Vaughn Dalzell is bullish on Paul Skenes as NL Cy Young winner at +300 after a phenomenal rookie season. Skenes produced an outstanding 1.96 ERA, 170 strikeouts to only 32 walks, and a 5.9 WAR over 23 starts. Dalzell underscored the Pirates' improved bullpen and weak NL Central as major reasons for increased opportunities to convert strong performances into wins, crucial for Cy Young candidacy. He cited Skenes' dominance against divisional opponents, especially a 0.00 ERA against Milwaukee in 21 innings and similarly extraordinary numbers against Cincinnati and St. Louis, proving Skenes' tailored dominance. Dalzell also advised a smaller play at +1400 odds on Skenes to lead MLB in wins this season.

Ben Rasa likes the betting value on the Pittsburgh Pirates moneyline at -130 against the St. Louis Cardinals. He emphasizes Paul Skenes' pitching advantage at home, calling attention to Skenes' elite potential and strong performances despite his somewhat inferior home ERA last year, still well within the low two's. Ben expressed high confidence Skeens delivers a quality start against a Cardinals lineup he doesn't view as particularly strong. Conversely, he sees Sonny Gray as vulnerable on the road with his ERA over 5.00 last season, suggesting the Pirates bats are heating up after consecutive strong performances versus the Yankees and Cardinals. He recommends betting at -130 but cautions strongly against betting if odds reach -140 or worse.

Kingpin is bullish on rookie phenom Paul Skenes surpassing 7.5 strikeouts in his start against the St. Louis Cardinals. Skenes has showcased elite strikeout ability early in his career with high-90s fastball velocity and a devastating slider. The Cardinals' lineup has not faced him frequently, making Skenes’ excellent stuff even more effective and positioning him to easily hit 8 or more strikeouts in this matchup.

Derek Farnsworth highlighted rookie phenom Paul Skenes as an excellent DFS pitching option against the Cardinals. Skenes brings an elite 33% strikeout rate and an exceptional 1.13 xERA into his home matchup vs. St. Louis, a team with limited offensive upside (3.00 implied runs total) against right-handed starters. Farnsworth also cited the favorable Vegas line (-132) and a surprisingly low 6.5-run total as indicators of Skenes' potential ceiling performance, making him a clear high-upside target for fantasy baseball lineups on both DraftKings and FanDuel.

Eric Lindquist liked taking Pittsburgh Pirates on the first five innings moneyline (-140) due to Paul Skenes' strong start to the season and favorable pitching matchup against Sonny Gray, who has allowed a concerning 53.8% hard-hit rate. Skenes has impressive underlying metrics, including only a 20.7% hard-hit rate and a dominant 29.5% strikeout rate. Additionally, the absence of Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera, who had been one of their best hitters early in the season, drastically weakens St. Louis' lineup. Lindquist expressed significant trust in Skenes at this price with key offensive pieces missing from St. Louis.

Kody Malstrom recommends betting under 0.5 runs in the first inning for the Cardinals vs Pirates game primarily based on the dominant performance of Paul Skenes. Entering his second season, Skenes continues his impressive form from last year's near-Cy Young campaign with an elite 1.46 ERA, 0.649 WHIP, and 1.46 FIP. His efficiency this season has been exceptional, averaging under one hit allowed per inning pitched while consistently striking out more than one batter per inning. Despite facing a formidable Cardinals offense ranked top-4 in hits, RBIs, total runs, and OBP, Skenes should be able to keep them quiet early. Additionally, the Cardinals lineup features a notable weak spot at the top of the order with Willson Contreras struggling badly, hitting just .105, increasing Skenes' odds of getting through the first inning without damage. On the other side, Sonny Gray, though carrying a high ERA of 5.73 due to early-season struggles, has managed a respectable WHIP of 1.000, suggesting poor luck rather than ineffectiveness. He faces a Pirates offense that struggles to consistently make contact at league-average rates, making it likely he also keeps them scoreless through the first.

JD Bets expects Paul Skenes to pitch at least six full innings against Tampa Bay. He prefers betting the over on 17.5 pitching outs rather than Skeens' strikeout prop. Skeens went at least six innings consistently last season, averaging around 17.3 outs per game and regularly completing full six innings. Although Tampa Bay's lineup historically has not overly impressed against right-handed pitchers, JD believes Skeens' track record and consistency favor him securing at least 18 outs, especially since he only allowed one earned run in his single start against Tampa Bay last season.

Millz Young advises taking Paul Skenes over 7.5 strikeouts against the Seattle Mariners. He acknowledges the line appears high but believes Skenes will keep the game competitive and achieve the necessary strikeouts due to his talent and favorable matchup.

Eric Lindquist recommended taking Pittsburgh first five innings bet against the Rays, specifically backing Paul Skenes. Despite an unimpressive-looking outing against Miami, Skenes' underlying numbers were very strong, including an 18.2% hard-hit rate, a .216 expected wOBA allowed, and an impressive 35% strikeout rate. Lindquist argued that Skenes was actually unlucky to concede runs given those elite metrics. He acknowledged the suboptimal outdoor playing conditions at Steinbrenner Field (instead of Tropicana), but noted the opportunity to back Skenes at minus 140 or better on the first five innings line was rare and valuable.

Bettor Mark expressed long-term pessimism for Paul Skenes' situation with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Despite acknowledging Skeens' high talent level and potential strikeout upside, he doesn't see Pittsburgh as a favorable spot, describing the lineup as weak and the Pirates' situation as dire (1-5 start to the season). He also pointed to Skeens' modest first outing performance, noting limited innings (around five innings, 90 pitches) and a potential leash from the coaching staff. Mark indicated he is staying away from betting on this game due to the Rays' temporary home stadium (George Steinbrenner Field), which adds a volatile factor to the betting landscape.

Mark Zinno recommended backing Paul Skenes and the Pirates moneyline against Tampa Bay, emphasizing the favorable price at around -120. He cited Skenes' elite pitching talent as rarely being available at such a moderate favorite price, calling it a 'must play' on principle. Despite some bullpen hesitations, Zinno fully expects Skenes to pitch deep into the game (6 or 7 innings), providing significant security. He also pointed out the Pirates' recent strong offensive performance, scoring 6, 6, and 7 runs in their last three contests, producing enough run support for Skenes. Zinno endorsed both the full-game and first-five moneyline plays, acknowledging the Pirates bullpen concerns but expecting Skenes to mitigate that issue.

Adam Rosenberg identified Paul Skenes as a strong candidate to allow fewer than 3.5 hits against a struggling Marlins lineup on Opening Day. Rosenberg emphasized Miami's offensive limitations, jokingly mentioning Miguel Cabrera is not coming through the door to save them. He framed it as a comfortable selection to bolster their underdog entry, clearly confident in Skenes' favorable matchup against a weak opposing offense.

Mark Zinno strongly supports betting the Pirates first-five moneyline behind Paul Skenes on Opening Day due to several favorable conditions. He branded Paul Skenes as the early favorite to win the Cy Young, emphasizing his immense talent and projected dominance in matchups like this one. The Marlins lineup is described as historically weak, projected at -330 odds to end up last in the NL East. Zinno confidently expects Miami's offense to significantly struggle against Skenes, stating he would not be surprised if Skenes gives up zero runs in his first start. Additionally, the first-five format avoids bullpen uncertainty, making Pittsburgh behind Skenes an even more attractive wager scenario.

Bryan Power recommends taking the Pittsburgh Pirates on the first five innings moneyline (-150) behind starter Paul Skenes in their Opening Day matchup against the Miami Marlins. Power highlights Marlins' weaknesses, noting that Miami is priced at -330 to finish last in the highly competitive NL East, emphasizing their severe lack of talent and depth relative to division competitors. He notably describes Miami's franchise playoff appearance two years prior as an infamous fluke and expects marked struggles moving forward. Conversely, Power trusts Paul Skenes, suggesting he has the clear pitching edge to put the Pirates in control over the first half of this Opening Day matchup.

Kyle Purviance doubled down on Paul Skenes' strikeout props against the Marlins. He explained that despite the price dropping from +235 to +190 for Skenes to record nine or more strikeouts, he still sees value due to the extremely poor projected Miami lineup, calling it possibly the worst in baseball. Miami's lineup consists largely of inexperienced hitters such as Jonah Bride, Kyle Stowers, Derek Hill, Griffin Conine, and Eric Wagaman, with only Xavier Edwards posing any real threat. Given these player weaknesses, Purviance confidently reaffirmed laddering up Skenes' strikeout prop to 10 Ks or higher, expressing he'll likely upgrade to double-digit strikeouts due to how weak he assesses Miami's hitters to be.

Kyle Purviance strongly recommended betting Paul Skenes' strikeout ladder prop on opening day. He locked in Paul Skenes to reach nine strikeouts at +235 odds, a line since shifted down significantly to +190. Purviance justified this wager by citing the Marlins' projected opening day lineup, ranking as the worst in MLB. He highlighted a roster lacking major hitting threats beyond Xavier Edwards, containing largely inexperienced hitters like Matt Mervis, Otto Lopez, and Griffin Conine. Purviance's conviction is bolstered by his projections of Miami's hitters' high strikeout vulnerabilities early in the season, noting that historically elite strikeout pitchers like Shane Bieber have excelled on opening day. Despite potential pitch-count concerns mentioned by Brian Howard, Purviance anticipates Skenes dominating and recording strikeouts early and frequently.