Today marks the beginning of the MLB season as the Chicago Cubs take on the reigning World Series champions, the Texas Rangers, in Arlington, Texas. The game will commence at 6:35 p.m. CT and feature Justin Steele for the Cubs and Nathan Eovaldi for the Rangers.
Last season, both teams had varying degrees of success. The Cubs finished with an 83-79 overall record and a 38-43 record on the road, while the Rangers posted a 90-72 overall record and a 50-31 record at home. However, when it comes to their pitching staffs, they both had different stories to tell. The Cubs’ pitching staff boasted an impressive 4.09 ERA and averaged a staggering 8.6 strikeouts per nine innings in the 2023 season, while their opponents had an average of only 8.5 strikeouts per nine innings and gave up a higher average of 4.4 runs per game.
Despite their impressive performance last season, both teams have sustained injuries that will impact their opening day lineup. The Texas Rangers have two players on the disabled list due to elbow injuries: Jacob deGrom and Carson Coleman, while there are no reported injuries among the Cubs’ roster at this time.
The excitement doesn’t stop there as both teams prepare for their respective home openers next week. The Cubs will host their first game at Wrigley Field on Monday, April 1 against the Colorado Rockies as they begin their journey towards another successful season in Major League Baseball (MLB).
