Sportsbooks Rooting for Opening Day Upset after Nationals Lose Juan Soto
Baseball returns Thursday night for the Washington Nationals and New York Yankees, but the defending champions will be missing their best offensive weapon in the season opener after outfielder Juan Soto tested positive for Covid-19 Thursday.
Oddsmakers were already prepared to root for the Washington Nationals, who opened as +112 moneyline underdogs two weeks ago. Early money poured in on the Yankees (open -136) and Gerrit Cole for his debut in pinstripes.
Also read: MLB Opening Day Lines and Betting Picks
As of Thursday morning, 75% of moneyline bets were on the Yankees, per FanDuel Sportsbook. In terms of the runline, more than 90% of bets were on New York.
Reacting swiftly to Soto’s positive Covid-19 test, sportsbooks quickly made the Yankees -160 Thursday afternoon. The price could get even steeper closer to the first pitch, with late public money likely to continue to pile on the favorites in light of the news.
Nationals Lose Juan Soto on Opening Day
A game against Gerrit Cole was never going to be easy, but it’s significantly more difficult without Soto. The 21-year-old superstar from the Dominican Republic got the best of Cole in Game 1 of the World Series. After striking out in the first inning, Soto was able to erase the Astros 2-1 lead with a home run in the 4th. Soto added a double and two RBIs an inning later to give the Nationals a 5-2 lead.
All three runs delivered by Soto were needed as the Nats would go on to win 5-4, giving Cole his first defeat in three months.
With the departure of third baseman Anthony Rendon, who left the nation’s capital for the west coast in free agency, Soto’s presence in the Nationals’ lineup is as crucial as ever.
Now, Soto will likely miss up to two weeks. His absence in a shortened 60-game schedule could quickly derail the Nationals’ hopes of returning to the World Series or even the playoffs. Look at it this way: a 7-game losing streak is equivalent to losing 21 consecutive games in a typical year.
Through 60 games last season, the Nationals were 27-33, sitting in front of only the Miami Marlin in the NL East standings. However, the Nats can’t afford a slow start in 2020.
No baseball team can.
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