Only two days remain until the 2016 MLB regular season takes the mound, and the league has conjured up a thrilling three-game Sunday slate for us to get back into the baseball groove.
A National League and an American League division rivalry will kick things off, beginning with the St. Louis Cardinals taking on the Pittsburgh Pirates, followed by the clash between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Tampa Bay Rays. And for the primetime coup de grâce, we’ll be treated with the much-anticipated World Series rematch between the New York Mets and the Kansas City Royals.
Let’s quickly run down how this trio of exciting matchups size up below. And for an in-depth look at each of these season openers, head on over to our complete previews found in the following links: STL-PIT | TOR-TB | NYM-KC
MLB World Series News and Previews
- Cleveland Indians vs. Minnesota Twins Preview –August 17, 2017
- Tampa Bay Rays vs. Toronto Blue Jays – August 17, 2017
- Chicago White Sox vs. Texas Rangers Betting Preview – August 17, 2017
Predictions for the Opening Day of the 2016 MLB Regular Season
St. Louis Cardinals (-113) at Pittsburgh Pirates (+103) – 1:05 PM ET
Now back at full-strength, just imagine what the Cardinals could do. Adam Wainwright, who sat out most of last season due to a torn Achilles, will take the mound in the opener to prove that his own injury and age of 34 is of no hindrance to his form at all. Wainwright only played a total of 28 innings and four starts last season, but did hold an ERA of 1.61 to go with 20 strikeouts.
Why the Pirates will win: Pittsburgh, thanks to its superb farming system, will fittingly counter St. Louis’ Wainwright on Sunday with their three-headed hydra of homegrown outfielders in Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco on offense.
By the way, the Pirates won 53 home games last season – second only to the Cardinals and Dodgers (55). Furthermore, the Buccos have also won six of their last nine contests against the Cards that were held at PNC Park.
Writer’s Prediction: Pittsburgh (-113) draws first blood, 4-2.
Toronto Blue Jays (-114) at Tampa Bay Rays (+104) – 4:05 PM ET
Why the Blue Jays will win: Well, stating that Toronto has a fantastic offense is a quite an understatement. The Jays scored 891 runs last season – a whopping 127 runs more than any of the other teams in the majors.
Not only are all of the Jays’ best weapons back in 2016, they’ll also have Troy Tulowitzki for a full season of action in the batting order. Expect the defending AL East champs to come out a-swinging with great authority and swagger once more this Sunday.
Why the Rays will win: The Rays may not be able to keep up with the Jays in the scoring department, but they do have a relatively sound starting rotation, especially their ace in Chris Archer for Sunday’s match. Archer’s 3.23 ERA from 2015 ranked sixth in the AL as well as second in strikeouts with 252 for the season.
Tampa Bay’s defense also flies under most of our radars. The team’s not-so secret weapon at that is outfielder and 2015 Gold Glove winner Kevin Kiermaier, whose 42.0 defensive runs saved from last season was the most by any centerfielder in MLB history. Look for Kiermaier and the rest of the Rays to competently contain Toronto’s barrage.
Writer’s Prediction: The Blue Jays (-114) start their campaign anew with a solid 5-1 victory in Tampa.
New York Mets (-115) at Kansas City Royals (+105) – 8:35 PM ET
Why the Mets will win: If vengeance from the crushing World Series loss to the Royals isn’t a good enough reason, the Mets will just rub their starting rotation in your face to change your mind about them prevailing with the win on opening day. Matt Harvey leads this superb core of starters, boasting a perfect 4-0 record with 31 K’s and opponents hitting just .220 against him during the entire April of last year.
Together with the return of re-signed Yoenis Cespedes in the heart of the batting order, New York has pretty much retained its offensive core from 2015 as well to try and settle some of its unfinished business with Kansas City.
Why the Royals will win: They certainly don’t hit with power, but the Royals still know how to score runs by getting on-base with precision hitting and speed. The Mets sure felt KC’s offense work to perfection last season at the World Series after they allowed no less than five runs in each of their four losses.
In addition, Kansas City probably isn’t going to be intimidated by Harvey on the mound this Sunday. They neutralized the 27-year-old righty’s prowess by getting 10 hits and five earned runs combined off Harvey’s two starts and 14 innings of work at the World Series.
Writer’s Prediction: The Mets (-115) get their fleeting revenge with a close one, 3-2.
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