Toronto Blue Jays (0-0) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (0-0)
The 2023 Major League Baseball Season gets underway on Thursday, March 30, 2023, with this interleague battle between the Toronto Blue Jays and the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. Toronto enters as the favorite at -115 with the total set at 7.5.
These teams split their four meetings last season. The teams split the two-game sets in their own home parks, including St. Louis winning at home on May 23, 7-3, and Toronto rebounding to win the next day, 8-1.
The Toronto Blue Jays look to rebuild off a 2022 season that saw the team make the playoffs for the second straight season. This team was in the think of the race for the AL East title until late August while the Yankees were in a swoon, but finished with the top wild card record. The team finished 92-70 last season, 6.0 games behind the Yankees and this team was led by an impressive offense that finished fourth in baseball in runs scored (775) and seventh in home runs (200). The .264 batting average was tops in baseball, as this team was an absolute juggernaut offensively.
Vladimir Guerrero was the key to the team’s success last season, an MVP candidate for most of the year. He battled through a knee injury early in spring training this but looks to be healthy to start the 2023 season. There is a solid co re around Guerrero, starting with George Springer, who moved to right field the season. Alejandro Kirk and Danny Janssen along with Brandon Belt make this lineup as solid as any in the league.
Our journey continues ????
The goal remains the same. #NextLevel pic.twitter.com/IZ9IstwY8V
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) March 25, 2023
The pitching staff should be solid once again, especially with the two aces at the top of the rotation. Alek Manoah gets the opening-day start, and he was spectacular last year, going 16-7 with a 2.24 ERA in 31 appearances. Manoah was a Cy Young candidate and will be making his first career start against St. Louis. With a few minor exceptions, this will be virtually the same Blue Jays bullpen as 2022, a group that finished 13th with a 3.77 ERA.
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