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TheSportSpy · Apr 5, 2010

Cleveland Indians
-The Indians are coming off a tremendous spring where they compiled a record of 19-9-3, the best record in the Cactus League. They also led the American League in spring ERA at 3.96.
-Cleveland is currently 57-52 all-time on Opening Day, compiling a 4-6 mark over the last 10 years. This year will mark the 28th time ever the two teams have met on Opening Day, with the Indians holding a 15-12 advantage.
-Lost 15 consecutive road games to end the 2009 season, a streak that began on August 30, 2009 at Baltimore.
-Team lost its first 5 games of the 2009 campaign, on their way to a 8-14 mark in April. The Indians have had a winning April just twice in the last eight years.
-SP Jake Westbrook is 8-11 with a 4.94 ERA in 27 games/21 starts against the White Sox. He's 5-5 with a 4.46 ERA in 13 games/11 starts at US Cellular Field.
-The right-hander is making his second career Opening Day start in the exact location of his first assignment. In that game, Chicago won, 1-0, as Jake tossed a complete game losing to Mark Buehrle.

Florida Marlins
-The Marlins begin their 18th MLB season on Monday, coming into the opener with a 9-8 franchise record on Opening Day. The two teams met on Opening Day in 2008 at Sun Life Stadium, a game in which the Mets won 7-2. The teams also met to start the 1999 season, with the Marlins taking a 6-2 decision at home.
-SS Hanley Ramirez and 2B Dan Uggla are making their fifth consecutive Opening Day starts together. Since 2006, Ramirez (102) and Uggla (121) lead all acitve middle-infield combos, combining to hit 223 home runs.
-SP Josh Johnson will be making his first Opening Day start on Monday, beomcing the 11th different pitcher to start such a game for the Marlins. Johnson went 15-5 with a 3.23 ERA and earned an All-Star appearance by going 8-2 with a 2.74 ERA before the All-Star break.
-Florida took the season series from the Mets last year, 11-7, including a 6-3 mark at Citi Field.
-Finished the Grapefruit League schedule with a 14-14-1 record, as the offense hit .288, ranking fourth among NL clubs.
-This will mark Johnson's 10th career start and appearance against the Mets. In his career, he owns a perfect 7-0 record and 2.30 ERA.

billhill999 · Apr 5, 2010

Marlins are my play of the day.
Nice writeup, best of luck this season.

TheSportSpy · Apr 5, 2010

Cincinnati Reds
-Today's game is the Reds' 134th Opening Day game, eighth at Great American Ball Park. The Reds are 64-68-1 in home openers, including a 60-64-1 mark against the NL.
-The Reds and Cardinals are meeting for the 16th time on Opening Day. Cincinnati is 8-7 versus St. Louis in season openers.
-Cincinnati is 2-5 in home openers played at the Great American Ball Park, including dropping the last two (2-1 NYM and 4-2 AZ).
-Finished the Cactus League with a 12-16-3 mark, including an 0-5-1 record against the Indians.
-Baserunners were successful on 28-of-39 stolen base attempts this spring.
-Last year, the Reds allowed 115 first inning runs, the most in the Major Leagues, getting outscored 115-81.
-In 2009, Cincinnati won 13 of their final 17 home games. In 7 seasons at GABP they are 281-286-1
-SP Aaron Harang has compiled a 1-3 mark and 3.52 ERA in four previous opening day starts. He ranked 9th in the National League with a 3.00 daytime ERA last year.

TheSportSpy · Apr 5, 2010

Milwaukee Brewers
-Milwaukee opens the 2010 season with a 6-game, 7-day homestand versus Colorado and St. Louis. Following the homestand, the team embarks on a 9-game, 11-day road trip to Chicago-NL, Washington and Pittsburgh.
-The Brewers are 38-46 all-time against the Rockies, including a 0-6 record last season. The team is 5-14 versus Colorado since 2007.
-The franchise is 23-17-1 all-time on Opening Day, including 8-4 at home and 7-4-1 on Opening Day since joining the National League in 1998.
-Compiled a 40-41 record at home last season, after going 9-14-3 in series play. The team posted its first losing home record since going 36-45 in 2004.
-SP Yovani Gallardo is making his first Opening Day start of his career. Gallardo went 2-1 with a 4.29 ERA in six starts during spring training. He held opponents to a .219 batting average last year - ranking 3rd in the National League. The right-hander is 0-2 with a 9.49 ERA in three games, including two starts against the Rockies. He's 13-8 overall in 27 games (26 starts) at Miller Park, including 8-6 with a 3.14 ERA in 16 starts last season.

TheSportSpy · Apr 5, 2010

Philadelphia Phillies
-The Phillies finished their 2010 spring training schedule with a 15-12-1 record, going 11-5 at home and 4-7 on the road. The pitching staff posted an NL-best 3.72 ERA this spring.
-Enter play today having lost their last four season openers. The last time the Phils won on Opening Day was April 4, 2005 against the Nationals, an 8-4 win.
-Today's game marks the Phillies' first season opener on the road since 2004. The last time the Phillies won a road opener was March 31, 2003 at Florida (8-5).
-Tied the club record for wins on the road last year with 48, which was originally set in 1976. Philadelphia led all major league teams on the road with home runs (116). Pitchers posted a 4.02 ERA on the road in 2009, which ranked 6th among NL clubs.
-SP Roy Halladay was 7-4 with a 2.61 ERA in 14 road starts last year. He has gone 17-8 with a 3.02 ERA in 35 career games (31 starts) against National League Teams, including a 0.90 ERA in 2 starts versus the NL East.

TheSportSpy · Apr 5, 2010

Pittsburgh Pirates
-The Bucs have a 66-57 record in their first 123 openers (52-44 on the road and 14-13 at home). Pittsburgh won a 6-4 contest on Opening Day in St. Louis last year.
-The average age of the current active roster is 28.3, compared to 27.4 last year.
-Pittsburgh went 7-21-1 in Grapefruit League play this year. OF Andrew McCutchen led the club in batting (.351) while Delwyn Young led in home runs (6) and RBI (18).
-Today marks Zach Duke's second career Opening Day start. He received a no-decision in Pittsburgh's 4-2, 10-inning win at Houston in 2007.
-The left-hander is 2-3 with a 5.68 ERA in eight career starts against the Dodgers. He was 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA in two starts last year against Los Angeles, including an 11-1 decision at PNC Park on 9/28.

TheSportSpy · Apr 5, 2010

Detroit Tigers
-Today's contest with the Kansas City Royals marks the 110th Opening Day in Tigers history. The club enters action today with a 50-58-1 record in the previous 109 season openers. The Tigers and Royals have played six times previously on Opening Day, including a 5-4 Tigers loss in 2008 at Comerica.
-Detroit concluded the spring season with an 18-12-2 record, the most wins by the club during the spring since the team posted 21 victories in 2007.
-Austin Jackson and Scott Sizemore are both making their major league debut today at Kansas City, starting in center field and at second base, respectively. The last club to have two players make their major league debut in the starting lineup on Opening Dway was the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2007.
-SP Justin Verlander starts today at Kansas City with a 9-2 record and 2.32 ERA in 14 starts during his career against the Royals. He's tops among all MLB pitchers with nine wins over the Royals since the start of the 2006 - second with his 2.34 ERA.

Horseface2721 · Apr 5, 2010

great analysis, good luck to you this season.

TheSportSpy · Apr 5, 2010

New York Mets
-The Mets are set to open their 49th season in the National League. New York has a 31-17 record on Opening Day. After losing their first eight Opening Day contests, the Mets have won 31 of their last 40.
-This is the first time that the Mets will host an Opening Day at Citi Field, as they are 171-7 overall on Opening Day at home, including a 17-2 mark in their last 19.
-SP Johan Santana will be making his fifth career Opening Day start and his third straight with the Mets. He is 3-1 with a 4.07 ERA on Opening Day.
-Santana enters today's game with a 5-1 record and 1.68 ERA in seven career starts against the Marlins. Last season the left-hander was 0-1 with a 1.29 ERA in two starts.
-The Mets are 14 games over .500 on Opening Day despite only outscoring their opponents by five runs (213-208).
-Hit at least one home run in 20 of the last 26 Opening Days.

TheSportSpy · Apr 5, 2010

Horseface2721 said:
great analysis, good luck to you this season.

Thank You - I appreciate it :toast:

TheSportSpy · Apr 5, 2010

billhill999 said:
Marlins are my play of the day.
Nice writeup, best of luck this season.

Thank You - I appreciate the support :toast:

mayday · Apr 5, 2010

Best of luck this season,nice writeups! :103631605

TheSportSpy · Apr 5, 2010

Texas Rangers
-Texas is 18-20 overall on Opening Day, having dropped 5 of 6, 7 of 9, and 9 of the last 12. Last year's win over the Tribe snapped a stretch of 5 straight losses.
-DH Vladimir Guerrero is scheduled to be starting today, batting cleanup in his Texas debut. In 11 career Opening Day games, Guerrero has batted .432 with 5 HR and 19 RBI. He has hit safely in 10 straight openers.
-Josh Hamilton is scheduled to start in left field. He has appeared in 9 regular season games in left field (2 starts), all in 2007 with Cincinnati.
-Scheduled to wear their red uniform tops for the second consecutive opener. Last season, the team went 16-10 when wearing the red tops.
-SP Scott Feldman is coming off a 2009 season that saw him win 17 games, the most for a Texas pitcher since Kenny Rogers (18) in 2004. He made four Cactus League starts, going 3-1 with a 2.93 ERA. He needs one more victory to reach the .500 mark for his career at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, as he's 7-8 with a 4.32 ERA in 66 games.

TheSportSpy · Apr 5, 2010

Chicago Cubs
-The Cubs have recorded a .548 regular season winning percentage (265-219) since the start of the 2007 campaign - that's the second-best mark in the NL and fifth best in the Majors.
-Finished their 2010 Spring Training schedule with a 18-12-3 record. The team's 4.24 ERA was sixth-best in the Majors.
-Chicago has a 74-58-2 all-time record on Opening Day. The Cubs are 45-37 when opening the season on the road and 29-21-2 when opening at home.
-SP Carlos Zambrano is 6th in the majors with 100 wins since the 2003 season (Roy Halladay/Johan Santan 111)
-2010 lineup has eight players who were in the Cubs 2009 Opening Day lineup. 1B Derek Lee owns a .316 batting average, two home runs and 11RBI in 10 Opening Days.
-Zambrano was 7-2 with a 2.73 ERA and a .221 average against in 15 starts away from Wrigley Field last year. He was 4-0 with a 2.16 ERA in his last seven road outings.

TheSportSpy · Apr 5, 2010

Chicago White Sox
-This marks the fifth time in the last six seasons that the White Sox have opened the seaosn at home. Chicago has won four of its last five openers.
-Chicago went 12-16-5 in spring training, concluding exhibition play with a pair of wins at Atlanta.
-Chicago and Cleveland are playing on Opening Day for the 28th time overall (Sox 12-15) and the fifth time in the last six years.
-The Sox went 10-8 versus the Indians in 2009 for their fifth series victory in the last seven seasons. Only four of the 18 games were decided by two runs or less.
-Team compiled a 34-38 record vs the AL Central in 2009, their first losing record within the division since 1996.
-LHP Mark Buehrle went 1-3 with a 2.08 ERA in five spring starts. He ended the spring by throwing 10IP without allowing an earned run in his last two starts.
-Buehrle's 11 career wins against the Indians is his fewest versus any AL Central opponent and Cleveland is the only AL team against whom he has a losing record.

TheSportSpy · Apr 5, 2010

Los Angeles Dodgers
-The Dodgers are 26-26 in the first game of the season since moving to LA in 1958.
-Los Angeles closed out their season last year with four of their last nine games at PNC Park. Despite dropping three of four on that final trip, the Dodgers are 24-10 all-time at PNC Park.
-Today's lineup includes seven position players who were also in last year's Opening Day lineup.
-The bench has 60 seasons of big league experience.
-RHP Vicente Padilla will become the Dodgers fourth different Opening Day starter in as many years.
-Last year, Padilla went 6-0 with a 2.83 ERA against NL opponents and has gone 9-1 with a 3.35 ERA in 15 games versus the Senior Circuit since the 2008 season.

TheSportSpy · Apr 5, 2010

Atlanta Braves

-The Braves claimed a 4-2 edge versus the Cubs last season, capturing two wins in each of their three-game series.
-Atlanta is 19-25 in season openers since Morving to Atlanta (10-10 at home, 9-15 on the road)
-The 2010 opening day starting lineup features four players who appeared in the Braves' 2009 opening day lineup.
-SP Derek Lowe makes his fifth career opening day start today and his second consecutive for the Braves.
-In nine career appearances (all starts) versus Chicago, Lowe is 2-1 with a 3.17 ERA, including 0-0 with a 2.57 ERA in 2009. He finished 3-0 with a 4.50 ERA in six starts, allowing three home runs and walked two batters over 22.0IP.

Arizona Diamondbacks

-Today is the first of 18 meetings with the Padres in 2010. The D-Backs lead the all-time series, 111-93, including 31-23 since 2007.
-Today marks the eighth time in franchise history that the D-Backs have opened the season at Chase Field, including six times in the last nine seasons. Arizona is 3-4 in season openers at home.
-After having the fourth-worst batting average (.253) and sixth-worst on-base percentage (.324) in the National League in 2009, the D-Backs had the second-best average (.290) and fourth-best on-base percentage (.354) among NL teams this spring.
-OF Justin Upton enters the regular season with a .386 batting average, 6 HRs and 20 RBI during spring training.
-SP Dan Haren is 11-11 with a 2.99 ERA in 27 career starts in April, while limiting opponents to a .218 average.

TheSportSpy · Apr 5, 2010

San Diego Padres

-San Diego enters today's opener with a 19-22 all-time record on Opening Day - that mark includes a 7-13 record when opening on the road.
-SP Jon Garland is making his fifth career appearance versus the Diamondbacks, having gone 2-1 with a 7.04 ERA in his previous four starts. Since becoming a full-time MLB starter in 2002, he has gone 4-2 with a 5.73 ERA in his first start of the season.
-Team ranked 15th in ERA before the Game No. 100 last year (4.72), then placed third (3.79) from that point forward.
-Finished the Spring Training slate with an 18-10-2 record that was good for third in the Cactus League.
-Garland went 4-1 with a 2.78 ERA in eight starts against teams in the NL West other than San Diego last season. He was 1-2 with a 5.09 ERA in four starts against the Padres in 2009.

TheSportSpy · Apr 5, 2010

Colorado Rockies

-The Rockies finished 17-13-3 this spring, the 8th time in the last 9 seasons that the club finished with a .500 or better record. The team hit .315 to lead all Major League clubs.
-Colorado is 9-8 all-time on Opening Day, including a 5-6 record on the road.
-Went 6-0 against the Brewers in 2009 and swept the season series from Milwaukee for the first time in franchise history. SS Troy Tulowitzki owns a career .511 batting average versus Milwaukee and has hit safely in 11 of 12 career games versus the Brew Crew.
-The Rockies went 31-11 against the NL Central Division in 2009, the best mark the club has ever posted vs. a National League division in a single season.
-Entering 2010, SP Ubaldo Jiminez has gone a franchise-record 53 consecutive regular season starts without allowing multiple home runs in a start.

TheSportSpy · Apr 5, 2010

Seattle Mariners

-The Mariners are 18-15 in season openers, winning 6-1 at the Twins in 2009. Seattle has won 3 straight season openers and 4 of the last 5.
-Seattle is 3-3 all-time on Opening Day against the A's, 0-3 in Oakland, 3-0 in Seattle.
-The Mariners were 14-5 vs the A's last season (6-4 on the road, 8-1 at home). Seattle is 37-20 vs the A's since 2007.
-SP Felix Hernandez is 9-5 with a 2.79 ERA in 19 career starts in April. Since making his first Opening Day roster in 2006, Felix is 1-1 with a 0.64 ERA in his first start of the season.