Looks like John Bollman and I largely agree here -- he just refuses to use the runline for some reason!! I'm not about to predict an Arizona win, but I'll be taking home teams at +1.5 on the runline often this season and we pay only -115 here. That strategy has worked absolute wonders in hockey, and batting last in MLB is even a bigger advantage than having the last line change in the NHL. San Diego's lineup simply isn't the same without Fernando Tatis -- and SD struggled against lefties in 2021 even with Tatis in there. Friars starting pitcher Yu Darvish was horrible on the road last year (2-7, 5.54 ERA). Snakes southpaw starter Madison Bumgarner isn't what he used to be but still more than capable of an excellent outing.

This is actually my upset of the day in terms of value. Madison Bumgarner takes on Yu Darvish in Arizona to begin the season. Fernando Tatis Jr. is still out and the Padres were just 11-8 against the Dbacks last season. The Dbacks were also 5-4 at home against the Padres last season. These teams actually faced off with these same starting pitchers on Opening Day last season, with both starters getting lit up. Darvish faced the Dbacks 5 times last season throwing quality starts in two of them, but he was hit hard in those other three. Both games in Arizona he was hit hard too. Madison Bumgarner pitched well to end last season and he has looked good in the Spring with some returned velocity. He faced the Padres three times last season and was hit hard on Opening Day, but he pitched two quality starts against them after that. The Padres were ranked just 24th in the league last season with a .306 wOBA against lefties. The Dbacks also have a good back of the bullpen in Ian Kennedy and Mark Melancon. Mark Melancon signed with the Dbacks in the offseason after leaving the Padres. Look for him to possibly be a key player in this revenge game for him.