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The Kansas City Royals and Atlanta Braves open their season Friday night at Truist Park in a matchup that looks much tighter than a typical road-underdog spot. Atlanta is still the home favorite, but this game comes with a high-end pitching matchup, as Cole Ragans is set to start for Kansas City against Chris Sale for the Braves. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET. That pitching setup is the main reason this game stands out on the Friday MLB board. Sale gets the ball for Atlanta after Spencer Strider was placed on the injured list with an oblique strain, while Ragans gives Kansas City a legitimate frontline arm on the other side. When both teams can send left-handed

The Colorado Rockies and Miami Marlins open their 2026 season on Friday night at loanDepot Park, and this matchup sets up as one of the more pitching-driven games on the board. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET, with Kyle Freeland expected to start for Colorado and Sandy Alcantara getting the ball for Miami in the Marlins’ home opener. That pitching setup is a big reason Miami is laying a real price here. Alcantara enters the season as the clearer frontline arm, and he looked sharp earlier this month in spring action when he retired all nine batters he faced against Houston. Colorado, meanwhile, still projects as one of the thinnest rosters in the National League entering 2026. The

The Athletics open their 2026 season on Friday night against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre, and this matchup gives bettors a classic early-season favorite-versus-underdog setup. Toronto enters as the stronger roster on paper and will send Max Scherzer to the mound, while the Athletics counter with Luis Severino. First pitch is set for 7:07 p.m. ET in Toronto’s home opener. This is also a more interesting handicap than a casual glance at the moneyline might suggest. Scherzer looked sharp late in spring, and Toronto is still carrying momentum from its 2025 American League pennant run, but Severino gives the Athletics at least a credible path to staying competitive if he can limit early damage. Reuters reported Scherzer threw

The Los Angeles Angels and Houston Astros meet again at Daikin Park on Friday night after the Angels opened the series with a 3-0 win on Thursday. Mike Trout homered, Jose Soriano threw six scoreless innings, and Los Angeles grabbed an early edge in a matchup that many bettors expected Houston to control at home. Friday’s first pitch is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET. This second game sets up as a more traditional bounce-back spot for the Astros, but the opener also reminded bettors that the Angels have enough top-end talent to stay dangerous when Trout is healthy and the pitching staff throws strikes. Houston managed only three hits on Opening Day and went hitless with runners in scoring position,