MLB Opening Day: A Look At The Top Five Games
Bryan Altman, CBS Local Sports
Tonight we begin the transition from March Madness to baseball as the MLB season prepares to kick off when the St. Louis Cardinals visit the Chicago Cubs. In college basketball this season we almost watched a now 38-1 Kentucky team go undefeated en route to a second championship in three years while in baseball, the best team we'll see this year will more than likely lose at least 50 times before we reach the playoffs in October. So needless to say that the similarities between the two sports are few and far between, but the anticipation of daily baseball is palpable. Opening day always brings a special amount of excitement and here are the best games we'll get to see tonight and tomorrow as the season finally gets underway.
1. St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs
Sunday, 8:05 p.m. ET - Adam Wainwright vs. Jon Lester
Whether you hope they succeed or that they fail miserably everybody is curious to see exactly how things pan out in Chicago this season. Joe Maddon is the new sheriff in town and Jon Lester joins young gun Jake Arrieta to give Chicago a formidable rotation. That combined with their cast of young prospects such as Cuban slugger Jorge Soler along with Anthony Rizzo and Starlin Castro finding their form last year the Cubs could be primed for a run at the NL Central pennant.
But one of the main teams standing in their way will be the Cardinals, who are always a force to be reckoned with, even more so when three-time all-star pitcher Adam Wainwright is on the hill. This will be a fun opening night test for the Cubbies at home and is a nice preview of a NL Central battle that will become more and more heated as the season goes along. This is all assuming the Cubs actually have a stadium to play in of course.
2. San Diego Padres vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Monday, 4:10 p.m. ET - James Shields vs. Clayton Kershaw
Two of the best pitchers in the biz square off in this one and both will be looking for a bit of redemption after their respective post seasons last year. "Big Game" James Shields didn't exactly live up to his nickname in October after going 0-2 against the San Francisco Giants with a 7.00 ERA. Three-time and reigning Cy Young award winner Kershaw on the other hand had it all going on last year right up until it all came undone in the 7th inning of the National League Division Series against the Cardinals.
The Dodgers lineup looks dangerous as it did last year while the retooled Padres, lead by ex-Dodger Matt Kemp and "Big Game" James, are looking to make some waves in the NL West this season. Beating their rivals to the north would be a nice start.
3. New York Mets vs. Washington Nationals
Monday, 4:05 p.m. ET - Bartolo Colon vs. Max Scherzer
Much of the talk coming out of the New York area this offseason has revolved around whether or not the Mets are ready to overtake the Yankees as the best team in New York. Aesthetically I'm sure it would be nice for Mets fans, but it really doesn't matter when you look at the standings at the end of the season. The Mets will need to beat the Nationals who have one of the best pitching staffs in recent memory and a stout lineup one through nine.
The Mets should be vastly improved as well, but can their pitching staff without Zack Wheeler match up with the Nats. A large part of that might be determined by the hefty right-hander Bartolo Colon, who can quell Mets fans fears about him with a solid outing against the dominant Max Scherzer and the Nats on opening day.
4. Chicago White Sox vs. Kansas City Royals
Monday, 4:10 p.m. ET - Jeff Samardzija vs. Yordano Ventura
The Cubs might be grabbing most of the headlines blowing out of the windy city but the White Sox probably aren't planning on playing second-fiddle to anyone this year. After last year's abysmal year the Sox have added Samardzija to a rotation that already boasts Chris Sale and Jose Quintana while also adding Melky Cabrera and Adam LaRoche to their lineup.
Meanwhile the Cinderella-story Royals will be trying to fill the massive slippers that they wore to the ball last year without James Shields, Billy Butler and Norichika Aoki, who crossed enemy lines and signed with the San Francisco Giants who dispatched his team last year. The Royals will need to prove that they are among the MLB's elite after losing some big name players while the White Sox can help prove they belong by taking out last year's AL Champs. Either way, Yordano Ventura was thrilling to watch in the playoffs last year and it'll be fun watching him bring the heat against the White Sox on Monday afternoon.
5. Los Angeles Angels vs. Seattle Mariners
Monday, 4:10 p.m. ET - Jered Weaver vs. Felix Hernandez
If you're a fan of great pitching it probably won't get much better than this. Jered Weaver and "King" Felix Hernandez were both tremendous for their teams last year and are poised for big seasons once again. The Angels are content to replicate last year's regular season results while the Mariners are hoping some key offseason acquisitions will be enough to propel them from a fringe team to a playoff team this year.
Nelson Cruz, Justin Ruggiano and Seth Smith are coming to town for Seattle to help out Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager in their quest to win the AL West and return to the playoffs for the first time since 2001. They certainly have the firepower now, and behind the arm of King Felix it is possible that the Mariners can dethrone the Angels - a good place to start would be on Monday afternoon.
Tonight and tomorrow might be the last time that hope will spring eternal for many of the MLB's teams. As of right now, everybody is 0-0 and beginning tomorrow night, everybody has a shot at glory. Opening day should be plenty of fun as all 30 teams gear up for a 162-game grind that will end in champagne and a parade for just one of them eight short months from now.
More from Bryan? You can email him or find him on Twitter @bcaltman.
