Opening Day is finally here! All 30 MLB teams will be in action on Thursday, with first pitch coming in New York and Washington D.C. at 1:05 p.m. ET. The slate will conclude with the Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Dodgers hosting their games. Let’s dive into the best Opening Day player props bets, including a play on Corey Kluber.
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Opening Day Player Prop Bet | Corey Kluber O/U 4.5 Strikeouts
Corey Kluber has had quite the adventure in the past five seasons. Suiting up for the Boston Red Sox on Opening Day will make it his fifth team in five years. It will also be his third straight year in the AL East.
Kluber and the Red Sox will begin their 2023 season against the young and hungry Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles made big strides last season, as they improved their win total from 52 in 2021 to 83 last year, their first winning season since 2016. Kluber faced off against Baltimore six times last season and stayed under this total in four of those games, including the last three. He gave up four-plus earned runs in each of those last three starts and threw under 90 pitches during that stretch.
Boston’s ultimate goal is to have Kluber available all season long. Having him throw 80-plus pitches is not ideal. In his last Spring Training start, Kluber threw 62 pitches and only struck out one single batter.
The Orioles lineup will consist of five lefties and four righties to bring in the 2023 season. Kluber had below a 23% strikeout rate against both lefties and righties in 2022 and only struck out 22 Orioles batters in 30.1 innings last season. The top of the lineup will be brutal for Kluber. Cedric Mullins will lead things off for Baltimore, and he is 8-for-23 against Kluber in his career. Plus, his blazing speed will cause Kluber problems, especially with the new pitch clock. Young stud Adley Rutschman has not had much success against Kluber, as he is hitting .182, but he has only struck out twice against him. Not having Kyle Stowers in the lineup is huge for betting against Kluber as well. Stowers has a career 31% strikeout rate, and even if he only faced off against Kluber once, it could make or break this bet.
OddsShopper’s tools gives this player prop a 57% expected win rate.
Opening Day Player Prop: Corey Kluber UNDER 4.5 Strikeouts -125 (BetMGM)
