Major League Baseball's Opening Day features a showdown between the reigning World Series champions and a potential dark-horse candidate for 2024, and we're offering our top Cubs vs. Rangers player props based on the best MLB odds.
The defending champion Texas Rangers will raise their 2023 World Series banner and begin the club's campaign to repeat on Opening Day at home against the Chicago Cubs.
Texas is a contender to go back-to-back based on our latest World Series odds. Meanwhile, the Cubs represent a favorite among those looking for a potential dark horse.
Chicago finished second in the NL East in 2023 with an 83-79 record, and the team will look to improve upon that mark this season following some intriguing offseason moves. Based on our MLB projected win totals, Chicago is expected to take at least a couple of additional games compared to 2023.< /p>
Will the Rangers celebrate a win along with their banner raising? Or will the fun end quickly for the home fans in attendance?
These two teams will square off at 7:35 p.m. ET at Globe Life Field, with ESPN bringing you the action!
Here are our best Cubs vs. Rangers player prop predictions and MLB picks (odds via our
best MLB betting sites; Pick confidence is based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Cubs vs. Rangers game info & odds
- When: Thursday, March 28
- Tip-off: 7:35 p.m. ET
- Where: Globe Life Field, Arlington, Texas
- How to watch: ESPN
- Favorite: Rangers (-115 via bet365)
Cubs vs. Rangers player props
- Justin Steele Under 5.5 strikeouts (-145 via bet365) ???
- Nathan Eovaldi Under 5.5 strikeouts (-115 via bet365) ???
- Christopher Morel Over 0.5 total bases (-150 via bet365) ???
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Cubs vs. Rangers predictions
Cubs ace Justin Steele finished fifth in NL Cy Young voting during 2023, and he's a contender to win the 2024 award based on our MLB Cy Young odds.
Steele managed 9.14 strikeouts per nine innings in 2023, which was a marginal drop from his average during the hurler's first two major-league campaigns. He racked up 20 quality starts in 2023, which led to plenty of six-plus-strikeout efforts.
However, managers tend to be more cautious with starting pitchers during their first couple of turns through the rotation, and the left-hander was forced to exit a spring training game only one week ago after taking a comebacker off his leg.
Additionally, that doesn't even account for the danger Steele will face while taking on one of the most lethal lineups in baseball.
Pinnacle, which features one of the most respected trading teams in the sports betting industry, opened with Under 5.5 strikeouts priced at -146. It's since been bet to -176.
Caesars is already as short as -170, and the rest of our best sports betting sites are hovering around -155, making these odds at bet365 valuable by comparison.
Nathan Eovaldi endured a bit of an up-and-down first regular season with the Rangers in 2023. He pitched well until an injury cut his campaign short, leaving him to finish with just 144 innings.
However, perhaps that break was just what he needed, as Eovaldi was an absolute monster for Texas throughout its World Series run. He went 5-0 in the playoffs, racking up strikeouts at a far greater rate than during the regular season. But Playoff Nate is an entirely different beast.
Eovaldi managed just 8.25 K/9 during the 2023 regular season, and we're already seeing action on the Under for his Opening Day strikeouts prop. The reasons for our play on the Under are very similar to those we shared for our St eele pick.
Pinnacle opened with the Under priced at -104, but it's since been bet to -134. Among our best sports betting apps, all of DraftKings, BetMGM, and bet365 are featuring Under 5.5 strikeouts priced at -115. Therefore, be sure to use one of our best sportsbook promos to get those enticing odds for this prop.
Christopher Morel was one of the breakout stars for the Cubs in 2023. After initially being relegated to the minors, Morel made the most of his chance when the Cubs called him up. He mashed 26 home runs across just 107 games while spending time at second base, third base, shortstop, the outfield, and serving as the team's designated hitter.
He also fared much better on the road than at Wrigley Field, managing a .859 OPS and 130 wRC+ in opposing ballparks.
The Over on Morel's total bases prop opened at -139 through Pinnacle, but i t was quickly smashed to -160. Once again, Caesars is offering the shortest price among our best sportsbooks with its -167 odds on the Over. Meanwhile, DraftKings is close with its -155 price.
If you want to get the best odds on this prop, be sure to use our exclusive bet365 bonus code: SBRBONUS, and if you want to parlay these three picks together, you can get a 50% boost on a three-plus-leg SGP at bet365!
Cubs-Rangers player props made Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET.
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