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The Seattle Mariners (0-0) and Oakland Athletics (0-0) will open up the 2012 Major League Baseball season inside the Tokyo Dome on Wednesday, with the first pitch scheduled for 6:10 a.m. EDT.

Las Vegas oddsmakers have established the Mariners as -130 favorites in a unique situation, while the total is 7 across the board.

Seattle will receive a majority of wagers in the betting market due to outfielder Ichiro Suzuki playing in his home country, while also possessing an edge on the mound between scheduled starters.

Felix Hernandez is certainly one of the best pitchers in the American League, but comes off a rather pedestrian season in going 14-14 with a 3.47 ERA in 33 starts last year.

The Mariners didn’t supply much run support for the 2010 Cy Young Award winner or for any of their hurlers, finishing last in the majors in scoring 556 runs in 2011.

Hernandez is set to make his fifth Opening Day start and seems poised to lead his team to victory in the opening game of a two-game series.

He has registered an impressive 12-4 record and 2.54 ERA in 21 career starts versus the Athletics, including a perfect 3-0 mark and 1.45 ERA in four starts last year.

Bettors will find that the Mariners are 14-3 in Hernandez’s last 17 starts in this American League West series.

Oakland hopes its 14-5 record during spring training will translate into success during the regular season, especially since the franchise finished with a 74-88 mark and 22.0 games behind the division-winning Texas Rangers a year ago.

The Athletics are hoping that right-hander Brandon McCarthy can build off a solid 2011 campaign, finishing with a 9-9 record and 3.32 ERA in 25 starts.

He registered a disappointing 1-3 mark in four starts against the Mariners a year ago despite allowing just seven runs and 19 hits in 31 2/3 innings (1.99 ERA).

From a betting perspective, I’m going to pass on making a full-game selection in this contest, but will recommend a proposition wager.

I expect the visitor to get on the scoreboard first.

Pick: Seattle Mariners (-160) to score first

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The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees are tied for first place in the American League East heading into their series-finale on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. The first pitch is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. (ET) at historic Fenway Park.

Boston holds a significant 9-2 advantage over New York in the season series, including a 10-4 home victory on Saturday afternoon.

Lines makers expect a similar result in this one, placing Boston as a minus-155 home favorite due to the dominant pitching of Josh Beckett. The line reflects that he will not be matched up with CC Sabathia for the first time in four starts this year against the Yankees.

Let’s take a closer look at Beckett’s 2011 dominance of the Bronx Bombers.

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New York Yankees starting pitcher C.C. Sabathia enters Saturday’s start against the Boston Red Sox with a 16-5 record and 2.55 ERA.  He leads the majors in wins and has allowed just seven earned runs over his last eight starts.

It’s not even an argument that the 31-year-old is the Most Valuable Player on his own team, as the club has won 18 of his 24 starts. 

Some will simply argue that it helps to have the league’s second-best offense to supply ample run support.  He’s certainly receive plenty this year, as New York has outscored opponents by a 145-74 margin in his outings.

From a betting perspective, Sabathia (+899) is No. 8 on the list of most profitable pitchers in 2011, a category that is led by Philadelphia Phillies ace Roy Halladay (+1288). 

One of his greatest attributes in pinstripes has been generating wins away from Yankee Stadium, as the Bronx Bombers have posted a 36-16 mark in his last 52 road starts.  That includes a 29-9 record when favored.

If New York happens to win the American League East division over the high-powered Boston Red Sox, voters can only really look in one direction, naming No. 52 as the AL’s Most Valuable Player.

The starting rotation is a major question mark heading into a potential playoff run and there’s no question who serves as the certifiable ace.  His value will never be more evident come October.

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