Adam Rompin Thompson
COLORADO -145
COLORADO @ MIAMI | 3/28 | 4:10 PM EDT
3:06 PM
The Marlins batted .228 against LHPs in 2018, so on Opening Day they get Kyle Freeland, the Rockies lefty who finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting last year and has a big-hitting lineup behind him. The Marlins have lost five of seven Opening Day games at home, and Jose Urena was 3-9 at home last year. The Rockies’ batters should do more than enough to get Freeland and Opening Day win.
12-5 IN LAST 17 COL ML PICKS | +599
3-0 IN LAST 3 MIA ML PICKS | +300
HOUSTON -118
HOUSTON @ TAMPA BAY | 3/28 | 4:00 PM EDT
3:04 PM
Blake Snell was a monster for the Rays last year en route to the Cy Young Award. But Houston kept its lineup basically intact from last year, a lineup that ranked No. 1 in MLB in hitting against lefties. Justin Verlander was a ridiculous 12-2 with a 2.14 ERA on the road last year, and he's backed by a bullpen that was tops in the league in ERA.
12-5 IN LAST 17 HOU ML PICKS | +551
8-3 IN LAST 11 TB ML PICKS | +447
KANSAS CITY -109
CHI. WHITE SOX @ KANSAS CITY | 3/28 | 4:15 PM EDT
3:00 PM
Two teams looking to forget 2018 seasons facing off. Brad Keller had a solid season, but he was most-effective at home last year, going 5-1 with a 2.93 ERA and .220 average against. The White Sox didn’t fare great against him in seven appearances, batting only .250. Carlos Rodon couldn’t get out of his own way. He allowed batters to hit just .223 in road games against him, but his 4.68 road ERA was more than a run higher than his home split, and the Royals’ Opening Day roster is a lifetime .405 against him.
8-4 IN LAST 12 CHW ML PICKS | +390
3-1 IN LAST 4 KC ML PICKS | +219
BOSTON -200
BOSTON @ SEATTLE | 3/28 | 7:10 PM EDT
2:59 PM
Seattle has a lot of things going for itself on this Opening Day. For one, the Mariners are already 2-0 on the season with the wins over the A’s in Tokyo. And starter Marco Gonzales is already 1-0. The team has won five of six Opening Day games, too. But when healthy, Chris Sale is about as unstoppable as it comes. And he’s healthy for Opening Day. He’s also been amazing in Seattle, going 3-0 with a 1.84 ERA in five appearances. And this Red Sox lineup is considerably stronger than the A’s lineup hit Gonzales for four runs in six innings.
23-8 IN LAST 31 BOS ML PICKS | +1326
PHILADELPHIA -186
ATLANTA @ PHILADELPHIA | 3/28 | 3:05 PM EDT
2:58 PM
The new-look Phillies face a familiar foe in Julio Teheran and the Braves. For all the changed faces in Phillies’ lineup, most of them have seen Teheran often. Bryce Harper has six homers and 16 RBI in just 30 at-bats against him. Meanwhile, Braves hitters haven’t been particularly strong against Aaron Nola -- the entire lineup is a combined .237 against him lifetime. Look for the Harper era to get off to a good start in Philly.
17-4 IN LAST 21 ATL ML PICKS | +1544
14-4 IN LAST 18 PHI ML PICKS | +1046
Adam Thompson is a thoughtful, Midwestern-based handicapper who destroyed sportsbooks with his MLB picks in 2018. SportsLine's top MLB handicapper hit on 61 percent of his money line picks all season for a profit of $4,062 to $100 players (+$3,655, 60 percent for all picks), ending the season on a 22-4 run, including 100 percent on World Series games. He's also run red-hot streaks in the NFL and college football. Previously the award-winning sports editor of the Green Bay Press-Gazette, Adam spent nearly 20 years covering the NFL, MLB, NBA and major college sports.
