July 24 MLB Card: Baseball is Back!

At long last, baseball is finally back and oh my are these games awkward with no fans and Tim Kurkjian's old man chuckle on a 4 second zoom delay. When betting baseball, I almost exclusively look at pitching. However, if I applied the same concept to COVID, I'd say Fauci's first pitch last night means we won't have fans until 2047. Here are my picks for Opening Day-ish.

Twins @ White Sox

Last year Berrios was one of my favorite pitchers to bet on, I hammered the Twins almost every single time he was on the mound and it was a profitable strategy. However, in the opposing dugout is an up and coming ace with Cy Young potential this season in Giolito. I love both of these guys, and I don't expect much offense while they are in command. Under Under Under...

The pick: First 5 Innings UNDER 5 runs @ -120

Pirates @ Cardinals

In addition to Berrios, Flaherty was a must-bet last season, and I don't see anything that will change this. The Pirates look to be bottom feeders this year while the Cardinals look to be in playoff-contending shape. I expect thorough dominance from the Cardinals followed by an insufferable barrage from the "worst fans in baseball" on Twitter afterwards.

The pick(s): Cardinals -1.5 @ +108 AND Cardinals 1st 5 innings -0.5 @ -125

Mariners @ Asterisks

The biggest benefactor of fan-less games are the Houston Asterisks whose reception on the road rival Mike Pence's at a Pride Parade. Unfortunately they are still one of the best teams in baseball and could take advantage of playing villain this year. The Mariners on the other hand could end up the worst team in baseball not named the Orioles. I see nothing but a barrage of runs for the Asterisks here and quite possibly double digits.

The pick: Asterisks TT OVER 5.5 @ -105