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.