MLB Opening Day: Pitching matchups for all 15 games
1:05 PM ET Atlanta Braves – Max Fried @ Washington Nationals – Patrick Corbin
The Atlanta Braves will start the season on the road against fellow NL East opponent, the Washington Nationals. The Braves will turn to their ace Max Fried to lead them on Opening Day. Fried had a 2022 campaign that saw him finish as the runner-up in the NL Cy Young vote. Fried is not only a fantastic pitcher, but he is also the answer to a trivia question. With the elimination of the DH last season, Fried will be the last pitcher to win a Silver Slugger as he won the award in 2021.
Patrick Corbin has struggled mightily over the last two seasons. He is entering the fourth year of a six year, $140 million contract. With the Nationals trying to retool and become competitive again, they are forced to ride with Corbin for the next two seasons. As a part of the World Series-winning 2019 team, Corbin showed that he could be a top tier pitcher. Hopefully for the big lefty, he will be able to bounce back and perform closer to the level of his former self.
2:10 PM ET Baltimore Orioles – Kyle Gibson @ Boston Red Sox – Corey Kluber
Kyle Gibson will not have to wait long for his opportunity to pitch for his new club, the Baltimore Orioles. Gibson will take the ball on Opening Day, in the hopes that the 35-year-old veteran will be both an innings eater and a stable presence on the mound for the young Orioles. Gibson has been an average, yet reliable starting pitcher his entire career and will look to get back what led to his first and only All-Star appearance in 2021, while a member of the Texas Rangers.
Corey Kluber will be making his sixth career Opening Day start. While age and injuries have hampered his performance over the last several years, the two-time Cy Young winner still knows how to pitch. Kluber turns 36 on April 10 and will be pitching for the Red Sox for the first time in his career. He has spent his entire career in the American League with the last two being in the AL East (2021 Yankees and 2022 Rays).
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.
4:05 PM ET Philadelphia Phillies – Aaron Nola @ Texas Rangers – Jacob deGrom
In one of the top two or three matchups of the day, the defending National League champs will send Aaron Nola to the bump to face off against the Texas Rangers and their new ace, Jacob deGrom. This will be Nola’s sixth Opening Day start and deGrom’s fourth. The two aces are no strangers to one another as they have been facing off against each other in the NL East since 2015 when Nola was a rookie.
Nola proved his durability yet again last year, starting 32 regular season games and covering 205 innings. He also started five playoff games last fall and racked up another 25.2 innings. A first-round selection (seventh pick) in the 2014 MLB draft out of LSU, Nola has been with the Phillies organization his entire career. Not that he needs any additional motivation when it comes to pitching well, but he will become a free agent at the end of the 2023 season, so it will be interesting to see how that all plays out.
To say that the Texas Rangers organization looks different than it has in recent years is an understatement. One of the key reasons for the new look is the upgrade in the starting rotation, and specifically the new addition of ace Jacob deGrom. The 2014 Rookie of the Year is also a four-time All-Star, and a two-time Cy Young winner (2018 and 2019). No pitcher in the game looks so effortless and is yet so effective. Boasting a career 2.52 ERA and 0.998 WHIP, deGrom is the race car of MLB pitchers. When he is healthy, he can outpace everyone, the key is to keep him out of the shop and on the track.
4:10 PM ET Toronto Blue Jays – Alek Manoah @ St. Louis Cardinals – Miles Mikolas
Alek Manoah is a big man (6-foot-6, 285 pounds) who has gotten off to a fantastic start in his young career. He just turned 25 earlier this year and is entering his third big league season. This will be his first Opening Day start, which is sure to be a thrill. Last year, Manoah led the Blue Jays to the playoffs, while finishing third place in the AL Cy Young race. He started 31 games, had 196.2 IP, a 16-7 record, a 2.24 ERA, 0.992 WHIP, while striking out 180, and walking 51. This kid is already really good and is on a great team to help showcase his talents.
Miles Mikolas had a strong 2022 campaign, in which he was selected to his second career All-Star game. He has come into his own since joining the Cardinals back in 2018. That is evident in the two-year contract extension that St. Louis signed him to last week, locking up the veteran pitcher for the next three seasons. Mikolas was also a part of the USA team during the World Baseball Classic this spring.
4:10 PM ET New York Mets – Max Scherzer @ Miami Marlins – Sandy Alcantara
There are a couple of other title fight matchups on Opening Day this year, but none are bigger than Max Scherzer going against the defending NL Cy Young winner, Sandy Alcantara. This is a matchup of one of the greatest to ever take a mound and a sure Hall of Famer, versus the young gun who wants to join him there someday.
Max Scherzer is an absolute bulldog. When he gets the ball, he is all business and can deliver. At 38, his career is closer to the end than the beginning, but he is still as dominate as ever. Over his 15-year career, Scherzer has pitched in 430 games (421 starts), has a record of 201-102, has 2,682 innings pitched, has struck out 3,193, has a 3.11 ERA, and a 1.074 WHIP. He is the true definition of an ace.
Alcantara was lights out from start to finish last year. Not only did he win the NL Cy Young, but he was the MLB leader in innings pitched with 228.2. He gets the ball every fifth day and goes out and deals. Baseball Savant has Alcantara’s fastball velocity in the top 96th percentile for 2022. His four-seamer sits at 98 mph and his sinker comes in a tick under that at 97.8 mph. Alcantara’s changeup, slider and curveball come in at 91.8 mph, 90.0 mph, and 86.2 mph respectively. With his 6-foot-5 frame, he is able to make the best MLB hitters look silly.
4:10 PM ET Colorado Rockies – German Marquez @ San Diego Padres – Blake Snell
Germán Márquez will be making his third Opening Day start for the Colorado Rockies. While most players wish that their team’s Opening Day is at home, Márquez is probably not one of them. Pitching in Colorado’s thin air can be difficult for even the best pitchers in the game. Márquez’s home and away splits over his seven-year career (all with the Rockies) are drastic. At home in 483.1 innings, he has a 5.08 ERA and a 1.403 WHIP. On the road he has 512.2 innings pitched, a 3.76 ERA, and a 1.178 WHIP.
The 2018 AL Cy Young winner, Blake Snell, will be the Opening Day starter for the San Diego Padres. Snell has had durability issues in the past but, when he is healthy, he can really pitch well. This will be Snell’s second Opening Day start of his career and the start of his third season with the Padres since coming over to the club from Tampa Bay. Baseball Savant has Snell ranked in the top 90 percent in whiff% as well as 92 percent in K%.
4:10 PM ET Minnesota Twins – Pablo Lopez @ Kansas City Royals – Zack Greinke
Pablo Lopez will be making his Twins debut today. After there was much chatter that Lopez would be traded last season at the trade deadline, the Marlins finally moved him to the Twins during the offseason. Lopez is a quality starter out of Venezuela that started 32 games for the Marlins last season. He ended the season with a 10-10 record, 180 innings pitched, struck out 174, had a 3.75 ERA, and a 1.167 WHIP. Lopez will be a free agent at the end of the 2023 season, so he has some incentive to perform at a high level.
Some baseball players should be considered national treasures. Zack Greinke is one of those guys. He is incredibly intelligent and to say that he is quirky is putting it lightly. But not only is he a bit different, he has been a great pitcher for a long time. Last season marked the reunion of Greinke with his old club, the Royals. If he can stay healthy this season, he has a legitimate chance to reach 3,000 career strikeouts. Greinke doesn’t strike people out at the same rate that he used to, but he currently sits at 2,882 thus he will need 118 strikeouts this season to reach the milestone.
4:10 PM ET Pittsburgh Pirates – Mitch Keller @ Cincinnati Reds – Hunter Greene
This is a battle of the youngsters. Both Mitch Keller (who turns 27 on April 4) and Hunter Greene (age 23) will be making their first Opening Day starts. There is sure to be some nervous energy between the two right-handed pitchers.
Keller is coming off the best season of his four-year career. Not lacking in confidence, the Pirates starter pitched in 31 games (29 starts), had 159 IP, had a 3.91 ERA, and a 1.396 WHIP. The Pirates struggled to find an identity in 2022 and will be looking for Keller to step up and supply some much needed stability to the starting rotation.
Hunter Greene is electric. With a four-seamer that sat at 98.9 mph in 2022, Baseball Savant ranks Greene’s fastball velocity in the top 99 percent of MLB. Strikeouts were plentiful (30.9 percent K%) for Greene in his rookie campaign, but unfortunately for him, so were the walks (9 percent BB%) and home runs allowed (4.5 percent HR%). If Greene can reduce the number of free passes and keep the ball in the park, 2023 could be a good season for the talented hurler.
7:08 PM ET Chicago White Sox – Dylan Cease @ Houston Astros – Framber Valdez
There are four-night games on Opening Day, starting with this one in Houston, where the Astros will start their defense of their 2022 World Series title. Dylan Cease will get the nod for the first time on Opening Day for the Chicago White Sox. Cease was good in 2021, but was phenomenal in 2022. He finished second in the AL Cy Young voting, and actually got a few votes for AL MVP, finishing 22nd. Cease needs to improve upon his walk rate (he led MLB with 78 walks) but other than that, he is solid. For him to be post a 2.20 ERA while leading the league in walks is crazy.
Framber Valdez was the number two pitcher for the Astros last season, but only because current Met Justin Verlander was winning the Cy Young as a member of the team. Valdez was no slouch though, as he finished fifth in the AL Cy Young voting. He started 31 games, had 201.1 innings pitched, struck out 194, had a 2.82 ERA, and a 1.157 WHIP. Valdez is a dynamic pitcher that is fun to watch.
10:07 PM ET Los Angeles Angels – Shohei Ohtani @ Oakland A’s – Kyle Muller
Three West Coast night games will wrap up the Opening Day festivities. This matchup is all about Shohei Ohtani. In his four years in MLB, Ohtani won the Rookie of the Year (’18), is a two time All-Star (’21 & ’22), has won the Silver Slugger (’21), and was American League MVP (’21). The funny thing is, that last season was his best and he actually won less awards, because of the outrageous performances by Justin Verlander and Aaron Judge. If that wasn’t enough, Ohtani is fresh off lifting the entire country of Japan on his shoulders and carrying them to the title in the World Baseball Classic. His pitching and hitting performances are storybook, but truthfully storybooks wouldn’t be so far-fetched. Baseball fans should make sure and soak up as much Ohtani viewing as possible, because we don’t know if there will ever be anyone to come along that resembles his makeup again in our lifetime.
Kyle Muller is the fifth-best prospect for the Oakland A’s, according to MLB.com. While Muller has struggled in his limited experience at the big-league level, his last two seasons at Triple-A have been really good. One of the issues that he had in 2021 was giving up too many walks, and Muller did much better in that category in 2022. In 2021, the tall (6-foot-7) lefty walked 42 in 79.2 innings pitched, but then in 2022 he walked 40 in 134.2 frames. Muller will look to improve upon his command at the big-league level this year.
10:10 PM ET Arizona Diamondbacks – Zac Gallen @ Los Angeles Dodgers – Julio Urias
Zac Gallen will open up on the bump for the D-backs as they travel to face their division rival, the Los Angeles Dodgers. In fact, eight of the team’s first 10 games are against the Dodgers with the other two being against the Padres.
Gallen will be making his first Opening Day start. Last season he really came into his own, as he ended the year fifth in the NL Cy Young voting. In 31 starts and 184 innings, Gallen had 192 strikeouts, a 2.54 ERA, and a 0.913 WHIP. Many people are looking for the D-backs to be a sleeper this year as their talented young core starts to emerge. Gallen will be a big part of any turnaround that the club can expect in 2023.
Julio Urias is also making his first Opening Day start. This probably wouldn’t be the case, but with Clayton Kershaw as his teammate, it has been hard for the young lefty to take the reins. Well, his 2022 season left no doubt in the minds of the Dodger brass who deserved the Opening Day nod. In 31 starts and 175 innings, Urias had 166 strikeouts, a 2.16 ERA, and a 0.960 WHIP (extremely similar numbers to Gallen’s). Urias did edge Gallen in the NL Cy Young voting by finishing third in 2022.
10:10 PM ET Cleveland Guardians – Shane Bieber @ Seattle Mariners – Luis Castillo
In only the second game of the day that pits two 2022 playoff teams against each other (the other being Toronto at St. Louis), Shane Bieber will get the ball for the fourth time in his career on Opening Day. With a slider, curveball, cutter, and changeup that all sit in the low to mid 80s and a fastball that sits at under 92 mph according to Baseball Savant, Bieber is a true pitcher and not a thrower. He relies on his command, movement, and the changing of speeds to get the top hitters out. The 2020 AL Cy Young winner started 31 games and had 200 innings pitched in 2022, where he struck out 198, had a 2.88 ERA, and posted a 1.040 WHIP.
This will be Luis Castillo’s first Opening Day as a member of the Seattle Mariners. He was traded to the club last year at the trade deadline from the Cincinnati Reds. Last season with both the Reds and the Mariners, Castillo started 25 games and had 150.1 innings pitched, where he struck out 167, had a 2.99 ERA, and a 1.084 WHIP. Castillo is a two-time All-Star with his most recent appearance being last season.
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