Philadelphia Phillies (0-0) @ Texas Rangers (0-0)
Pitching Match-Ups:
Monday, 2:05 - Cliff Lee vs. Tanner Scheppers
Tuesday, 8:05 - AJ Burnett vs. Martin Perez
Wednesday, 8:00 - Kyle Kendrick vs. Robbie Ross
Chuck Norris' Offense:
They like 'em big in Texas, must be the reason for acquiring Prince Fielder. Expect 420+ feet bombs from him all season long. Future Hall-of-Famer, Adrian Beltre, is a Gold Glove worthy defender and still has a potent bat. Shin-Soo Choo and Alex Rios are a nice power/speed duo in the outfield corners. Hot prospect Jurickson Profar will begin the season on the DL.
Chuck Norris' Pitching:
Scheppers isn't just making his first Opening Day start, he's making his first MLB start (115 relief apperances). Perez is a young lefty, but doesn't have shutdown, strike 'em out sorta stuff. Ross will also be making his first MLB start, after previously appearing in relief for 123 games. In the bullpen there is Rule 5 pick Seth Rosin, who was taken out of the Phillies organization this past winter. More prominent members include Joakim Soria, Neal Cotts, and Jason Frasor.
What I'm Drinking:
Bell's- Hopslam. Boozy, hoppy, sweet, love it. The addition of honey helps to add balance to the malt base, because this beer is all about the hops, and there are plenty of them. I love IPAs and this just further cements my devotion to the style. Remarkable hop profile leaves you wishing that you had more bottles of it. 10% ABV, 70 IBU, 100/100 on RateBeer.com
Prediction:
Usually when a guy is making his first MLB start that is good news for the opposing team, but the Phillies seem to be continually perplexed by these types of situations. However, I'm going to begin the 2014 season with some optimism and say the Phils take 2 outta 3.