Best MLB Parlay Picks for Opening Day

— Baseball King (@BasebaIlKing) February 17, 2023

A significant cog in their pitching staff is Opening Day starter and one of the Cy Young odds favorites Corbin Burnes, who led the National League in strikeouts last season and finished with a sub-3.00 ERA for a third consecutive year. Burnes matches up with Marcus Stroman, who enters the 2023 campaign off the back of spectacular second half. The former Met pitched to a 2.71 ERA after the break in 2022.

Stroman allowed three earned runs over 19.2 innings against Milwaukee last season. Burnes gave up just five in 19 innings against the Cubs.

This is set to be a low-scoring game. Both offenses are subpar, and the starting pitchers should be able to keep the bats pretty quiet.

Pick #2: Braves -1.5 & Over 7.5 Runs

Washington is sending Patrick Corbin to the hill on Opening Day, despite an appalling 2022 season. Corbin had a 6.31 ERA in over 150 frames, and somehow posted an xERA which was even higher. He faces a Braves offense which placed third in runs scored per game, plus has Ronald Acuna Jr and Ozzie Albies fully healthy.

Max Fried is pitching for Atlanta after finishing Cy Young runner-up in 2022 with a 2.48 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP. The southpaw had some less than impressive starts against the Nationals last season, but there is little to concern him with the current Nats lineup. Washington was fifth-worst in runs per game last season, even with 101 games of Juan Soto. They are projected to score the third-fewest runs in 2023.

There is some blowout potential with this one. The Braves scored 15 runs in 14.1 innings against Corbin last season, and the veteran is projected to be one of the worst starters in the Majors in 2023.

Atlanta could hit the over on their own, particularly if they get to Corbin early on. They should easily cover this runline.

Pick #3: Angels -1.5 vs Athletics

The Oakland Athletics scored the second-fewest runs per game in 2022, and are projected to have MLB’s worst offense in 2023. They face an Angels team sending the sport’s best player to the bump. Shohei Ohtani, fresh off a blockbuster showing at the WBC, is facing an A’s team he repeatedly shutdown last season.

Ohtani conceded only three earned runs in four starts against Oakland in 2022. He pitched 24.2 innings in those games, striking out 28 in the process. Nothing the Athletics have done this offseason suggests they will fare any better against the two-way phenom on Thursday night.

Once again, the Angels enter the season with hope. It should be better than previous campaigns after some shrewd moves over the winter, including adding lineup depth with Gio Urshela, Brandon Drury and Hunter Renfroe. The bullpen remains something of a question mark once Ohtani leaves this game, but the signings of Matt Moore and Carlos Estevez at least give Phil Nevin some options.

Even in a season where they won just 73 games, the Angels went 16-12 in Ohtani’s starts. Boasting an improved offense, they should win by a handful of runs against MLB’s worst team.