Giants vs. Yankees prediction and odds for Thursday, March 30 (Bank on plenty of runs)

The New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants will be one of two games that will officially open the 2023 MLB season when the opening pitch is thrown at 1:05 p.m. EST on Thursday.

Gerrit Cole will take the mound in this interleague showdown, and he'll face-off against Logan Webb of the Giants. It will serve as the first meeting between these two teams since April 28, 2019, when the Yankees took down the Giants by a final score of 11-5.

Coincidently, I also think we're going to see plenty of runs in their matchup on Thursday.

Let's take a look at the odds and then I'll let you know why I think the OVER is the bet to make.

Giants vs. Yankees odds, run line and total

Run line

• Giants +1.5 (-160)
• Yankees -1.5 (+135)

Moneyline

• Giants +140
• Yankees -165

Total

• 7.5 (Over +100/Under -120)

Giants vs. Yankees prediction and pick

Only the Los Angeles Dodgers scored more runs than the Yankees last season, as New York averaged 4.89 per game. The Giants offense was also underrated, ranking 11th in the Majors in runs per game at 4.42.

Now if you're hesitant to bet on the OVER with the Webb vs. Cole pitching matchup set to take place, let me remind you of a few things. First off, Cole got off to a slow start last season, allowing a combined eight earned runs in his first three starts.

Webb got off to a similar slow start, allowing at least three earned runs in four of his first six outings. Both pitchers got it together as they entered the month of May, but their slow start should give us confidence in backing the OVER in this game.

It's also worth noting that Webb has struggled on the road at times throughout his career. His ERA goes up by 0.94 when playing away from Oracle Park.

Let's trust the offenses in this one, and root for plenty of runs to get the season started off in an entertaining way.

Pick: OVER 7.5 (+100)

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.