Chris Boline
• Seattle Mariners vs. Cleveland Guardians on Opening Day
• Thursday, March 30 at 10:05 PM ET
• T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington
Now that Major League Baseball’s regular season is about to arrive, fans are fired up to see which teams are going to make huge statements to kick things off on Thursday. While a lot of eyes are on New York and Houston, don’t sleep on a team like Seattle. And leading up to the first game of the year for the AL West side, the Mariners are favorites to beat the Guardians on MLB’s Opening Day.
Last season, Seattle was finally able to wipe away two decades of rough play, as they punched their ticket to the postseason for the first time since 2001. Not only that, but the Mariners were able to prove a lot of people wrong by beating the Toronto Blue Jays in the MLB Wild Card Round. Unfortunately for the Mariners, they ran into the Houston Astros in the ALDS and they were eliminated by the eventual World Series champs.
| Opening Day odds |  |  |  |  |
| Mariners to win | -120 | -120 | -120 | -120 |
| Guardians to win | +145 | +145 | +145 | +145 |
| Over to hit | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under to hit | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
Despite that, Seattle is looking good for this season, as plenty of eyes are going to be on Julio Rodriguez, Luis Castillo, Cal Raleigh and others. Rodriguez is coming off a brilliant first year in the bigs, as he took home AL Rookie of the Year honors. After signing his massive extension with the team, the youngster known as J-Rod is ready to be even better than he was last season in 2023. As for Castillo, he’ll take the bump on Thursday and hope to be a stud.
According to the best-rated sportsbooks, which includes the reliable Bovada review, the Mariners hold -120 MLB betting odds to take down Cleveland at T-Mobile Park. Meanwhile for the visitors, the Guardians have been set at +145 to come out on top with a win. Both Cleveland and Seattle have high expectations for this year, but we think the Mariners will set the tone early with a Game 1 win. We’re going with Seattle as our pick.
He's ready 💪 #SeaUsRise pic.twitter.com/a8SBkyOkh5
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) March 25, 2023
How many strikeouts will Luis Castillo finish with?
When it comes to prop bets for this one, people will surely be wondering how many strikeouts will Luis Castillo finish with? Known as ‘La Piedra’ to Mariners fans, Castillo has solidified himself as one of the best starting pitchers in the bigs. He was brilliant for the Mariners last season and a big reason why they were able to finish the year strong and punch their ticket to the regular season.
There’s also a reason why manager Scott Servais is giving him the ball for Opening Day. Castillo can make batters look foolish with so many different pitches. Despite the Cleveland lineup being an impressive one, Castillo is hoping that he can execute with both his delivery and command. Servais was able to see what Castillo can get done last year, and he’s ready for more of the same in 2023.
“So what we saw last year is a lot of his strikeouts came from the fastball that was elevated from that slot, along with the slider,” the Seattle skipper said via MLB.com “The slider is a really important pitch getting back into counts against left-handed hitters. Those are things we talked about with him, ‘Let’s continue to do this. They’ll be focused on where you’re trying to target your slider, and where that needs to go in certain counts.’”
⚾️ RETWEET TO WIN ⚾️
Just hit that RT button for a shot to win an autographed baseball from our Opening Day starter, Luis Castillo! #SeaUsRise pic.twitter.com/kNwHYJNKnV
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) March 24, 2023
Per the oddsmakers, the over/under for Castillo strikeouts has been set at six for this showdown, with both holding -110 odds. Castillo signed his massive extension with the Mariners not too long ago and he’s going to want to live up to the hype of that contract from start to finish this campaign. It will all start in the first game of the year for him, and we think he’ll be solid. We’re going with the over for strikeouts as our pick.
The Mariners have strong odds to reach the postseason
After ending their drought last year, the Mariners have strong odds to reach the postseason once again in 2023. With stars like Rodriguez, Castillo and Raleigh, this team indeed has a ton of potential leading up to the new year. The big key for them will be to not only remain competitive in the AL West, but not get complacent during times this season. However, we don’t think that’s going to be an issue for the club.
Seattle knows what it takes to get to the postseason. A lot of people are focusing on the Yankees and Astros, the two AL clubs with the top World Series betting odds, but Seattle can’t be ignored this season either. They feature plenty of young and veteran talent, which will make a huge difference this fall.
Rodriguez is one of the top young hitters in the game. His defense is also sensational from his centerfield spot. If Castillo can continue to throw the ball like one of the best hurlers in the game too, it’s only going to give Seattle confidence as the season progresses. We think Seattle should get back to the postseason. They’ll 100 percent be a team to watch.
