Detroit Tigers Opening Day primer, info, odds, and prediction vs. White Sox

Opening Day is upon us. The Detroit Tigers are slated to begin their 2024 season with a three-game set against the Chicago White Sox. After their Spring Training tune-up the last two months, it's finally time to head north and get the regular season action underway -- starting with a southside showdown.

Detroit has the upper hand early on (they have Jason Benetti!!), and the Tigers could take an early lead on the season. If nothing else, there's a chance to start on a high note and pick up some wins early in the season. The Detroit Tigers need to come out and execute well on both sides of the ball, and I think there's a good chance of this happening on Opening Day. Detroit is the favorite -- both figuratively and literally.

With the season opener on deck and the Tigers about to kick things off, why not talk through some of the odds and game information, including a little pregame prediction as the Tigers start their 2024 season, beginning the 162-game sprint? It will be interesting to see what happens, but the optimist in me wants to buy in.

I'm a huge Tarik Skubal guy—I'm buying all the stock on him this season. For that reason, I'm all in for a sweet start to the 2024 season, seeing Skubal shove in his first bump day of the year. The Tigers need one to get things going early on in the season, and the White Sox certainly offer them this chance, with a really lackluster group heading into the season.

Detroit Tigers Opening Day information, odds, and prediction.

Match-up: Detroit Tigers vs. Chicago White Sox

Date/Time: Thursday, March 28th, 4:10 EDT

Field: Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago

How to watch: Bally Sports Detroit, NBC Sports Chicago

Probable Pitchers: Detroit Tigers - LHP Tarik Skubal, Chicago White Sox - LHP Garrett Crochet (courtesy of MLB dot com)

Odds: According to DraftKings, the Detroit Tigers are the favorites in this game, with a -180 payout on the Moneyline, while the Chicago White Sox have a +150 payout. Neither team has an edge on the run-line, really, but there's more value with the White Sox having a -112 payout at +1.5, while Detroit's -1.5 with a -108 payout. The over/under is set at 8-even. The over has a -105 payout, and the under has a -115 payout.

Bets/Picks I like: As stated earlier, I'm a big Skubal fan, so I'm all in on the Tigers on Opening Day. Give me the Tigers Moneyline. There's not much value there, but I think Detroit's got this one in terms of making a pick overall. The over on Skubal punchouts looks enticing, with the line set at 6.5 with a -115 payout. Look to same-game parlay that with the under on hits allowed, with the line currently at 4.5 on DraftKings. On top of that, the No Run First Inning or NRFI is always one to like. There could be some value in the overs on Total Bases. Players like Mark Canha and Spencer Torkelson peak my interest there. However, the under on Javier Báez total bases or over on total strikeouts seems like free money.

Overall Prediction: It's been a consistent narrative throughout this article, but I'm locking in all Detroit Tigers on Thursday. Detroit will come out on top in this one, and there should be a chance for them to get one under their belt early on. The White Sox are not good; they're really not a good ball club this year, and while Detroit is not headed to a World Series, they're in an excellent position to pick up an early season win and at least look competitive this year. Spring Training is over, and the regular season is here. Opening Day is upon us; how can you not be backing the Tigers? Even those readers out there who think they will go 0-162 this year and hate the team have to at least buy into some Opening Day magic -- it's Opening Day, the best day of the year.

So fans, strap in and stay tuned -- another year of Detroit Tigers baseball is here, and the staff at MCB is locked and loaded, looking forward to what's to come!