2021 Opening Day Preview: Biggest Headlines and Predictions
- Adam Dawson
- Mar 25, 2021
- 5 min read
The following are my predictions and biggest headlines for Opening Day, Thursday April 1st.
deGrom vs. Scherzer
The best pitching matchup on the Opening Day slate, Jacob deGrom of the Mets and Max Scherzer of the Nationals are set to dual in Washington D.C. A rematch of the 2019 opener, deGrom allowed no runs over six innings, while Scherzer gave up two runs over 7.2 innings. Both pitchers combined for 22 strikeouts, deGrom with 10 and Scherzer with 12 respectively.
deGrom, the two-time Cy Young winner is set to make his third career Opening Day start. deGrom has allowed no runs over his previous two Opening Day starts spanning a combined 11 innings with 18 strikeouts and only two walks.
Max Scherzer who is entering his age 36 season is making his sixth Opening Day start for the Nationals, a record for the franchise. Expect Mad Max to be intimidating the Mets lineup as he tallies up strikeouts.
My Prediction: The new and improved Mets lineup gives deGrom run support and the Opening Day win.
Mets win 4-2.
Yankees Primed For Big Season
The Bronx Bombers are set to begin their run for a World Series against the Blue Jays on Opening Day. Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton lead the Yankees offense who figure to put up a lot of runs this season.
George Springer is set to make his Blue Jays debut in the Bronx on April 1st in his normal leadoff spot against Yankee ace Gerrit Cole. Springer and Cole were teammates in Houston from 2018-2019, so it will be interesting to see them face off. Springer was signed by the Blue Jays in the offseason for 6 years worth $140 million.
My Prediction: Springer goes 1-4 in his Blue Jays debut, but Cole and the Bronx Bombers win the game.
Yankees win 7-3
Padres Begin World Series Quest
The new look Padres are set to begin their quest for a World Series against the Diamondbacks on Opening Day. San Diego was able to bring in a cast of new faces during the offseason. Blake Snell, Yu Darvish, and Joe Musgrove join a rotation that already includes Chris Paddack and Dinelson Lamet.
The offense is led by superstar shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. as well as Manny Machado, and Trent Grisham. The Padres are expected to challenge the Dodgers in the NL West this season which should be a fun rivalry to watch all season long.
My Prediction: The Padres win on Opening Day and start out strong to begin the season, challenging the Dodgers in the NL West.
Padres win 6-2
Kershaw Gets Nod For 9th Opening Day Start
Clayton Kershaw will get the Opening Day start for the Dodgers in Colorado. Kershaw is 5-1 with a 1.05 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, and 59 strikeouts in 51.2 innings across his other eight Opening Day career starts. If it had not been for injuries this would have been Kershaw's 11th career Opening Day start. Only Tom Seaver, Justin Verlander, and Felix Hernandez have more Opening Day starts. This had to be a tough choice for manager Dave Roberts to make who also had Walker Buehler and Trevor Bauer as Opening Day candidates.
My Prediction: Clayton Kershaw pitches fantastic and the Dodgers offense explodes at Coors Field getting their first win of the season.
Dodgers win 9-3
NL Central Battle on Opening Day
Jack Flaherty looks to rebound this season as the Cardinals take on the Reds in an NL Central affair on Opening Day. Flaherty had a 3.72 ERA last season and will have to do better as the Cardinal ace.
Nolan Arenado will make his official Cardinals debut. One of the best third basemen in the league over the past few seasons, it will be interesting to see how Arenado adjusts to the Cardinals lineup.
Luis Castillo is an emerging star for the Reds. Castillo had a 3.21 ERA last season, but his walk rate is the main concern. If he can cut down the walks which would then lower his WHIP, I believe he can compete for the NL Cy Young this season.
My Prediction: Luis Castillo and the Reds win on Opening Day. The Reds lineup hits a few home runs off Cardinals pitching.
Reds win 6-4
Braves Look To Start Strong In Competitive NL East
The Braves look to get an early season advantage in the NL East. Falling to the Dodgers in last season's NLDS, the Braves are more motivated than ever to make a World Series push.
Max Fried of the Braves and Aaron Nola of the Phillies are expected to make Opening Day starts for their respective teams. Fried's curveball is the best in his arsenal, it will be interesting to see if he can strike out a few Phillies with that pitch specifically.
The Braves lineup is one of the best in baseball. Led by Ronald Acuna Jr., Ozzie Albies, Freddie Freeman, and Marcell Ozuna they are bound to score a lot of runs this season.
Aaron Nola is becoming one of the better overall pitchers in the league. With Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins leading the Phillies offense, the NL East will be one of the best divisions in the league this season.
My Prediction: Aaron Nola pitches well, but the Braves offense is too much to handle.
Braves win 7-4
Can Bieber Sustain His 2020 Success?
Shane Bieber is set to start Opening Day against the Tigers in Detroit. Bieber is coming off of a spectacular 2020 season in which he had a 1.63 ERA, 122 SO, and a 0.83 WHIP, also winning the AL Cy Young. Regression is obviously going to come for Bieber, but that does not mean he can't still be a top pitcher this season. After seeing him pitch in last season's playoffs against the Yankees, it made me question is he truly a top three pitcher in the league?
My Prediction: Bieber takes care of the Tigers' offense and starts his season off strong.
Cleveland wins 4-2
The Rest of the Opening Day Schedule:
Orioles vs. Red Sox: Eduardo Rodriguez gets the Opening Day start for the Red Sox. I expect Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts, and Alex Verdugo to lead the Red Sox to an Opening Day win.
Twins vs. Brewers: Kenta Maeda and Brandon Woodruff are set to start for their respective teams. A very good pitching matchup, I expect the Twins to win the game with their powerful lineup.
Pirates vs. Cubs: Kyle Hendricks will make the Opening Day start for the Cubs. I expect Hendricks to pitch well and for the Cubs Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez, Kris Bryant, Ian Happ, and the rest of the offense to give him run support for the victory.
Rangers vs. Royals: I predict Royals starter Brad Keller and the Royal offense to scrape out a close win against Rangers Kyle Gibson and home run threat Joey Gallo.
Rays vs. Marlins: Rays Tyler Glasnow gets the Opening Day nod against Sandy Alcantara and the Marlins. I expect this game to be closer than expected, but I predict the Rays will prevail with the Opening Day victory.
White Sox vs. Angels: White Sox Lucas Giolito will face off against Angels Dylan Bundy. I expect the White Sox to win the game, but by a close margin. Now without Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert and Jose Abreu will have to carry the offensive load for the White Sox.
Astros vs. A's: Zack Greinke and Chris Bassitt face off in the opener. I expect the Astros to win the game, behind a solid outing from Greinke and solid performances from Yordan Alvarez, Michael Brantley, Kyle Tucker, and the rest of the Houston regulars.
Giants vs. Mariners: The final game scheduled on Opening Day, I expect the Mariners to win at home. Marco Gonzales pitches well and the offense gets enough runs off Kevin Gausman.
Final Thoughts: Now one week until the biggest day of the season, I am super excited for the season to officially begin. I really enjoyed writing this post and previewing each game. Now let the games begin!
See you at the Ballpark!!!
Adam
Great stuff, Adam! I was a sportswriter and sports columnist for 20 years for the News-Leader (1985-2005) at the start of my career ... yo have a gift for writing about baseball, especially at such a young age. Keep it up!