The 2018 Major League Baseball (MLB) regular season officially kicks off this week on March 29. With all 30 MLB teams in action Thursday, let's take a closer look at two games and where the value's at. This year's opening day will be the earliest start to the season in league history.
San Francisco Giants vs Los Angeles Dodgers
Clayton Kershaw against divisional rivals on opening day? Sign us up.
What to Watch For
Dodgers' Leadoff Man and Center Fielder: Chris Taylor will become an all-too-familiar name for Dodgers fans as he is projected to lead off for the home side on opening day. He actually opened 2017 in the minors before a breakout season and is locked in at leadoff -- largely becuse of his power and athleticism.
Taylor averages about 4 at bats per sim, 1.4 hits per sim, and 0.8 runs per sim; he has the second-lowest probability of hitting a homerun amongst the top seven batters in the Dodgers lineup.
Injuries: Dodgers' Justin Turner is currently on the disabled list and is expected to be out for 1-to-2 months with a broken wrist.
Projected Leaders: Andrew McCutchen, batting at the No. 3 spot for SF, has the highest probability of hitting a HR for his side. He averages 0.15 HRs per sim, averaging 0.5 RBIs per sim. For the Dodgers, it's Cody Bellinger. He averages 0.30 HRs per sim, and 0.7 RBIs per sim.
Key Betting Trends
- The Giants are 4-2 against the spread (ATS) in their last six games going back to last season.
- The total has gone UNDER in 11 of the Giants' last 15 games going back to last season.
- San Francisco is 2-6 straight up (SU) in its last 8 games on the road going back to last season.
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the Giants' last 6 games on the road going back to last season.
- The Giants are 1-4 ATS and SU in their last five games vs the Dodgers going back to last season.
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the Giants' last five games vs the Dodgers.
- The Giants are 1-5 SU in their last six games on the road vs the Dodgers.
Analyst's Pick
The UNDER.
We've got Kershaw on the mound, plus the total has gone UNDER in 5 of the Giants' last 5 games on the road vs the Dodgers.
