Chris Boline
Will there be a return trip to the World Series for the Los Angeles Dodgers this year? That’s what loads of people in California are hoping for, as this team is entering the new campaign with high expectations. Not only that, but people want to see a statement made in the first game of the year. Entering play, the Dodgers are favored to beat the Diamondbacks on MLB’s Opening Day. Which NL West club will come out on top?
As things stand, the Dodgers are heavy favorites to post a win and it would be a total shock if they didn’t get that job done. The Dodgers are widely considered one of the best teams in the bigs, and the top club in the National League. Thanks to a loaded lineup and strong rotation, the Dodgers have high World Series betting odds. The fans indeed are hoping they can bring home the title for the first time since 2020.
| Opening Day odds |  |  |  |  |
| Dodgers to win | -115 | -115 | -115 | -115 |
| D-Backs to win | +225 | +225 | +225 | +225 |
| Over to hit | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under to hit | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
On Thursday night, a lot of people expected Clayton Kershaw to get the start vs. Arizona to open the new campaign, but he won’t be getting the ball from manager Dave Roberts. Instead, Roberts will be going with Julio Urias. Plenty of fans couldn’t believe this decision, but even Kershaw came out in support of his teammate. Urias has high expectations for 2023 and he’ll look to back up the hype.
According to the best-rated sportsbooks, which includes the reliable Bovada review, the Dodgers hold -115 odds to post a win in Game 1 vs. Arizona, while the Diamondbacks have been set at +225. It would be an ultimate shocker for LA to not post a win, especially with this game being played at Dodger Stadium. With all of that said, we’re going with the Dodgers as our pick to record the victory.
Back-to-back! pic.twitter.com/I00G5eoGjE
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) March 27, 2023
The pitching duo for this matchup will be fun to watch
What has a lot of fans excited about this game is that the pitching dup for this matchup will be fun to watch. We already mentioned Urias, but plenty of eyes are going to be on Arizona ace Zac Gallen as well. The starter is coming off a fantastic 2022 and he’s hoping to turn even more heads this campaign as well. In 2022 for the Diamondbacks, Gallen was a rockstar, posting a 2.54 ERA for the squad.
At only 27 years old, his best baseball is only ahead of him. Despite not having loads of experience, Gallen continues to prove his haters wrong and he’s going to hope to keep that trend going in containing the strong LA lineup. The Dodgers feature great hitters like Mookie Betts, Justin Turner, J.D. Martinez and others. Gallen knows what those guys are capable of, but he enters the new season feeling great about his abilities. So is his manager.
Top 10 aces entering the 2023 season 🔥 @zachrymer pic.twitter.com/4CO9MyVra0
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) March 25, 2023
“Gallen was one of the top pitchers in the National League last year,” manager Torey Lovullo said via the Arizona Republic on his young hurler. “He anchored our star staff all year last year. And I just think he deserves it. It’s an exciting moment for him. It’ll be his first Opening Day start. And I know that’s an honor. It only happens to 30 pitchers in the big leagues and he’s one of them. He deserves it.”
As for Urias, he’s one of the top pitchers in the NL as well. He’ll be ready to keep the Arizona hitters quiet. Per the oddsmakers, the over/under for this game has been placed at seven runs, with -110 MLB betting odds for both. Despite both teams having great hitters with unreal power, we think that Urias and Gallen will record strong outings on Opening Day. Because of that, we’re going with the under.
One of the biggest teams that pose a threat to the Dodgers is Atlanta. The Braves had a strong offseason and the important thing here is that they’re close to full health. Young stars like Ozzie Albies and Ronald Acuna Jr. are going to be ready to make a monster splash this season. Don’t forget that the Braves stunned everyone and took home the World Series title in 2021. Could another shocker be on the way?
The Dodgers are going to want to do everything possible to prevent that from happening and the oddsmakers think they’ll be able to do so. Right now, the Dodgers hold +800 odds to win the World Series. The Braves are behind them at +850. With a strong start to the campaign, the Dodgers could only improve their odds to win it. Be sure to keep an eye on LA from start to finish in ’23. This team has the potential to capture the glory.
