Although the 2019 MLB regular season technically got underway with a recent pair of games in Tokyo, Japan, the rest of the league will enjoy Opening Day on Thursday, March 28.
That includes AL Central rivals Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins.
Here's everything you need to know about this week's first divisional showdown:
MLB Opening Day viewing information
- Date: Thursday, March 28
- Time: 4:10 p.m. ET
- Location: Target Field -- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- TV: Fox Sports North, SportsTime Ohio
- Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
- Live Stats: GameTracker
- Picks: Check SportsLine's MLB pick sheet for all your daily odds
- Odds: Indians -120 / Twins +104
Storylines
Indians: They've coasted to three straight AL Central titles, including 2018's 13-game advantage over the Twins, but they also coasted through an offseason that saw them lose big-name free agents like Cody Allen and Michael Brantley. Two of their best hitters in a lineup not particularly full of them -- Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez -- are also banged up. Still, they've got Corey Kluber fronting a star-studded rotation, and in the Central, that might be enough to get them another crown.
Twins: It's a time of new beginnings all around, as the Twins enter the season without Joe Mauer for the first time in 15 years. Under new manager Rocco Baldelli, Minnesota should have more pop with C.J. Cron and Nelson Cruz in the fold, and that offensive boost alone should help them improve within the division. But it remains to be seen whether they're committed to spending for upgrades in-season -- or how they'll fare outside the Central. They're borderline playoff material.
Prediction
Twins fans should be excited for the new-look lineup to open the year at home, and Cleveland isn't nearly as scary as it looked in 2018. But Kluber is still Kluber, which means he'll be too much for Minny to handle. Carlos Santana launches one into the seats, and the Indians take Game One.
Pick: Indians -120
