- The Atlanta Braves have -140 odds to cover their -1.5-run line against the Washington Nationals.
- Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Angels are -120 to beat the Oakland Athletics by a 1.5-run line.
ATLANTA – 2023 MLB Opening Day is here, and value can be found across the betting board. The Atlanta Braves open their season with a favorable matchup against the Washington Nationals, a team they have beaten in 74% of their matchups dating back to 2021.
Atlanta Braves at Washington Nationals
- Atlanta Braves -1.5 (-140)
- Washington Nationals +1.5 (+120)
The game will feature a duel of two southpaws, Max Fried for the Braves and Patrick Corbin for the Nationals. Max Fried is 4-1 in his career starts at Nationals Park.
Patrick Corbin had a rough 2022 campaign, posting a 6-19 record with a 6.31 ERA.
The Atlanta Braves had a ton of success off of the left-hander, scoring 16 runs off Corbin in his three starts against them in 2022. The return of a healthy Ozzie Albies and Ronald Acuna Jr. are key for the Braves to cover the -1.5-run line on online gambling sites.
Ozzie Albies is batting .429 with 3 home runs in 28 career at-bats against Patrick Corbin. NL MVP candidate Austin Riley leads the offense with a .329 batting average against lefties, .074 points higher than his batting average against right-handed pitching.
The Braves won their fifth-consecutive NL East crown in 2022, while the Nationals lost 107 games and finished 46 games behind Atlanta. Atlanta is 28-10 against Washington since 2021, with an average margin of victory of three runs.
Expect the 2021 World Series Champions to cover the run line at -140 against the team with the least amount of wins last season.
Betting on the Angels and Ohtani to Cover the -1.5 Run Line
Los Angeles Angels at Oakland Athletics
- Los Angeles Angels -1.5 (-120)
- Oakland Athletics +1.5 (EVEN)
Opening Day starter Shohei Ohtani will be the focus of this matchup.
Ohtani is coming off an incredible tournament in the World Baseball Classic. His dominance on the mound and at the plate earned him the title of 2023 World Baseball Classic MVP.
Players who participated in the WBC compared each game to a playoff atmosphere. The Angels also have a pretty good hitter who played for the United States in the World Baseball Classic. His name is Mike Trout, and he hit 40 home runs in 2022 despite missing 43 games.
Ohtani and Trout are prepared to continue their great 2022 seasons with a great opportunity against the poor-performing Oakland Athletics.
The Athletics had a rough 2022 season, losing over 100 games and their best source of offense in Sean Murphy to the Atlanta Braves. Opening day starter Kyle Muller was a key piece in the Sean Murphy trade with Atlanta.
Muller has struggled to acclimate to the major league level since being drafted 44th overall in the 2016 MLB draft. The 6’7 lefty posted an 8.03 ERA in three regular season starts last season, with a 6.50 ERA across five Spring Training appearances in 2023.
The Los Angeles Angels simply have the better pitching and hitting when compared to the Oakland Athletics. Their -120 odds on MLB gambling sites to cover the -1.5-run line are valuable.