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MLB Opening Day: Pitching matchups for all 15 games

By West Jones

Sep 23, 2022; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) reacts after the final out of the top of the sixth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 23, 2022; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) reacts after the final out of the top of the sixth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports /
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MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – SEPTEMBER 18: Corbin Burnes #39 of the Milwaukee Brewers walks off the field in the game against the Chicago Cubs at American Family Field on September 18, 2021 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – SEPTEMBER 18: Corbin Burnes #39 of the Milwaukee Brewers walks off the field in the game against the Chicago Cubs at American Family Field on September 18, 2021 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

2:20 PM ET Milwaukee Brewers – Corbin Burnes @ Chicago Cubs – Marcus Stroman

Corbin Burnes is one of the elite young pitchers in the game of baseball. When the 28-year-old righty takes to the mound, fans sit up and take notice. Burnes is liable to be pitching with a bit of a chip on his shoulder in 2023. The two-time All-Star and 2021 Cy Young winner lost his arbitration case this offseason. Burnes was seeking $10.75 million, and the Brewers offered $10.01 million. When a club chooses to take their ace pitcher to an arbitration hearing, the odds of the two parties staying together long-term is pretty slim. Don’t look for his frustration to negatively impact his game. In fact, we may be in for the best version of Burnes that we have ever witnessed.

Marcus Stroman may be small in stature, but he is big in heart. Stroman is listed at 5-foot-7 and 180 pounds which is 8 inches and 66 pounds less than Burnes. In 2022, his first season on the north side of Chicago, Stroman was sneaky good. Across 25 games and 138.2 innings, he had a 3.50 ERA, 1.147 WHIP, struck out 119, and walked 36. In Stroman’s eight big league season, he has had an ERA above 4.00 only twice.

3:10 PM ET Detroit Tigers – Eduardo Rodriguez @ Tampa Bay Rays – Shane McClanahan

Eduardo Rodriguez is entering the second year of his five-year, $77 million contract with the Detroit Tigers. There was much hype around the Tigers in 2022 and part of that was the addition of the Venezuelan southpaw. An early season rib injury followed by an absence to take care of a personal matter limited Rodriguez to just 17 starts last season. After a strong start to his career in Boston, Rodriguez will be looking to put 2022 behind him and anchor the rotation for the up-and-coming Tigers.

There are some pitchers in MLB who everyone needs to know about and watch when they pitch. Shane McClanahan is one of those guys. He was neck and neck with Justin Verlander for the AL Cy Young race last season before a neck issue kept him from finishing quite as strong. In 28 games started in 2022, McClanahan pitched 166.1 innings, struck out 194, walked only 38, and posted a 2.54 ERA along with a 0.93 WHIP. This will be McClanahan’s third big league season and one in which much is expected.

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