Happy Opening Day. It’s a new MLB season - one of the most exciting days on the sports calendar. Every team feels optimistic and, most importantly, every team’s best pitcher will be on the mound. We’ll examine a couple of games and give you the best MLB bets for each. Below we dive into our picks and predictions for Brewers vs. Yankees.
Get instant alerts when a line reaches your target via the BettingPros App >>
Thursday’s MLB Best Bets: Brewers vs. Yankees
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Milwaukee Brewers (+130) at New Yankees (-155) | O/U 8.0 (-102/-118)
A lot has happened for the Yankees since their World Series loss. Unfortunately, this will not be the same lineup that played in the Fall Classic. The most notable subtraction is Juan Soto, who signed with the New York Mets in free agency. The injury bug has also plagued them; Gerrit Cole had Tommy John surgery. Giancarlo Stanton and DJ LeMahieu are both starting the season on the injured list (IL). You have to wonder how Aaron Judge will perform with Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt behind him.
With no Cole, Carlos Rodon will get the Opening Day start. He’s tough to hit off of when everything works. He gets those swings and misses, but he's been inconsistent and has problems staying in the field.
The Brewers easily won the National League Central last season, but it wasn't much of a competitive division, with the other teams barely finishing above .500. We saw in the playoffs that the division’s lack of competition hurt them, losing in the Wild Card round to the Mets. They made many changes, especially to the pitching staff, which included signing Jose Quintana and trading for Nestor Cortes from the Yankees.
Freddy Peralta will get the start for Milwaukee after another solid year with a 3.68 ERA. He likes to get hitters to chase pitches out of the strike zone, but he will give up walks if he faces a disciplined team.
Both lineups have a lot of pop, and each starting pitcher could struggle giving up the long ball. Each team also changed their bullpen and lost some of their best relief arms, so this game could go over the projected total.
Pick: Over 8.0 Runs (-102)
