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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.

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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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

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

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