Friday MLB Opening Odds
(The Spread) – In the eyes of many prognosticators, the Boston Red Sox are the favorites to win the American League this season and Friday afternoon they will see the field for the first time with the start of a three-game series with the 2010 AL champion Texas Rangers.
Boston missed out on the playoffs last season with an 89-73 record, finishing third in a stacked AL East. But the Red Sox made a huge splash this offseason by signing Carl Crawford and trading for Adrian Gonzalez. Texas completed the 2010 regular season 90-72 en route to a division and AL title.
Oddsmakers and online sports book SBGGLOBAL.com have made the Red Sox a -120 favorite. The over-under is listed at 8.5. It will air live on ESPN at 4:00PM EST.
Jon Lester (19-9, 3.25 ERA in 2010) gets the start for Boston, while left-handed C.J. Wilson (15-8, 3-35 ERA) will take the ball for the Rangers.
According to the latest trends, Texas is 185-155 in all games over the past three seasons. Boston has posted a record of 184-144 in the last three seasons.
Elsewhere in the Big Leagues, the Philadelphia Phillies host the Houston Astros at 1:00PM EST on ESPN. The Phillies are -260 favorites and the over-under is 7. The Chicago Cubs are home to face the Pittsburgh Pirates at 2:20PM EST on WGN. Chicago is a -174 favorite, while the over-under has not yet been released.
The Los Angeles Dodgers will try to win their second straight against the San Francisco Giants at 10:00PM EST. The Dodgers are a -116 favorite and the over-under is 7.
In total, there are 11 games on Friday’s MLB schedule.
MLB Opening Day Lines, Odds, and Totals
951 Houston Astros +230 (7)
952 Philadelphia Phillies -260
953 Pittsburgh Pirates +164
954 Chicago Cubs -174
955 Arizona Diamondbacks +180 (8.5)
956 Colorado Rockies -200
957 New York Mets +160 (7)
958 Florida Marlins -170
959 San Francisco Giants +106 (7)
960 Los Angeles Dodgers -116
961 Chicago White Sox -105 (8)
962 Cleveland Indians -105
963 Boston Red Sox -119 (8.5)
964 Texas Rangers +109
965 Minnesota Twins +116 (8.5)
966 Toronto Blue Jays -126
967 Baltimore Orioles +180 (8.5)
968 Tampa Bay Rays -200
969 Los Angeles Angels -138 (8)
970 Kansas City Royals +128
971 Seattle Mariners +102 (6.5)
972 Oakland Athletics -112
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