The 2012 MLB regular season started with a two-game set between Seattle and Oakland last week but the action really gets underway this Thursday with seven games on the slate. <\/p>\n
This Friday marks the second full day of MLB season openers, offering a number of opportunities to get on the plus side of the ledger if you know where to look. The following is two-team parlay for two of the biggest gifts on Friday\u2019s slate.<\/p>\n
Game 1 – New York Yankees (0-0) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (0-0) New York begins the defense of its 2011 AL East title with its ace C.C. Sabathia on the mound. This will be his fourth-straight opening-day appearance for the Yankees.<\/p>\n The hard-throwing left-hander went 19-8 last season with a 3.00 ERA. Lifetime against the Rays, he is 9-7 with an ERA of 3.10.<\/p>\n Tampa Bay will look to right-hander James Shields to help draw first blood against its bitter rivals as the opening-day starter. He is coming off his best year in the Majors with an ERA of 2.82 and a 1.04 WHIP while posting a 16-12 record that included 11 complete games. His track record against the Yankees is not as impressive with an overall record of 5-11 in 20 starts and a 4.14 ERA.<\/p>\n These two pitchers went head-to-head twice last season and while each team won at home, they combined for a total of just four runs in the two games.<\/p>\n The Rays have beaten New York four straight times at home, but the play in this game is the \u2018under\u2019 on the total line. The Pick: UNDER<\/strong><\/p>\n Game 2 – San Francisco Giants (0-0) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (0-0) San Francisco kicks-off its quest to get back to the postseason with its ace Tim Lincecum making his fourth-straight opening day start. [dfads params=’groups=10&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]<\/p>\n The 2011 season was not one of his best for wins and losses with a 13-14 record in 33 starts but he finished the year with an ERA of 2.74 and a 1.21 WHIP. Lincecum is 7-5 against the D-Backs with a 2.95 ERA.<\/p>\n The reining NL West champs will go with Ian Kennedy as its opening-day starter for the second straight year.<\/p>\n His performance in 2011 landed him fourth in the Cy Young voting with a 21-4 record and a 2.88 ERA. Lifetime, Kennedy is 4-2 against the Giants with a 1.91 ERA, but he was especially sharp against San Francisco last season with a perfect 3-0 record and a sterling ERA of just 1.22 in five starts.<\/p>\n Arizona had a 5-4 edge at home in last year\u2019s series including a three-game sweep to close-out the regular season. The sweep extended the Diamondbacks\u2019 current winning streak over the Giants to five games.<\/p>\n
\nMoney Line: New York +115 Tampa Bay -120
\n3:10 pm ET
\nTotal Line: 6.5<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nMoney Line: San Francisco +110 Arizona -115
\n7:10 Pm ET
\nTotal Line: 7.5<\/strong><\/p>\n