Lost in the media circus that has been the utter dysfunction of the Boston Red Sox and the unlikely rise of the Baltimore Orioles has been a pair of more-than-relevant American League East contenders quietly making their mark on the division - and no, we’re not talking about the New York Yankees. What’s the story behind the Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays this season and where do they factor into the MLB betting lines? Nestled comfortably above the .500 mark, the Jays and Rays have laid relatively low on the Major League Baseball radar.

The Miami Marlins will open the new season with a new $515-million dollar ballpark and also a new manager in Ozzie Guillén when the squad takes the field against the St. Louis Cardinals tonight at 7:00pm EST which can be seen live on ESPN and online at ESPN3. Vegas MLB betting odds for the Cardinals vs Marlins have listed Miami as -175 favorites to win at home while St. Louis would pay-out $160 for the home win. If you are wondering what that means, you would have to risk -$175 to win $100 on the Marlins to win the game while taking the Cardinals as underdogs for $100 would return a profit of +$160. The runline also favors Miami at -1.5 (+115) while opening day picks have St. Louis +1.5 (-135). The baseball runline is another form of wagering where a particular team would need to win by +/- runs.