It's Opening Day 2024 for Major League Baseball on Thursday, March 28th, 2024. The first game scheduled will feature the Milwaukee Brewers and the New York Mets, two teams that are not considered to be core contenders this season. Milwaukee enters the season at 80 to 1 on 2024 World Series futures while the Mets are shorter at 50 to 1. For the game on Thursday (1:10 PM ET), the two teams are in a coin toss by betting odds, each priced at -110 on the moneyline (bet365).. My Brewers vs Mets prediction is that the Brewers will win this game.
Milwaukee vs New York Prediction: Latest MLB News
Both of these teams managed to post winning preseason records. The Mets went 15-14 in the Grapefruit League while the Brewers went 16-15 in the Cactus League. Last season, the Brewers went 92-70 to win the NL Central by nine games. Meanwhile, the Mets had a very disappointing season at 75-87 to finish fourth in the NL East.
Starting Pitching: Freddy Peralta vs Jose Quintana
The expected starters for this game are Freddy Peralta for the Brewers and Jose Quintana for the Mets. Last season was the first that Quintana played for the Mets. In 13 starts, he went just 3-6.
However, he seems to have been a victim of run support. He posted a 3.57 ERA in his games and gave up fewer hits than innings pitched. He did surrender a few too many walks but an ERA of 3.57, on a competitive team, will earn a pitcher a win or a no-decision on most starts.
Peralta has spent his whole career with Milwaukee. Last season, he managed a winning record at 12-10 on the season through 30 starts. His WHIP was an impressive 1.12, which matched his career average. He also had 210 strikeouts in just 165.2 innings pitched.
Peralta is a significant player for betting futures heading into the 2024 MLB season. He is 25 to 1 to lead the majors in pitcher strikeouts. That makes him about 9th favorite, with the same odds as Blake Snell.
Brewers vs Mets Prediction: Betting Tips
Quintana had injuries last season that limited his starts. Fox Sports notes a rib injury for March 29th, 2023. He did not make his debut until July last season. It was an injury that he seemed to have recovered from as his performance was not bad in 2023.
But what stands out in this game is that Peralta threw a shutout in his debut last season. He blanked the Mets 10-0 in a game on April 3rd, 2023. In his second start, he allowed just one run over six innings. He was fast out of the gates last season, implying that he shows up on Opening Day well-prepared at this point in the veteran's career.
I am partial to the Brewers in this game at -110 on the moneyline (bet365). I think Peralta has much more potential to make a major impact on this game than Quintana. Peralta is on the radar for the Cy Young Award as 10th favorite while Quintana does not have odds associated with his name. My recommendation to back the Brewers with Peralta on the mound.
Additional reading: Who should be the favorite for the 2024 French Open?
