In a season with high expectations, the Toronto Blue Jays start things off with a significant challenge.
Opening Day is Thursday in St. Louis against the reigning NL Central champion Cardinals. It’s the first of 10 consecutive games on the road as the Blue Jays complete renovations of the Rogers Centre prior to their home opener against the Detroit Tigers on April 11.
Thursday marks the first time the Blue Jays and Cardinals will play an Interleague opponent on Opening Day.
The Blue Jays and Cardinals both have won their past three season openers.
Thursday, 4:10 p.m. ET / 1:10 p.m. PT: Toronto RHP Alek Manoah (16-7, 2.24 ERA in 2022) vs. St. Louis RHP Miles Mikolas (12-13, 3.29 ERA)
Saturday, 2:15 p.m. ET / 11:15 a.m. PT: Toronto RHP Kevin Gausman (12-10, 3.35 ERA) vs. St. Louis RHP Jack Flaherty (2-1, 4.25 ERA)
Sunday, 2:15 p.m. ET / 11:15 a.m. PT Toronto RHP Chris Bassitt (15-9, 3.45 ERA) vs. St. Louis LHP Jordan Montgomery (9-6, 3.48 ERA)
All games on Sportsnet and SN NOW.
It has been a fairly uneventful spring training for the Blue Jays, who didn’t have many big roster decisions to make.
But it was a busy off-season with Kevin Kiermaier and Daulton Varsho coming in to change the look of the outfield, Bassitt signing to bolster the starting rotation and Brandon Belt coming aboard to give Toronto some more left-handed pop.
Toronto can use bounce-back seasons from starters Jose Berrios and Yusei Kikuchi, who will make their season debuts next week.
Coming off a two-game wild card loss to the Seattle Mariners, the Blue Jays will be looking to make a step up this year in the American League East.
The retirements of Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols change the look of the Cardinals, but they are still favoured to repeat as NL Central champs.
Reigning NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado lead the offence, while the Cardinals signed three-time All-Star catcher Willson Contreras from the Chicago Cubs to replace Molina.
The starting rotation looks like the biggest concern, especially with top starter Adam Wainwright, 41, out to start the season with a groin injury.
That leaves the Opening Day start to Miles Mikolas, who signed a three-year, $55.75-million deal with the club earlier this month.
The Cardinals will look for more from former Blue Jay Steven Matz, who made just 10 starts last year due to injuries, along with Flaherty (eight starts in 2022).
Matz signed a four-year, $44-million deal with the Cardinals after pitching for Toronto in 2021.
Montgomery also will be a key member of the rotation after being acquired in a deadline deal with the New York Yankees last year.
Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette was making hard contact all spring (.315/.362/.574 with four homers and nine RBI in 54 at-bats) after a good finish to last season.
With some of the contract drama behind him after signing a three-year, $33.6-million deal in the off-season, Bichette hopes to keep riding the momentum into the games that count.
All the buzz at Cardinals camp has been about 20-year-old outfielder Jordan Walker, who has made the Opening Day roster without playing any triple-A.
Walker, the youngest player in double-A last season, is ranked No. 4 among all prospects by MLB Pipeline.
The six-foot-five power hitter converted from third base to outfield last season. He was a first-round pick (21st overall) in the 2020 MLB Draft.
Walker got off to a great start in spring training, leading the National League in batting average, slugging, OPS, total bases and hits through March 10 before his numbers dipped.
Tyler O’Neill of Maple Ridge, B.C. is moving to centre field for the Cardinals after winning the NL Gold Glove as a left fielder in 2020 and ’21.
O’Neill had a down year last season, connecting for 14 home runs – down from 34 in 2021. He experienced similar drops in other offensive stats in an injury-plagued season.
The Cardinals are welcoming 13 Baseball Hall of Famers to the park for Opening Day, including former Cardinal and Blue Jay Scott Rolen, a member of the class of 2023.
This year, all 30 MLB teams will play each other at least once, meaning teams will face their division opponents just 13 times instead of 19. Each team has a designated rival in the other league for a two-game series in each park. For the Blue Jays, it is the Philadelphia Phillies. The two were opponents in the 1993 World Series.
The Blue Jays were 2-2 against the Cardinals last season.
The Blue Jays stay in Missouri for four games against the Kansas City Royals, starting Monday.
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