MLB Opening Day is officially upon us, with a jam-packed Thursday slate marking the first time bettors can take advantage of meaningful MLB games this year. The Minnesota Twins will take on the Kansas City Royals in a battle of AL Central foes to kick off their respective seasons. Ahead of the Twins-Royals Opening Day matchup, OddsShopper has one bet highlighted.
Opening Day Bets: Twins-Royals Total Set Too Low
Twins-Royals Bet: O/U 8.5 Runs
The Royals will turn to veteran right-hander Zack Greinke to take the ball on Opening Day, while the Twins will go with offseason addition Pablo Lopez. OddsShopper Premium has the over 8.5 runs (-120 on FanDuel Sportsbook) rated as a high-value bet. But bettors should check out the models to find more of the best Opening Day bets for Thursday!
The 39-year-old Greinke made his return to the Royals last season, going 4-9 with a respectable 3.68 ERA in 137.0 innings on the bump. He signed a one-year deal in the offseason to continue his long MLB career for (at least) one more season.
Greinke was roughed up in Spring Training, sporting a 7.02 ERA in five starts. But he is coming off his best performances of the spring, allowing two runs on 5+ innings against the Dodgers on Saturday.
“He was great today,” manager Matt Quatraro said, per Fulton Sun. “It certainly looked like the way they (Dodger batters) were taking those pitches, he was just dotting the plate on both sides. His two-seamer and changeup looked really good. It was encouraging.
Still, Greinke will be going up against a tough Twins offense that will be returning stars Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton, while adding free-agent acquisitions Christian Vazquez and Joey Gallo to their lineup. The biggest concern for the Twins last season was inconsistent pitching, and they will hope to patch up that void with Pablo Lopez.
Lopez went 10-10 with a 3.75 ERA for the Miami Marlins last season and has already taken strides to better that performance since moving to the Twins rotation. The Royals’ youth movement centered around infielder Bobby Witt Jr. can continue to improve their offense and get them off to a hot start against Lopez on Thursday afternoon.
With no disrespect to Lopez or Greinke, the Twins-Royals Opening Day pitcher’s duel just simply does not have the same star power as other matchups around the league, making the over a strong play. Be sure to head over to FanDuel Sportsbook to lock in this betting line before it moves.
Bettors should also check out OddsShopper tools to find more valuable MLB Opening Day bets!
