The MLB season finally opens on Thursday, a week later than originally planned, thanks to the lockout. Not all 30 teams are in action on Thursday, but two NL Central teams go head-to-head as the St. Louis Cardinals host the Pittsburgh Pirates. No one does opening day better than the Cardinals, and the first pitch Thursday is set for 4:15 p.m. ET at Busch Stadium on regional TV.
Last season the Cardinals went 12-7 against the Pirates and outscored Pittsburgh 95-70. However, they were just 4-5 at home in the season series, doing most of their damage in Pittsburgh when they were 8-2. The Pirates haven’t won the season series since 2012, with the Cardinals averaging 11 wins per season against Pittsburgh in the last decade.
Pirates Rebuilding, Again
After going 61-101 last year, the Pirates made minimal moves to improve in the off-season, adding Daniel Vogelbach and Roberto Perez as free agents in the lineup. Pitching-wise, they added Jose Quintana as a free agent and traded for Zach Thompson. They lost Colin Moran, who had ten homers and 50 RBI in 99 games last year, and Gregory Polanco, who has 11 homers.
The key to the Pirates lineup is center fielder Bryan Reynolds who hit .302 last year while leading the team with 24 homers and 90 RBI. Rookie Ke’Bryan Hayes struggled last year at .257 with six homers but could be a breakout contender in 2022. Top prospect Oneil Cruz may help later in the season, but he was optioned back to the minors last week and won’t break camp with the Pirates.
Righty J.T. Brubaker gets the opening day nod on the mound for the Pirates. Last year he was 5-13 with a 5.36 ERA in 24 starts while striking out 129 in 124 innings and allowing 28 home runs. He faced the Cardinals four times last year, going 0-4 and allowing 16 runs on 26 hits in 21 ⅔ innings.
Nolan Arenado went 5-for-11 against Brubaker last year with a homer and four doubles, while Paul Goldschmidt, Lars Nootbaar, Tyler O’Neill, and Paul DeJong also had homers off the righty. Both of DeJong’s hits off Brubaker left the ballpark, and Dylan Carlson was 5-for-10 with two walks, and Yadier Molina was 3-for-5.
A Last Dance and a Homecoming
This will be a year of lasts for the St. Louis Cardinals with the return of Albert Pujols and the final season of Yadier Molina. Pujols will make his 22nd career opening day start on Thursday, one behind Pete Rose for the all-time MLB record. This could also be the final season for Adam Wainwright as he makes his 306th start with Molina behind the plate; the duo needs 20 starts together this season for the all-time battery record.
After making the playoffs at 90-72 last year and firing manager Mike Schildt, the Cardinals were quiet in the offseason, adding Pujols and Corey Dickerson to the offense. The big spending was on Steven Matz in the rotation, and the Cardinals also added hurler Drew VerHagen who had been pitching in Japan.
The lineup will look very similar to last year, with Carlson at the top in front of Goldschmidt, Arenado, and O’Neill. Molina, DeJong, Harrison Bader, and Edman will likely be the bottom part, and the wild card is when and how new skipper Oliver Marmol deploys Pujols as the DH. Dickerson and Nootbaar are likely to get DH at-bats against right-handed pitching, but Pujols will start on opening day.
Wainwright turned back the clock for a vintage season in 2021, going 17-7 with a 3.05 ERA and 174 strikeouts in 206 innings. The 40-year-old is 16 wins away from 200 in his career, and the team he has the most wins against is Pittsburgh with 21. Last year he was 4-0 against the Pirates with a complete game shutout and an ERA of 0.30. In 30 innings, he struck out 29, walked two, and allowed one run on 13 hits.
Betting Analysis
- Pittsburgh Pirates +1,5 run line (-115). Money Line +175
- St. Louis Cardinals -1.5 run line (-105). Money Line -205
- Total runs: 8. Over -115, Under -105
Wainwright absolutely dominated the Pirates last year, and without a true ace to match him, the visitors could be in for a long day here. They also have a young team and need to combat the emotion from the atmosphere as Cardinals fans celebrate Pujols, Molina, and Wainwright. Goldschmidt and company put up a lot of runs in the spring and should get off to a nice start to the season.
Betting Pick: Cardinals -1.5 (-105)
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