Category: Baseball

After yesterday’s Opening Night on Netflix, MLB Opening Day officially kicks off for 22 other teams today. The San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees will resume their series tomorrow.

The day kicks off with a marquee matchup of Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates facing off against Juan Soto and the New York Mets. The Chicago White Sox will face the Milwaukee Brewers, which comes on the heels of the news that Brewers’ star outfielder Jackson Chourio was placed on the injured list with a fractured hand suffered in the World Baseball Classic.

The other big nationally televised matchup is that of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers, who will kick off the evening slate. World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto was named the Opening Day starter for the reigning champs, and he will face a recently re-signed Zac Gallen, making his fourth Opening Day start for the Snakes.

Here’s how the full slate breaks down today:

Game 1: Pittsburgh Pirates at New York Mets

RHP Paul Skenes vs. RHP Freddy Peralta

First Pitch: 11:15 a.m. MDT

TV: NBC/Peacock

Radio: Sports Radio 93.7 KDKA The Fan (Pirates); Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App 92.3 HD2 (Mets)

Lineups:

Game 2: Chicago White Sox at Milwaukee Brewers

RHP Shane Smith vs. RHP Jacob Misiorowski

First Pitch: 12:10 p.m. MDT

TV: Chicago Sports Network; Brewers.TV

Radio: ESPN Chicago WMVP 1000 AM (White Sox); WTMJ 620 (Brewers)

Lineups:

Game 3: Washington Nationals at Chicago Cubs

RHP Cade Cavalli vs. LHP Matthew Boyd

First Pitch: 12:20 p.m. MDT

TV: Nationals.TV; Marquee Sports Network

Radio: WJFK 106.7 The Fan (Nationals); 104.3 The Score, Univision TUDN, WPPN 106.7 / TUDN (Cubs)

Lineups:

Game 4: Minnesota Twins at Baltimore Orioles

RHP Joe Ryan vs. LHP Trevor Rogers

First Pitch: 1:05 p.m. MDT

TV: Twins.TV; MASN

Radio: TIBN, WCCO 830, The Wolf 102.9, Audacy App, LosTwins.com (Twins); 98 Rock 97.9 FM, WBAL 1090 AM (Orioles)

Lineups:

Game 5: Boston Red Sox at Cincinnati Reds

LHP Garrett Crochets vs. LHP Andrew Abbott

First Pitch: 2:10 p.m. MDT

TV: NESN; Reds.TV, Gray Media, WXIX FOX19

Radio: WEEI 93.7, WCCM 1490 AM (Spanish), WESX 1230AM (Spanish) (Red Sox); WLW 700 (Reds)

Lineups:

Game 6: Los Angeles Angels at Houston Astros

RHP JoséSoriano vs. RHP Hunter Brown

First Pitch: 2:10 p.m. MDT

TV: FanDuel Sports Network West; Space City Home Network

Radio: BLAA 830 (Angels); KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2, KLTN-TUDN 102.9 FM (Astros)

Lineups:

Game 7: Detroit Tigers at San Diego Padres

LHP Tarik Skubal vs. RHP Nick Pivetta

First Pitch: 2:10 p.m. MDT

TV: Detroit SportsNet; Padres.TV; MLBN

Radio: WXYT 97.1 FM (Tigers); KWFN 97.3, XEMO 860 (Padres)

Lineups:

Game 8: Tampa Bay Rays at St. Louis Cardinals

RHP Drew Rasmussen vs. LHP Matthew Liberatore

First Pitch: 2:15 p.m. MDT

TV: Rays.TV; Cardinals.TV

Radio: WDAE 95.7 FM, WQBN/1300AM (Rays); KMOX 1120 AM/104.1 FM, WIJR AM 880 (Spanish) (Cardinals)

Lineups:

Rays TBD

Game 9: Texas Rangers at Philadelphia Phillies

RHP Nathan Eovaldi vs. LHP Crisopher Sánchez

First Pitch: 2:15 p.m. MDT

TV: Rangers Sports Network; NBCSP+, NBC 10

Radio: KRLD 1080, KFLC 1270 (Rangers); 94 WIP, iHeart App (Phillies)

Lineups:

Game 10: Arizona Diamondbacks at Los Angeles Dodgers

RHP Zac Gallen vs. RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto

First Pitch: 6:30 p.m. MDT

TV: NBC/Peacock (National)

Radio: 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station, KNAI 101.9 FM/860 AM (Diamondbacks); Dodgers Radio AM570, KTNQ 1020 (Dodgers)

Lineups:

DBacks TBD

Dodgers TBD

Game 11: Cleveland Guardians at Seattle Mariners

RHP Tanner Bibee vs. RHP Logan Gilbert

First Pitch: 8:10 p.m. MDT

TV: Guardians.TV; Mariners.TV

Radio: WTAM 1100, Guardians Radio Network (Guardians); Seattle Sports 710 AM (Mariners)

Lineups:

Guardians TBD

Mariners TBD

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Opening Day!

The 2026 season begins today for the two-time defending National League East champion Philadelphia Phillies. We’ve got 162 games to determine if they can make that a three-peat, and then hopefully advance to the ultimate goal of a World Series title.

They’ll start things off with a relatively unfamiliar opponent from the American League. I realize that with 15 teams in each league, at least two teams are going to begin with an interleague matchup, but it still feels somewhat wrong not to go against an NL team – if not a divisional opponent – to begin the season.

But since the schedule makers have given us the Rangers, it is the Rangers we shall discuss.

Texas Rangers

2025 record: 81-81 (Third place in American League West)

The last time they met

The Phillies visited Arlington in August 2025, and despite a history of poor play in Arlington over the years, the Phillies won all three games.

What’s the deal with the Rangers?

After a .500 season, the Rangers’ biggest change was firing manager Bruce Bochy and replacing him with Skip Schumacher. You may remember Schumaker winning the 2023 Manager of the Year award for leading the Miami Marlins to the playoffs, and getting fired a season later because Marlins gonna Marlin, and they lost 100 games.

As for the roster, the biggest additions came via trade, as they picked up two former NL East players in MacKenzie Gore and Brandon Nimmo. (Yes, we have to open the season against stupid Brandon Nimmo.) Offensively, they seem to largely be counting on better health and/or rebound seasons from players who disappointed in 2025, such as Corey Seager and Josh Jung. They also believe outfielder Wyatt Langford is ready to take another step forward on offense.

The starting rotation looks strong with Gore joining Jacob deGrom, Jack Leiter, and Nathan Eovaldi. (Or at least it will be strong if deGrom can have a second consecutive healthy season. Last year, was the first time since 2019 he made 30 starts in a season.) The bullpen looks less intimidating, as they’re counting on Robert Garcia and Chris Martin to handle the high leverage innings

Player spotlight: Andrew McCutchen

I always felt the idea of Andrew McCutchen on the Phillies was better than actually having him on the Phillies. When they signed the former MVP, he was no longer in his prime, but the hope was that he would be a strong presence in the clubhouse, and a viable contributor as the team’s leadoff hitter.

By most reports, he was a great teammate, but sadly, the results on the field didn’t match expectations. In 2019, he was playing well before his season was prematurely ended by a knee injury. In 2020, he got off to a slow start recovering from that injury and didn’t get going until the abbreviated season was close to over. In 2021, he had a solid season with the bat, but the former Gold Glover had become a liability in the field.

The next season, the Phillies chose to instead pursue Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos (They batted .500 on that decision) and let Cutch head to Milwaukee. Afterwards, he went back to Pittsburgh for a few seasons, putting up decent offensive numbers but slowly declining to the point where he was basically a replacement player in 2025.

At 39 years of age, there wasn’t high demand for Cutch’s services, but he came to camp with the Rangers as a non-roster invitee, and thanks to a strong showing in Spring Training, made the team.

Opening Day memories

For some reason, this is the third time the Phillies and Rangers have squared off on Opening Day. (Does MLB like having contrasting red, white, and blue color scheme going at it to start the season?) The first time was in 2014, which seemed to be a mismatch with Cliff Lee facing someone named Tanner Scheppers.

Last year, I wrote about how it can feel depressing when you don’t have a legit Opening Day starter. It’s much nicer to see Cristopher Sanchez get the ball the first game rather than the likes of Jeremy Hellickson (Hellickson had a cromulent career, but nobody was mistaking him for an ace) or Omar Daal. (On the other hand, I still love me some Robert Person, who started Opening Day in 2002!)

Anyway, the Phillies knocked Scheppers around, but surprisingly, the Rangers did the same to Lee. But thanks to big days by Ben Revere and Cody Asche (Another reminder that Opening Day is rarely predictive) and a grand slam by Jimmy Rollins, the Phillies prevailed 14-10. (This was not a harbinger of things to come for neither the 2014 season nor the Phillies-Rangers rivalry. The Phillies finished in last place and would lose their next nine games against the Rangers.)

The Phillies also visited Texas to open the season in 2023. The game started off nicely, with the Phillies getting off to a 5-0 lead, only to have Aaron Nola and the bullpen implode in a nine-run fourth inning. The Phillies lost and would lose their next three games as well.

I was trying to remember what happened on Opening Day last year, and I was drawing a blank. That’s especially embarrassing since I was in attendance at the game in Washington. (A lot easier to get Opening Day tickets down there!) It was the one where everyone was striking out (and blaming the shadows) until the late innings when the Phillies unloaded against the Nationals’ bullpen.

Opening Day is supposed to be a time for optimism but let me tell you: The Washington fans were not feeling positive about their chances that season. (And they were right! The Nats sucked last year!)

Remembering a guy who used to play for the Rangers

In 1992, the Rangers traded for A’s outfielder Jose Canseco. The former MVP expressed a desire to team with Rangers’ first baseman Rafael Palmeiro as the “new Bash Brothers,” but Canseco’s time in Texas is more remembered for PED use, injuring himself while pitching, and letting a ball bounce off his head for a home run.

Pennant year song battle!

As a new feature this year, I’ll be picking songs from a year in which the Phillies won the NL Pennant and pitting them against each other. (I may try to challenge myself and pick songs somehow related to the series at hand!) The winner stays on until defeated.

Here We Are Again – Debroy Somers, 1915

Coming from the year of the Phillies’ first ever National League title, the song seemed appropriate for the start of another season.

Ghost – Justin Bieber

In honor of the least popular change to Citizens Bank Park, here’s Justin Bieber’s hit from 2022.

Vote now!

If you have any favorite songs from 1915, 1950, 1980, 1983, 1993, 2008, 2009, or 2022, feel free to suggest them in the comments.

Closing thought

It’s Opening Day! Even if you don’t like what the Phillies did this past offseason or don’t like their chances to win it all, who cares? Everyone is 0-0, and you can let yourself dream a little! Go Phils!

Texas rangers lineup for Opening Day, March 26, 2026 against the Philadelphia Phillies: starting pitchers are Nathan Eovaldi for the Rangers and Cristopher Sanchez for the Phillies.

It is Opening Day, y’all. Let’s do this.

The lineup:

Nimmo — RF

Langford — CF

Seager — SS

Burger — 1B

McCutchen — DH

Jung — 3B

Smith — 2B

Jansen — C

Haggerty — LF

3:15 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are +130 underdogs.

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The real Opening Day is here... and so too are MLB player props.

With 11 games on the diamond and countless markets for pitchers and hitters, there’s no reason we can’t open the season by driving in some winners.

My favorites for today include strikeout props for Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Logan Gilbert. Those and more MLB picks for Thursday, March 26, below.

Best MLB player props today

Player	Pick	Odds
Junior Caminero	Over 0.5 RBI	+115
Yoshinobu Yamamoto	Over 5.5 strikeouts	-136
Logan Gilbert	Over 6.5 strikeouts	+102

Junior Caminero Over 0.5 RBIs (+115)

Junior Caminero is coming off a breakout campaign with the Tampa Bay Rays, where he swatted a massive 45 home runs with 110 RBIs, and I like him to carry that production into an Opening Day matchup with the St. Louis Cardinals.

The raw numbers for Caminero were great, but the underlying statistics say it was no fluke. The Rays' third baseman ranked in the 91st percentile or better in expected slugging, average exit velocity, and hard-hit percentage. Simply put, he hits the ball hard and often.

He gets a great matchup against Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore. For starters, Caminero has the splits advantage with Liberatore being a lefty.

Liberatore is also coming off a tough season, ranked in the Bottom 15% in both expected ERA and opponent expected batting average. The issue for Liberatore is that he gives up a lot of hard contact, and doesn't have much swing and miss stuff.

Caminero also had a great performance in the World Baseball Classic, and I love the price for him to drive in a run.

• Time: 4:15 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Rays.TV, Cardinals.TV

Yoshinobu Yamamoto Over 5.5 strikeouts (-136)

The last time we saw Yoshinobu Yamamoto in a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform, he was having an all-time performance in the World Series.

Now, he gets the ball for the Dodgers on Opening Day against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks.

But it wasn’t just the postseason where Yamamoto was showing his dominance. He ended the regular season in the 89th percentile in strikeout rate. That strikeout rate was above 30% over his last 14 starts of the season.

He also dominated this D-backs lineup last season. Current Arizona players have combined for a 32.1% K-rate against Yamamoto, with strikeout totals of 4, 9, 10, and 7 in four games.

Yamamoto also topped this number in 12 consecutive games to end the season, and we know his arm is nice worked out thanks to the World Baseball Classic. 

• Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Peacock

Logan Gilbert Over 6.5 strikeouts (+102)

The Seattle Mariners have one of the best rotations in baseball, and it’s Logan Gilbert who gets the ball on Opening Day in a matchup against the Cleveland Guardians.

Gilbert is coming off his first All-Star selection in 2025, ranking in the 85th percentile in both expected ERA and opponent expected batting average. But it’s the strikeout numbers that are really impressive.

The 6-foot-6 starter struck out 32.4% of the batters he faced last season, which ranked in the 94th percentile. 

The Guardians were a middle-of-the-pack team when it came to getting punched out by right-handers, ranking 15th in K-rate and return a nearly identical lineup to last season.

I’ll take a shot on Gilbert to top his strikeout prop on Opening Day at plus money.

• Time: 10:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: CleGuardians.TV, Mariners.TV

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The Cleveland Guardians open the season on the West Coast with a game against the Seattle Mariners tonight.

Both teams are coming off divisional titles and return with rosters mostly intact, if not upgraded.

Seattle has an edge in the starting pitching matchup and brings in an absolutely stacked lineup, which is why my Guardians vs. Mariners predictions and MLB picks call for it to cover at home on Thursday, March 26.

Guardians vs Mariners predictions

Guardians vs Mariners best bet: Mariners -1.5 (+130)

The Seattle Mariners were the fourth-best hitting team with a 113 OPS in 2025 and have been even better this spring. 

After scoring 4.7 runs per game last year, Seattle averaged 5.5 in spring training. 

Logan Gilbert was effective as usual when healthy last season, finishing with a 3.44 ERA and an elite 32.3% strikeout rate. The Cleveland Guardiansranked 28th in scoring last year, so facing a top-shelf starter is not ideal for this set of bats.

Guardians starter Tanner Bibee had the worst year of his career. He didn’t find a solution this spring, giving up six homers in six starts with a 6.65 ERA.

COVERS INTEL: Bibee’s fastball whiff rate dropped from 21.3% in 2024 to 13.2% last year, and also declined for his cutter, sinker, and curve.

Guardians vs Mariners same-game parlay (SGP)

The Mariners added one of baseball's top leadoff batters in Brendan Donovan. He’ll get on base ahead of MVP candidates Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez, which could result in a quick knockout of Bibee. 

Bibee allowed 27 homers last year and failed to strike out a batter an inning, a trend that continued into the spring. The Cleveland bullpen is missing injured setup man Hunter Gaddis, and Matt Festa struggled this spring, posting a 6.75 ERA.

Guardians vs Mariners SGP

• Mariners -1.5
• Mariners first-inning moneyline
• Mariners team total Over 3.5

Guardians vs Mariners home run pick: Cal Raleigh (+275)

There are matchup-based picks, and then there are ones where you don’t need to dive too deeply into the numbers. If anyone is going to homer in this game, it will be MLB’s reigning home-run leader playing in his home opener. Bibee’s struggles with the long ball make this an even better bet. He was even worse on the road, giving up twice as many home runs and an OPS 200 points higher than in home games. Randy Arozarena is the only member of the heart of Seattle’s order to homer against him, but that could easily change after tonight.

Guardians vs Mariners odds

• Moneyline: Cleveland +158 | Seattle -188
• Run line: Cleveland +1.5 (-152) | Seattle -1.5 (+126)
• Over/Under: Over 6.5 (-122) | Under 6.5 (+100)

Guardians vs Mariners trend

The Seattle Mariners have covered the Run Line in 21 of their last 33 games. Find more MLB betting trends for Guardians vs. Mariners.

How to watch Guardians vs Mariners and game info

Guardians vs Mariners latest injuries

Guardians vs Mariners weather

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All eyes will be on Tarik Skubal as he starts what could be his last year with the Detroit Tigers, and he’ll have the San Diego Padres in his sights in today’s season opener.

It’s a heavyweight pitching matchup at Petco Park as Skubal and Nick Pivetta square off, and my Tigers vs. Padres predictions expect Detroit’s ace to pave the way to a road victory.

Take a closer look at this March 26 clash with my free MLB picks.

Tigers vs Padres predictions

Tigers vs Padres best bet: Tigers moneyline (-134)

After the Detroit Tigers’ late-season collapse last year, it’s easy to forget their scorching 29-15 start. I see Detroit flying out of the traps again here.

Tarik Skubal, coming off a 2.21 ERA and 0.89 WHIP in 2025, should love the pitcher-friendly conditions at Petco Park.

The visitors are 4-1 SU in their past five season openers, and their two-time Cy Young winner has shown that his stuff travels (2.30 ERA on the road last season).

While the San Diego Padres had a strong home record last year, changes in the clubhouse — including new manager Craig Stammen — may take time to pay off.

COVERS INTEL: Skubal posted an ultra-stingy 1.77 ERA in day games last season, and he allowed just five home runs in 76 1/3 innings across those outings.

Tigers vs Padres same-game parlay (SGP)

The Under was 44-34-3 in San Diego’s home games in 2025, and this feels like another pitching duel.

Nick Pivetta is looking to prove his 2.87 ERA last season was legit, and the Tigers’ strikeout-heavy lineup can lurch from feast to famine within the same game.

The Padres’ big bats were quiet in their final few Spring Training outings, and Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado — coming off WBC action — are among the hitters who’ve never faced Skubal.

I’m also backing Riley Greene’s bat to make an impact. He racked up a career-high 155 hits in 2025.

Tigers vs Padres SGP

• Tigers moneyline
• Under 7
• Riley Greene Over 0.5 hits

Tigers vs Padres home run pick: Riley Greene (+360)

I’ll double down on Greene for the HR prop, too.

He crushed 36 dingers last season, with 32 of those coming off righties. That’ll put Pivetta under pressure here, and the Detroit slugger hit more homers on the road than at home in 2025.

Petco Park isn’t the easiest place to nail the long ball, but Greene’s power overrides that.

Tigers vs Padres odds

• Moneyline: Detroit -134 | San Diego +114
• Run line: Detroit -1.5 | San Diego +1.5
• Over/Under: Over 7 | Under 7

Tigers vs Padres trend

The Padres have hit the Under in 80 of their last 143 games (+13.65 Units / 9% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Tigers vs. Padres.

How to watch Tigers vs Padres and game info

Tigers vs Padres latest injuries

Tigers vs Padres weather

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Thursday notes…

• ON OPENING DAY: Since 1876, the first year of the National League, the Cubs have opened the season against 28 different teams. This will be their second against the Nationals. They lost to them at home, 2-1, on April 5, 2012. When the Nationals were the Montreal Expos, the Cubs were 1-2 against them in openers, winning in 1973 and losing in 1983 and 2001. All games were at Wrigley Field. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• IN MARCH: The Cubs are 10-13 in games played in March. Their first such game was in 1998. They played two in 2000, then one each in 2003, 2008 and 2014. Starting in 2018, they have played 17: three in 2018 and 2019, one in 2023, three in 2024 and seven last year. The Cubs have been the home team for only five of the 23 games, and three of those were in Tokyo, against the Mets in 2000 and against the Dodgers last year. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• IN MARCH AT WRIGLEY FIELD: The team’s only two previous games in March at Wrigley Field were against the Brewers. On March 31, 2008, Kosuke Fukudome, in his first game, hit a home run with two men on base and nobody out in the ninth inning to tie the score at 3. Craig Counsell doubled leading off the Brewers’ 10th and scored on a bunt, hit by pitch and sacrifice fly. The Cubs went down in order and lost, 4-3. On March 30, 2023, the Cubs won, 4-0, as Marcus Stroman and three relievers combined to allow four hits, walk five and strike out 12. The Cubs scored all their runs in the third inning on three singles, two walks and an error. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• LAST YEAR’S HOME OPENER: In 2025, the Cubs had played nine games before they opened at Wrigley Field, including two “home” games in the Tokyo Dome. They had a 5-4 record when they faced the Padres on April 4, 2025. The Cubs won the game 3-1, getting 7.1 strong innings from Shōta Imanaga.

Cubs lineup:

Nationals lineup:

Matthew Boyd, LHP vs. Cade Cavalli, RHP

Matthew Boyd had an excellent 2025, making the NL All-Star team, though he did run out of gas late in the season.

After being hit hard in Game 1 of the division series against the Brewers, he recovered to have an outstanding outing in Game 4.

Against the Nationals last year, Boyd made two starts, allowing 11 hits, one walk and four runs in 14.2 innings (2.45 ERA).

Boyd was particularly effective at Wrigley Field last year, posting a 2.51 ERA and 0.903 WHIP in 15 starts at home. The Cubs went 13-2 in those 15 games.

This will be his third Opening Day start (also 2020 and 2021 with the Tigers).

Cade Cavalli was the Nats’ first round pick in 2020 (22nd overall), taken six picks after the Cubs took Ed Howard and three picks after Pete Crow-Armstrong went to the Mets.

He was a Top 100 prospect three years in a row (2021-23), then missed the entire 2023 season with Tommy John surgery. He made 10 starts for the Nats last year and the results were okay: 4.25 ERA, 1.479 WHIP. He has never faced the Cubs or anyone on the Cubs’ active roster.

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network.

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Nationals site Federal Baseball. If you do go there to interact with Nationals fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.

You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.

The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.

You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Yet another MLB season kicks off today at Wrigley Field, with the Chicago Cubs set to take on the Washington Nationals against the iconic backdrop of the city skyline.

The stadium has been a fixture of Chicago for more than a century, drawing baseball fans from across Illinois and Indiana through sunshine, rain and strong winds.

As a result, it's no surprise that Wrigley ranked among the best MLB stadiums in the country, according to a self-proclaimed subjective list by USA TODAY's sports site For The Win. The site ranked all 30 MLB stadiums based on general atmosphere, design, location, amenities, food and character.

Wrigley Field ranks among best MLB stadiums

Wrigley Field ranked fourth on the list, only behind San Diego's Petco Park, San Francisco's Oracle Park and Pittsburgh's PNC Park.

For The Win described a trip to Wrigley as "something that every sports fan should try to experience at least once," applauding the recent large-scale renovation while admitting the room for growth in the food selection.

"The Cubs officially completed their massive, multi-phase renovation in 2019, and I think it was done in a perfect way that brought in modern amenities while still respecting Wrigley Field’s old-school charm," the site said. "The food selection could be a bit better from a variety standpoint, but, I mean, you’re at Wrigley. Just enjoy it."

How did White Sox stadium rank?

On the opposite side of the spectrum, the White Sox's Rate Field landed near the bottom of the list, mainly for its lack of a skyline view.

For The Win ranked Rate Field No. 27 out of 30, above only Phoenix's Chase Field, Sacramento's Sutter Health Park and Tampa's Tropicana Field.

"I’ve mentioned it before, but I can’t get over how the stadium could’ve had an epic skyline view if it was flipped around," the site said. "Instead we’re left with a view of nothing. The team is eyeing a new stadium, though, that would have the view. I am glad they dropped the 'Guaranteed' from the name, so there's that."

When the Dodgers host the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday evening, it’ll be their first-ever game on March 26.

The Dodgers first played a regular season game in March in 1998, opening that year on March 31 against the Cardinals in St. Louis. Mark McGwire in the fifth inning off Ramón Martínez hit the first of his then-record 70 home runs that season. The Dodgers also played a single March game in 2003, 2008, and 2011.

The first time the Dodgers played before March 31 was in 2014 with two games in Australia, and they also had two-game international trips in Korea in 2024 and Japan in 2025. They’ve also played March games domestically in 2014, 2019, as well as annually from 2023-25. In all, the Dodgers have played 28 regular season games in March, and have won 20 of them, and are 14-5 in March games at Dodger Stadium.

Mookie Betts is tied with Kyle Schwarber as the all-time leader with eight career March home runs, including two last season against the Detroit Tigers.

The Dodgers have won 15 of their last 18 opening days, including the last four in a row.

Opening at home has been the norm for the Dodgers in recent years, especially when considering the domestic portion of the schedule. They opened the 2024 season in Seoul, South Korea and started 2025 in Tokyo, Japan, but their first game after returning home was at Dodger Stadium.

The only other two road starts in the last 10 years came in 2021 and 2022 at Coors Field against the Colorado Rockies, but the second of those openers was only in Denver because the MLB lockout pushed back the original start to 2022, which would have been at Dodger Stadium.

This is the 65th season of Dodger Stadium, and the 32nd time opening day is at Chavez Ravine. The Dodgers are 19-12 in those games, with eight wins in their last nine such openers.

The Dodgers have won each of their last seven home openers in Los Angeles, dating back to 2019, and since Dodger Stadium opened in 1962 they are 37-27 in their first game at the ballpark.

The Mets added a bit of outfield depth ahead of their season opener, as the team has agreed to a minor league deal with Tommy Pham, per ESPN’s Jorge Castillo. If Pham gets called up to the team’s major league roster, he’d be on a $2.25 million salary with a potential $850k in bonuses, and he has an April 25 opt-out clause.

Pham is perhaps best known to Mets fans as a player who called his teammates with the 2023 Mets the “least-hardest working group of position players I’ve ever played with.”

In his stint with the Mets that year, Pham fared well, hitting .268/.348/.472 with a 124 wRC+ and 1.4 fWAR in 264 plate appearances. That led to the Mets trading him to the Diamondbacks for minor league infielder Jeremy Rodriguez at the deadline that year. His comments about his then-former teammates came later that season.

Since that trade, however, Pham hasn’t hit as well as he did with the Mets. He had a 92 wRC+ as he spent time with the White Sox, Cardinals, and Royals in 2024, and he finished the 2025 season with a 94 wRC+, having spent the entirety of the season with the Pirates.

In the short term, Pham figures to get some reps in the minors to get up to speed. Assuming he plays in Syracuse sometime soon, he’ll join fellow outfield depth options like MJ Melendez and some of the Mets’ top prospects in getting outfield innings there. Perhaps he’ll supplant Jared Young on the Mets’ major league roster before long, but it’ll be interesting to see if the team gives him a major league roster spot before his opt-out date.

Mets lineup

1. Francisco Lindor – SS
2. Juan Soto – LF
3. Bo Bichette – 3B
4. Jorge Polanco – 1B
5. Luis Robert – CF
6. Brett Baty – DH
7. Marcus Semien – 2B
8. Carson Benge – RF
9. Francisco Alvarez – C

SP: Freddy Peralta – RHP

Pirates lineup

1. Oneil Cruz – CF
2. Brandon Lowe – 2B
3. Bryan Reynolds – LF
4. Marcell Ozuna – DH
5. Ryan O’Hearn – RF
6. Jared Triolo – SS
7. Spencer Horwitz – 1B
8. Nick Gonzales – 3B
9. Henry Davis – C

SP: Paul Skenes – RHP

Broadcast info

First pitch: 1:15 PM EDT
TV: NBC/Peacock
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio 880 AM, 92.3 FM HD2

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. New York Mets, March 26, 2026, 1:15 p.m. ET

Location: Citi Field, Flushing, NY

Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet-PIT

The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the road today against the New York Mets at Citi Field looking to grab a win on Opening Day.

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BD community, this is your thread for today’s game. Enjoy!

This year marks the 65th season of Astros baseball and the 27th at Daikin Park.

The Houston Astros open the 2026 season at Daikin Park as they welcome in the Los Angeles Angels on Opening Day!

TODAY’S PITCHING MATCHUP: Today’s Opening Day matchup of RHP Hunter Brown vs. RHP José Soriano features a pair of starters both making their first career Opening Day starts.

Brown is coming off an All-Star season, in which he finished third in the AL Cy Young voting after going 12-9 with a 2.43 ERA (50ER/185.1IP) in a career high 31 starts.

ON THE HUNT: RHP Hunter Brown, a 2025 All-Star, finished third in the AL in Cy Young voting last season after turning in the best year of his career with a 12-9 record, a 2.43 ERA (50ER/185.1IP) and posting a 1.03 WHIP. He held opponents to a career-low .201 average and posted 206 strikeouts in 185.1 innings pitched. His 2.43 ERA ranked 10th all-time among Astros starters and was the second-lowest by an Astros starter in the last 20 seasons (since 2005).

ON OPENING DAY: The Astros are 34-30 all-time on Opening Day, including a 25-20 record in home games on Opening Day.

The Astros are recently removed from an incredible, modern-day record, Opening Day streak of 10 consecutive wins from 2013-22. Following the streak, they lost on Opening Day in 2023 and 2024 before bouncing back for a 3-1 win over the Mets on Opening Day last season.

VS. THE ANGELS: The Astros will open the season with a divisional series against the Angels, who the Astros went 8-5 against in 13 games last season. This marks the second time the Astros have played the Angels on Opening Day, which also happened in 2022, resulting in a 3-1 Astros win.

OPENING DAY CORNERSTONE:2B Jose Altuve, who’s under contract for the next four seasons (2026-29), will be making his 14th career Opening Day start today, which marks the third-most in franchise history. Only 2B Craig Biggio (19, 1989-2007) and 1B Jeff Bagwell (15, 1991-2005) have more in Astros history.

ABOUT THE ROSTER: The Astros Opening Day roster includes 13 pitchers and 13 position players. Nine players are making their first appearance on an active Opening Day roster: RHP Mike Burrows, RHP AJ Blubaugh, RHP Tatsuya Imai, OF Joey Loperfido, IF/OF Brice Matthews, RHP Roddery Muñoz, RHP Christian Roa, RHP Kai-Wei Teng and RHP Ryan Weiss.

NEW FACES: The Astros focused their offseason efforts on acquiring pitching, landing RHP Mike Burrows and RHP Kai-Wei Teng in trades and RHP Tatsuya Imai and RHP Ryan Weiss off the free agent market. They also added a Rule 5 pick in RHP Roddery Muñoz, the Astros first Rule 5 selection since the 2017 Rule 5 Draft.

AT THE HELM:Manager Joe Espada is entering his third season as the Astros skipper.

In 2025, for the second consecutive season, Espada and his staff were forced to deal with an extremely high number of injuries. Despite an ever-changing roster that often was missing key players, to his credit, Espada managed to navigate his club to an 87-75 record, finishing in a tie for the final AL Wild Card berth (lost tiebreaker to DET).

IN THE BOX: Today is the fourth Opening Day for the Astros under GM Dana Brown, who was named the club’s GM in January of 2023.

It’s the 15th Opening Day for Owner & Chairman Jim Crane since he purchased the club in November of 2011.

TODAY’S FESTIVITIES: Today is Opening Day, presented by Adobe, at Daikin Park.

The day starts with Opening Day Street Fest, presented by Budweiser, which will take place from 12-3 p.m.

The ceremonial first pitch will be a celebration of the WBC, which was won by Team Venezuela, who were managed by Astros bench coach Omar López. López will throw out the first pitch to Javier Bracamonte, the Astros longtime bullpen catcher who also served that same role for Team Venezuela.

All fans in attendance will receive a 2026 Astros Schedule Magnet, courtesy of United.

SUSTAINED SUCCESS: Dating back to the 2015 season, the Astros have made nine postseason appearances in 11 seasons, winning seven division titles, four AL pennants (2017, 2019, 2021, 2022) and two WS titles (2017, 2022).

In that span, the Astros became the only team in history to advance to seven consecutive ALCS (2017-23) and have posted the second-most wins in the Majors (976), trailing only the Dodgers (1,036).

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Thursday, March 26, 3:10 p.m. CST

Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX

TV: Space City Home Network

Streaming: SCHN+

Radio: KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2; TUDN 102.9 FM

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The Baltimore Orioles will try to put a disappointing 2025 behind them as they host the Minnesota Twins on Opening Day.

Baltimore has a rejuvenated lineup and a budding ace on the mound today, so I’m taking it to win outright in my Twins vs. Orioles predictions.

Read on to take a closer look at today’s matchup in my free MLB picks for Thursday, March 26.

Twins vs Orioles predictions

Twins vs Orioles best bet: Orioles moneyline (-138)

While both teams underperformed badly last season, their prospects are very different coming into 2026.

The Minnesota Twins face an uphill climb in the AL Central, but the Baltimore Orioles are a trendy dark horse World Series pick.

Those hopes hinge on a bounce-back season for Gunnar Henderson, and the addition of slugger Pete Alonso to the middle of the lineup.

Trevor Rogers is looking to repeat his outstanding 2025 for Baltimore, when he went 9-3 with a 1.81 ERA. I’m picking Rogers lead the Orioles to an Opening Day win over Joe Ryan and the Twins this afternoon.

COVERS INTEL: Joe Ryan went 3-5 with a 4.89 ERA and 1.309 WHIP over his last 10 starts to end the 2025 season.

Twins vs Orioles same-game parlay (SGP)

While I expect Baltimore’s offense to rebound a bit in 2026, it’s worth noting that they were a Bottom 10 offense in run-scoring last season, plating 4.18 runs per game – just behind Minnesota (4.19).

With both teams throwing their aces on Opening Day, I like the Under here. 

One player I do see generating a bit of offense is Henderson, who hit .400 with a 1.267 OPS for the United States in the World Baseball Classic.

Even in a down year, Henderson scored 85 runs last season, and I like him to come across today.

Twins vs Orioles SGP

• Orioles moneyline
• Under 8.5
• Gunnar Henderson to score a run

Twins vs Orioles home run pick: Pete Alonso (+290)

Alonso was one of the biggest free agent moves in the offseason, and he’ll undoubtedly add a lot of punch to the middle of the Baltimore lineup.

The former Mets star has hit at least 34 home runs in every full season of his career, and his .871 OPS last season was his highest since his rookie season.

Ryan gave up seven homers in his last four starts of 2025, and I like Alonso to get off to a fast start in his new home.

Twins vs Orioles odds

• Moneyline: Minnesota +118 | Baltimore -138
• Run line: Minnesota +1.5 | Baltimore -1.5
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 | Under 8.5

Twins vs Orioles trend

The Twins were 1-6 in Ryan’s last seven starts in 2025. Find more MLB betting trends for Twins vs. Orioles.

How to watch Twins vs Orioles and game info

Twins vs Orioles latest injuries

Twins vs Orioles weather

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Usually, this question of the day part is where we ask a niche question about the team. Maybe it’s about someone’s approach at the plate, their recent work at that craft, or what you think about a player’s recent play.

Today is simple. It being the Phillies’ home opener (and season opener), we’re looking for your predictions on how the season will go. You can be as specific as you wish, you can be as broad as you wish. But let’s talk about our prognostications together. Come back later today when we here at TGP give you our predictions for the season so you can all look down on us and ridicule us when we’re wrong.

Let the games begin.