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MLB Opening Day 2021 arrives Thursday with a massive 15-game schedule that gets underway. Aces like Gerrit Cole, Shane Bieber and Jacob deGrom are scheduled to take the hill, meaning there will be plenty of challenges when making your 2021 MLB picks for Opening Day. Should you expect those power arms to shut down opposing lineups, or is there value in one of them getting shelled and bringing a large return on the money line?

The latest MLB odds for 2021 Opening Day from William Hill Sportsbook list Cole and the Yankees at -177 (risk $177 to win $100) against the Blue Jays, while Bieber and the Indians are -190 against the Tigers. Other MLB lines of note include deGrom and the Mets at -145 against the Nationals and the Phillies listed as slim money-line favorites (-111) against the Braves. Before making any MLB picks or predictions on those games or others, you need to see what SportsLine data scientist Stephen Oh has to say.

The renowned co-founder of Accuscore, Oh has dominated three straight seasons, returning $3,178 to $100 bettors, and his models simulate every pitch of every game 10,000 times. Now, Oh has crunched the numbers for Thursday's 2021 MLB Opening Day using his projection model and has posted his best bets. Parlaying these three MLB picks will pay 40-1.

Top MLB Opening Day expert picks

Oh likes the Diamondbacks at +196 on the money line against the Padres. Veteran lefty Madison Bumgarner gets the start for Arizona. While he didn't live up to his big contract for much of the shortened 2020 MLB season, he settled in late, giving up no earned runs and just four hits over his last 10 innings pitched.

Bumgarner will try to carry that form into 2021, and Oh's simulations show him giving up an average of just 2.5 runs in almost six full innings pitched on Thursday. Christian Walker, Ketel Marte and David Peralta all average over one hit in Oh's projections for Arizona. Despite being substantial underdogs, Arizona wins this game in far more simulations than the money line implies, making the Diamondbacks a key part of any MLB parlay for Opening Day 2021. 

How to make MLB Opening Day predictions, parlays

Elsewhere on Thursday, Oh has found a key x-factor that has him betting against a team that has struggled over the past 22 openers. You can see his best bets only at SportsLine.

So which MLB Opening Day picks should you make on Thursday for a shot at a mammoth 40-1 return? And which home team is a must-fade? Visit SportsLine now to see Stephen Oh's MLB Opening Day picks, all from the data scientist that has dominated three straight seasons, returning over $3,100 to $100 bettors.