MLB Opening Day is officially taking place in a few hours and there are some bets to be made as we enter the first game of the 2024 MLB season. Today, we are going to take a look at three prop bets that you should be making ahead of the first game in the Seoul Series in South Korea between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres. All odds for this article are provided by DraftKings Sportsbook.
These are going to be one-unit plays for each prop. We will also be keeping track of our record and profit/loss this season.
Yu Darvish Over 4.5 Hits Allowed (-120)
This might be my favorite prop bet for this game as San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt did not state there will be a pitch count on starter Yu Darvish here. The Los Angeles Dodgers lineup has been nothing short of amazing with its talent. While it is difficult to take what happened last season into consideration, Darvish did allow 5+ hits in six of his final seven starts.
This Dodgers lineup will be able to hit and with this deep lineup could do this pretty early in the game. Expect to see Yu Darvish give up some hits in this game to kick off the 2024 season. Don’t be surprised to see Darvish get some NL Cy Young love during the year though.
Mookie Betts Under 0.5 Strikeouts (+135)
Mookie Betts is not your typical superstar at the plate as he makes contact and does not swing and miss often. Last year was his career-high in strikeouts and he did that 107 times in 152 games. Betts does not go down with a strikeout on his ledger too often. In his career against Yu Darvish, Betts has struck out seven times in 31 at-bats (34 plate appearances) so it is not likely that Darvish is going to blow him away.
Betts has struck out at least once in every Opening Day since joining the Los Angeles Dodgers before the 2020 season. However, this time should be different and the value is too high to ignore this as an option. This team is a World Series contender and Betts getting off on the right foot will only help them get to that point.
Ha-Seong Kim Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs (+135)
Playing in his home country, Ha-Seong Kim should be able to have a good game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He has been on fire in Spring Training, with a .925 OPS and a .308 batting average in 26 at-bats. While Spring Training numbers don’t always mean much, it’s better to be hot than cold.
This lineup has gotten worse with the departure of Juan Soto. However, Kim can step up and will be nearing the top of the order so more at-bats helps us. Coming off a career-high 140 hits last season, expect him to start the year off right. All we are asking for here is an RBI single or a hit and a run scored.
About The Author
Vincent Pensabene is a journalist who is also a minority owner in Total Apex. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Sports Business and has been an avid sports fans since he could remember. Vincent grew up a huge New York Yankees, New York Jets, Brooklyn Nets and New York Islanders fan but covers sports with an unbiased approach. From breaking down the reasons behind a transfer to breaking news and everything in between, Vincent has written about it all from every angle. Follow him on Twitter @TalkVinTalk and check out his LinkTree to keep up to date with all his work!
