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Opening Day is almost here! Major League Baseball opens its abbreviated 2020 season this Thursday with a doubleheader featuring the Washington Nationals hosting the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers hosting the San Francisco Giants. That’s followed by a full slate of games on Friday.
DraftKings Sportsbook has lines for the opening slate of games, and as we head into the first week, we’ve also got some early betting splits. The betting public is focused on favorites, but there is one exception. The Colorado Rockies open on the road against the Texas Rangers, and the public is backing the underdog Rockies (+123). 64 percent of total bets are on the Rockies, while 93 percent of the handle is on them.
The Rockies have not yet announced their Opening Day starter, but it’s easy to explain why the percentages are so lopsided. DraftKings launched in Colorado in May and Colorado backers are loving their Rockies. They are eighth in World Series handle and sixth in National League pennant handle in spite of long odds for both — +15000 and +7000, respectively. In the early going of this season, handle could prove to be one-sided for the Rockies.
This is something to keep in mind for teams in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania as well. Sometimes the splits makes sense, but if you find yourself uncertain what about a given team’s on-field product justifies the kind of split you see, consider where the team operates.
Here is a full rundown of splits heading into the first week of the 2020 MLB season.
2020 Opening Day betting splits
| Teams | Odds | % Handle | % Bets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | Odds | % Handle | % Bets |
| NY Yankees | -139 | 77% | 76% |
| WAS Nationals | +120 | 23% | 24% |
| SF Giants | +275 | 45% | 18% |
| LA Dodgers | -335 | 55% | 82% |
| ATL Braves | +114 | 37% | 44% |
| NY Mets | -129 | 63% | 56% |
| DET Tigers | +160 | 13% | 37% |
| CIN Reds | -182 | 87% | 63% |
| TOR Blue Jays | +148 | 21% | 30% |
| TB Rays | -167 | 79% | 70% |
| MIA Marlins | +175 | 4% | 13% |
| PHI Phillies | -205 | 96% | 87% |
| KC Royals | +195 | 15% | 20% |
| CLE Indians | -230 | 85% | 80% |
| MIL Brewers | +110 | 38% | 69% |
| CHI Cubs | -124 | 62% | 31% |
| BAL Orioles | +170 | 12% | 15% |
| BOS Red Sox | -195 | 88% | 85% |
| COL Rockies | +123 | 93% | 64% |
| TEX Rangers | -139 | 7% | 36% |
| MIN Twins | -115 | 51% | 45% |
| CHI White Sox | +102 | 49% | 55% |
| PIT Pirates | +155 | 26% | 21% |
| STL Cardinals | -177 | 74% | 79% |
| ARI Diamondbacks | +114 | 29% | 75% |
| SD Padres | -129 | 71% | 25% |
| SEA Mariners | +245 | 45% | 14% |
| HOU Astros | -286 | 55% | 86% |
| LA Angels | +114 | 50% | 46% |
| OAK Athletics | -129 | 50% | 54% |
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