San Francisco Giants Vs. Los Angeles Dodgers MLB Free Picks

The call him "The Freak" for a reason some of the things that Tim Lincecum does on the mound are just downright scary, and now, he can flash a World Series ring to boot. Lincecum has won 49 games over the course of the last three seasons, and last year was his worst ERA of the bunch... merely 3.43... However, you know that Lincecum is going to give you innings and give you a ton of strikeouts.

He has at least 231 Ks in each of his last three seasons, and he has averaged over 250 per year in that stretch. Still, he's not going to be the only man to watch in this game. Keep a really close eye on Buster Posey behind the plate. Posey came on strong last year and was a key in the playoffs, and he came back in Spring Training this year and batted over .400 and helped lead the G-Men to one of the best preseason marks in the game.

He could be the missing link for a team that frankly wasn't all that great offensively last season. It'll also hurt that Brian Wilson, the team's closer, isn't available for this MLB Opening Day tussle.

This is a big time statement game for the Dodgers. It's their home opener off of a season in which just didn't go all that well, their arch rivals are in town, and they are flashing their new World Series rings. No, one game doesn't nearly make an entire season, but it is also the first game in the first full season for Manager Don Mattingly, and he would love to win this series to get the fans in Tinseltown on his side.

The San Francisco Giants start their defense of their World Series crown on Thursday night on the road against their arch rivals, as they take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in MLB Free Picks action.

The youthful Clayton Kershaw is the man that he is sending to the bump in MLB Opening Day betting action, and for good reason. Sure, Kershaw has only won 21 games over the course of his 62 starts in the last two seasons, but his ERA has stayed below 3.00 in those starts. He's thrown over 370 innings as well, and he struck out 212 batters last season.

It also helps that the last game that he pitched against these Giants was a complete game shutout, the first and only complete game of his entire career. Kershaw allowed four hits in the complete game 1-0 victory, and he didn't walk a batter.

Still, when push comes to shove, Lincecum is 7-1 over the course of his last eight starts against the Dodgers, something that cannot be ignored. Kershaw might be improving, but he's not an MLB Opening Day starter. Back the champs.

MLB Free Picks : San Francisco Giants

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