Guess what Everybody?! It’s opening day! That means baseball is here! Now that it is here, we can now start making our picks and placing our bets as we get to watch the game we all love the most. This will be a recurring thing so always stay tuned! So let’s get to it shall we!

Milwaukee Brewers ML (+142)

The way we get to kick off the 2025 season is with the Milwaukee Brewers and the New York Yankees. Picking the Brewers sounds crazy right? Not necessarily.

The reason I have the Brewers winning this game is because I like Freddy Peralta on the mound. Peralta is a pitcher that can take the ball and get the job done. He finished with a 3.86 ERA in 2024 and 200 strikeouts.

He is very good at generating the swing and miss and finished in the 81st percentile for strikeout rate. I’m buying into their lineup with Jackson Chourio and Joey Ortiz, and also a healthy Christian Yelich. This is a Brewers team that’s always gets the job done somehow.

The Yankees are without Giancarlo Stanton and it’ll be very telling how this lineup looks like without him and Juan Soto in it. Who can step up? We shall see. And you truly never know which version of Carlos Rodon you’re going to get.

Yep. I’m riding with the Brew Crew.

Paul Skenes Over 6.5 Strikeouts (-112)

The ace for the Pirates is going to take on the Miami Marlins. Hitting seven or more strikeouts should be an easy feat. Skenes has a nose for the zone and is a strikeout machine. Skenes finished the 2024 season with a 1.96 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP. His 95th percentile for strikeout rate speaks volumes and the way his spring training went, he’s ready for opening day.

In five starts, Skenes averaged 11.50 K/9 and had a strikeout percentage of 28%. Skenes is also working on new pitches and his new cutter is mean and nasty.

Skenes may be nastier in 2025 and that’s scary for the league. He gets a very juicy matchup with the Marlins, who were one of the bottom tier offenses in the league last season.

Give me the strikeouts and give me a Pirates win.

RRRRRRAAAIISSEEE IT!!!

Phillies ML (-170)

This one is a no brainer in my opinion. I am also extremely high on the Nationals this season. They have a plethora of young talent such as CJ Abrams , Dylan Crews, James Wood, and Mackenzie Gore. There is a lot to cheer about with the Nationals in 2025 as they look to take the next step. However, they have to face Zack Wheeler.

Wheeler is coming off a year where he finished second in CY Young voting. He is the workhorse for that rotation. Wheeler finished with a 2.57 ERA, a .191 batting average against, and a strikeout percentage of 28.5. He has strong command and doesn’t walk guys often. I’ll take that ace for sure.

Got to imagine the Phillies core, which is still very intact comes out swinging in the opener. It’ll be easy to get out in front with Wheeler pitching and the bats can do plenty of damage.

Give me the Fighting Phils in Game 1 to round out this first edition of Ballpark Bets.

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All odds are from the DraftKings Sportsbook