Brit Devine recommended betting over 3.5 strikeouts for Clay Holmes in his first start transitioning from the bullpen against the Astros. Devine cited Holmes' excellent spring results, with 23 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings and a new "kick change" pitch added to his arsenal. Although the Astros project as a low strikeout team, Devine emphasized Holmes being fully stretched out and capable of easily surpassing this low strikeout total. Holmes' spring performance and expanded pitching repertoire suggest he will comfortably exceed this threshold.

Brit Devine backed the Pirates moneyline (-154) on Opening Day against the Marlins, despite the heavy juice. He cited Pittsburgh's pitching advantage, noting Paul Skenes was fully stretched out (85 pitches in his final spring outing) compared to Marlins' Sandy Alcantara (just 57 pitches), likely limiting Alcantara to only five innings. Devine also highlighted the Marlins' bullpen struggles, projecting it as one of MLB's worst units, giving the Pirates a significant late-game advantage. Offensively, the Pirates feature more MLB-caliber talent, whereas Miami's lineup is severely lacking depth following Connor Norby's IL placement, leaving them with only one established MLB hitter in Xavier Edwards. Devine concluded the Pirates clearly held advantages in starting pitching, bullpen, and lineup strength, making them a strong Opening Day bet.