known to man. Besides the always welcome back reunion, Brewers fans have a team returning from the postseason in over two decades and the hated Cubs are in start the home campaign. Milwaukee is a +140 money line underdog, having to face the Cubs Rich Harden. The Chicago right-hander is 61-23 as a favorite of -110 or higher in his career (Team's Record) and the Cubs are 21-8 as road favorites. The Brewers revamped pitching staff includes Brandon Looper, who is 3-12 when facing a club with a winning record (Team’s result). Nonetheless, the Brew Crew has been very good at Miller Park and is 55-26 in home games in the first half of the year over the last two campaigns. Of the home losses suffered, five came last season to Chicago.

Philadelphia at Colorado 4:10 E

Normally a player chosen as MVP of the World Series and NL championship series would be on the field from opening day, unless of course something is amiss. Pitcher Cole Hamels experienced elbow tightness during the spring, raising concerns about the 262+ innings he logged last season in leading Philadelphia to World Series championship. A team physician found no damage in his sore left elbow and the left-hander is ready to go. The Phillies played like they thought it was still spring-training and were almost swept at home by Atlanta. They had eight-run inning Wednesday to help salvage one game and are 19-7 off a win.

This is Colorado’s home opener after taking two of three against Arizona, totaling 20 runs. The Rockies are 9-1 against the money line off two straight upset wins over division rivals as a road underdog and will hand the ball to Jason Marquis. Colorado is a +123 money line underdog with total at 9.5 and Marquis is 11-0 OVER against NL East opponents. (Team's Record)

New York at Kansas City 4:10 E

This season, Kansas City fans have a little extra to cheer about other than the fact baseball is back. Kauffman Stadium has undergone a $250 million renovation project to bring the grand ballpark up to current major league standards and the on the field product offers more hope than in years. The Royals got three well-pitched games in winning series in Chicago; this might not be the case with Sidney Ponson being the starter against New York. Ponson typically shows enough to warrant a look, but there is a reason why Kansas City is a +155 home underdog. Oddly, Ponson isn’t a bad wager as a +125 to +175 money line underdog with 37-34 (+18.8 Units) record. The Yankees will start Andy Pettitte, who is 7-0 in 11 starts against Kansas City and 49-20 when the veteran lefty is favored in -151 to -200 range. The Royals will try to turn things around having three wins in 10 tries versus New York at home.

Washington at Atlanta 7:35 E

Derek Lowe signed a $60 million deal to become the Atlanta Braves ace and the home fans figure to be excited off what they saw in first game. Lowe’s trademark sinker induced 13 Phillies batters to ground out over eight shutout innings. Atlanta nearly took all three games versus division rival Philadelphia except for bullpen meltdown and is 29-13 when playing with a day off. Washington started about as expected, losing all three in Florida and is 14-41 after three or more consecutive road games. The Nationals will trot out recent 22-year old Shairon Martis who sported 2.76 ERA this spring. Atlanta is a -200 money line choice in home opener with total Un8.5 and the Nats are 8-30 on the road when the total is 7 to 8.5.

Seattle at Oakland 10:05 E

After a successful start to the season, the Oakland A’s return to the Bay Area to take on another AL West representative. The Athletics won last two games in Anaheim, pounding out 31 base hits to upend the Angels. Oakland won seven of last eight home games in 2008 and will unveil left-hander Brett Anderson to the home fans. Anderson was a key component in the Dan Haren trade to Arizona and the 21-year has an excellent feel for his craft. He will face a converted reliever in Ryan Rowland-Smith for Seattle. What made the Mariners want to try Rowland-Smith as starter was he has four pitches (none overpowering) that he can throw for strikes and is willing to alter assortment as he goes through the line-up a couple of times. Seattle is +140 money line underdog, with total hovering at O8. They are 8-20 in that role and 10-28 when total is 7-8.5. The M’s have performed well in Oakland, winning 11 of 18 the last two years.