The MLB season gets underway on Thursday, March 28. Every team was scheduled to be in action, but two games have already been postponed due to rain. Still, that leaves 13 games for you to choose from when making your bets.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at our favorite MLB bets for Thursday, March 28, with odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook. These bets can be player props, game lines, or anything in between for that day’s slate.
MLB bets: Thursday, March 28
Orioles Moneyline vs. Angels (-192)
Baltimore fans will be tuning in to see new ace Corbin Burnes make his team debut. He will get to not only pitch at home but will take on the Los Angeles Angels, who will play their first game without Shohei Ohtani. Burnes will still have to deal with Mike Trout, but he had a concerning spring with a high rate of strikeouts. If Baltimore’s lineup can give Burnes some early run support, they should start the season 1-0.
Under 0.5 runs scored 1st inning, Reds vs. Nationals (-115)
Cincinnati will open up their season at home, as is tradition. Under the “1st inning” tab, when you select a baseball matchup, you can wager on various props focused solely on the first inning. I like the Reds and Nationals combining for fewer than one run in the first inning of Thursday’s game. First, the pitching matchup of Frankie Montas for Cincinnati and Josiah Gray for Washington presents two pitchers who feel like they have better stuff the first time through a lineup. Plus, both lineups are young, with likely more upside in the future than this season. Elly De La Cruz could get a hold of one for Cincinnati, but I’m taking no run being scored in the first.
Cole Ragans, over 6.5 strikeouts (+120)
I mentioned this prop in my player prop article, so I’m either going to look really smart or kinda dumb, depending on how Ragans does. No matter if you think Kansas City will compete this year, Ragans could easily league the lead in strikeouts. His stuff is nuts and in the 12 games he pitched for the Royals after they acquired him from the Texas Rangers, he struck out at least five in 11 games. Ragans punched out at least seven in eight games and will face the Minnesota Twins who averaged the most strikeouts per game last season.