Opening Day is upon us. Following the Yankees’ win over the Giants on Wednesday night, a vast majority of clubs will begin their 2026 Major League Baseball campaigns on Thursday. It gets underway with Pirates vs Mets at 1:15 PM ET on NBC and also includes an NBC primetime showdown in the National League West rival between the Diamondbacks and Dodgers.
Here are my best bets for Opening Day, and also be sure to check out our MLB picks for predictions throughout the 2026 season!
Pittsburgh Pirates vs New York Mets Under 6.5 (+102)
There are, of course, 2 versions of the Pirates: 1 when Paul Skenes pitches and the other when Paul Skenes does not pitch. Well, Skenes is obviously getting the ball for the season opener – and that means the Pirates have a good chance to win or at the very least be competitive. It also means a low-scoring contest is likely in the cards. In 2025, the LSU product and former #1 overall pick dominated with a 1.97 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and a 216-to-42 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 187.2 innings. He has faced the Mets twice in his career, working 13.0 innings and allowing only 3 runs while striking out 14 hitters. Although Pittsburgh’s offense may be somewhat improved in 2026, it won’t be anything special. The Pirates scored an anemic 583 runs last season, by far the fewest in the entire league. They now face New York newcomer Freddy Peralta, acquired from Milwaukee in a trade this past offseason. Peralta was great for the Brew Crew in 2025, going 17-6 with a 2.70 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 204 strikeouts in 176.2 innings of work. It looks like runs will be at a premium on Thursday afternoon.
Check out our Pirates vs Mets prediction
Boston Red Sox ML over Cincinnati Reds (-158)
The Red Sox secured an American League wild-card spot in the 2025 postseason with an 89-73 record. They should be even better in 2026 with an enhanced rotation and a presumably improving Roman Anthony in the lineup. The top of the pitching staff looks the same with Garrett Crochet leading the way. Crochet logged a career-high 205.1 innings of work last year while compiling a 2.59 ERA and similarly impressive underlying metrics. The left-hander’s command was elite, as was his strikeout production, so another Cy Young-caliber campaign can be expected. Cincinnati’s lineup is decent, but it should not be any match for Crochet. Andrew Abbott is getting the start for Cincy only because Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo are both beginning the season on the injured list. Advantage: Boston.
Find our Red Sox vs Reds prediction
Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 over Arizona Diamondbacks (-118)
Like it or not, get ready for another season of Los Angeles Dodgers domination. The back-to-back World Series champions are back for more with Kyle Tucker added to an already star-studded lineup. Their march toward a possible third straight title should begin in style on Thursday night, as World Series hero Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound. Yamamoto was lit up a bit during the World Baseball Classic, but at least he got some high-leverage work in during the offseason instead of just sitting around doing nothing of importance in spring training. Rust should not be a factor for the right-hander, and he probably doesn’t have to be dominant for the Dodgers to win big in this one. When the lineup features Tucker, Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and plenty of other big hitters, run support is almost a guarantee. They are facing Arizona’s Zac Gallen, who went 13-15 with a 4.83 ERA in 2025. Gallen was even worse this spring to the tune of an alarming 7.59 ERA and 1.78 WHIP. Give me L.A. to prevail by multiple runs.
Here’s our Diamondbacks vs Dodgers prediction
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