Top MLB Betting Picks of the Week – March 25th

The 2019 campaign in Major League Baseball begins on Thursday — although it is already two games old for the Oakland A’s and the Seattle Mariners, who played two official games in Japan last week. The Mariners won both to take an early lead in the American League West. The rest of baseball begins on Thursday when the Baltimore Orioles face the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees, along with Boston and Houston, are among the early favorites to win the 2019 World Series, but no professional sport has a longer march than the 162-game schedule that each team has ahead of them. Houston inked Alex Bregman to a hefty extension to solidify their stellar lineup and extended ace Justin Verlander to anchor their rotation, and playing in the soft AL West will help them stack up the wins this season. We have MLB betting picks for the opening series of the year for you.

Top MLB Betting Picks of the Week – March 25th

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— MLB (@MLB) 25 de marzo de 2019

Thursday, March 28

Baltimore at New York Yankees (1:00pm ET, ESPN)

• Projected Pitching Matchup: Alex Cobb (BAL) vs Masahiro Tanaka (NY)

The Orioles come into the regular season dead last in most observers’ power rankings. Last year, they finished 47-115, 61 games out of first place, in a year when the team’s management had spent somewhat heavily and expected to contend. Manager Buck Showalter is finally out, replaced by Brandon Hyde, who joined the team in December. He had been the bench coach for Joe Maddon with the Chicago Cubs, and he has an extensive background in player development. The Orioles’ management hopes that Hyde will help guide the team out of the morass in which they have found themselves for almost a decade. The Yankees come in with high expectations, as many observers expect them to break the 100-victory mark once again this season. Luis Severino, last year’s youthful ace, comes in with some shoulder problems this season, but there are other arms in the rotation, including Sonny Gray and Opening Day starter Masahiro Tanaka, who should be able to carry the load in his absence. Few lineups have the raw power that the Baby Bombers have brought the past two seasons, and adding Dellin Betances to a stout bullpen filled a key need. MLB Betting Prediction: New York 4, Baltimore 2

Cleveland at Minnesota (4:10pm ET)

• Projected Pitching Matchup: Corey Kluber (CLE) vs Jose Berrios (MIN)

The rumors coming out of Cleveland are that this will be a rebuilding year for the Tribe, with even Kluber on the chopping block as the Indians appear to believe that their World Series window is sliding shut. The offense had dwindled over the past two seasons, and the rise of the Twins and possibly the White Sox in the AL Central this season means that the division title won’t be as simple to win as it has been in seasons past. Even so, Kluber brings a ton of talent to the mound on Thursday, and he will be looking to avenge the shelling he took in the ALDS last year against the Houston Astros, when he gave up three home runs and four earned runs en route to a 7-2 loss. Jose Berrios will start for the Twins making his 72nd career start. He has a record of 29-26 and a career ERA of 4.74. A lot of Twins fans likely hoped that the team would push hard after Dallas Keuchel or Craig Kimbrel (or both) in free agency, but they did not, and the Twins might win the division anyway. It’s hard to see the Twins knocking Kluber around on Opening Day, but aces often don’t start the season well — and when this game goes to the bullpens, the Twins should have the advantage. MLB Betting Prediction: Minnesota 5, Cleveland 3