Baseball is back in the City by the Bay! The 2022 MLB season is finally here as the Miami Marlins will travel nearly 3,200 miles to square off with the San Francisco Giants. It's time to continue our MLB odds series, as our Marlins-Giants prediction and pick will be made.
Miami enters the 2022 season after narrowly avoiding the 100-loss mark, as the Marlins came back to Earth with a 67-95 record. The Marlins will put their faith in RHP Sandy Alcantara, who posted respectable numbers from a year ago with his 9-15 record and 3.19 ERA.
The Giants are coming off a 2021 season that saw them exceed every expectation imaginable. After witnessing four-straight losing seasons from 2017-2020, San Francisco got shot out of a cannon on their way to an MLB leading 107 wins, including edging out the Dodgers for the NL West crown.
The Giants will send out Logan Webb to the mound, who proved to many that he is capable of being San Fran's most complete pitcher after going 11-3 with a 3.03 ERA and striking out 158 batters.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Marlins-Giants MLB odds:
MLB odds: Marlins-Giants Odds
Miami Marlins: +1.5 (-166)
San Francisco Giants: -1.5 (+138)
Over: 7.5 (-105)
Under: 7.5 (-115)
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Why The Marlins Could Cover the Spread
In a shortened, bizarre 2020 season that saw Miami reach the postseason at 31-29, the Marlins entered 2021 with deservingly lofty expectations and the desire to prove that their wild-card berth was no fluke. After starting off the year with a 23-25 record, Miami sank to the bottom of Biscayne Bay and returned to mediocre form.
Unfortunately, the Marlins could not string together a potent offense, as they finished the campaign by going 42-72 the rest of the way. Making his third opening day start, which is tied for the most in franchise history with Josh Johnson, Josh Beckett, and the late great Jose Fernandez, Alcantara inked a five-year, 56 million dollar extension at the conclusion of the 2021 season.
With the Marlins being spenders within their pitching staff, it will be interesting to see if the organization's strategy in investing money into their arms will be a wise move as the season progresses. Alcantara will play a vital role in giving the Marlins an edge in covering the spread against the Giants, and will need their offense to show up in a big way by suppling their ace with some much-needed runs by getting to Logan Webb often and early.
Miami will need to count on their homegrown talent including their offseason additions in Avisail Garcia and Jorge Soler, two playmakers that can both hit the baseball to the moon. Miami can't afford to fall behind early, as working deep in counts and putting the pressure on the Giants could prove to be beneficial for the fish.
Why The Giants Could Cover the Spread
After a decade of Dodgers dominance within the NL West, the Giants finally had enough and put their foot down. San Francisco exploded onto the scene in 2021, pelting opposing pitching by averaging 4.96 runs per game, which ranked second among National League clubs.
After winning three World Series in the even years of 2010, 2012, and 2014 based on elite pitching, the Giants sure did flip the script in 2021. Unlike in the past, San Francisco found ways to win with their offensive prowess. Even with the losses of long-time catcher Buster Posey and Kris Bryant during the offseason, San Francisco still has the pieces to be considered contenders in the ultra-competitive National League.
As previously stated, the Giants will begin their pursuit of a ninth world championship on Friday with their playoff ace Logan Webb on the mound. His 0.61 ERA in the two playoff starts against the Dodgers were nothing short of extraordinary, as he gave the Giants his all when it mattered the most.
Even with emotions running high on both sides in the inaugural game of the 2022 season, San Francisco and its home fans at Oracle Park could play a ginormous factor in giving an energy boost to the Giants in helping them come out victorious in a big way.
Final Marlins-Giants Prediction & Pick
On any other day, the Giants would presumably be running away with this one. However, the magic of opening day will give the Marlins a chance to go into Oracle Park and steal a win. With two great pitchers on the mound in this NL showdown, bettors should expect a low-scoring affair with Miami keeping it close until the fat lady sings. Miami finds a way to cover!
Final Marlins-Giants Pick: Marlins +1.5 (-166)
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