The 2019 MLB regular season opens in Tokyo, Japan for the Japanese Series as the Seattle Mariners take on the Oakland Athletics at the Tokyo Dome in the fifth ever MLB regular season game played in the Pacific.
Meanwhile, Spring Training continues for the rest of the league as they await their respective 2019 regular season debuts.
Adam Plutko will start on top of the hill for the Indians on Wednesday in Scottsdale. The 27-year old UCLA product has started three games in Spring Training and has a record of 1-0 while pitching a total of 9.2 innings with 8 strikeouts. The right hander’s preseason ERA is 4.68 and he also has a WHIP of 0.83 for Cleveland.
Oscar Mercado leads the Indians with 16 hits on a .400 batting average. Carlos Santana also has 15 hits while hitting .375. Mercado and Santana lead Cleveland with 9 RBIs each in preseason play. Both also have three homers apiece to lead the team as well. Right fielder Daniel Johnson also has 9 RBIs on seven hits and two home runs.
Indians
N/A
Giants
N/A
Odds not yet available
On the other hand, Drew Pomeranz will open for the Giants on Wednesday at Scottsdale Stadium. The 30-year old Pomeranz has pitched thrice with two starts this preseason. He has a record of 1-1 with an ERA of 5.0 and a WHIP of 1.1. Pomeranz has pitched a total of nine innings while fanning nine batters.
Second baseman Joe Panik has a total of 15 hits in 32 at bats (.469). Yangervis Solarte and Brandon Belt have 13 hits apiece and have combined for a total of 9 RBIs. Joey Bart leads San Francisco with seven RBIs on 7 hits while center fielder Mike Gerber is second with 6 RBIs on 8 hits.
Prediction: Cleveland Indians. The Indians are one of the top scoring teams in the Cactus League with a total of 143 scored while the Giants have scored 32 less in as many games played in Spring Training. Cleveland’s pitching staff also has an ERA of 4.6 which is 13th best in the league. I don’t think the Giants can keep pace with the Indians’ offense here plus I think Cleveland’s pitching is going to help them seal this win.
Julio Urias will start for the Dodgers on Wednesday at Sloan Park. The 22-year old left-hander from Mexico has pitched and started four games in preseason play with a record of 1-0. Urias has pitched a total of 9 innings with 9 strikeouts and has an ERA of 1.0 and a WHIP of 0.44.
Enrique Hernandez and Justin Turner lead the Dodgers with 14 hits each and the two have combined for a total of 16 RBIs and four homers. Catcher Austin Barnes leads Los Angeles with total of 12 RBIs on 10 hits. Meanwhile, Hernandez, Cody Bellinger and Joc Pederson each have three home runs to pace the Dodgers.
Dodgers
+110
Cubs
-130
Odds from betonline.ag as of 3/19/19
For Chicago, 2008 World Series and NLCS MVP Cole Hamels gets the nod to open the game on top of the mound. The 35 year old Hamels has a record of 2-0 in three starts. He has pitched a total of nine innings with seven strikeouts and ERA of 5.0 with a WHIP of 1.67.
Cristhian Adames leads the Cubs with 17 hits in 39 at-bats (.436). Adames also has three homers to pace the team along with Mark Zagunis. Both men also have 11 RBIs each and Wilson Contreras is the third man with double-digit RBIs in Spring Training at 10 RBIs.
Prediction: Chicago Cubs. The Cubs are the most balanced team in the Cactus league as they have a +28 run differential which is the best in their group. On the other hand, the Dodgers rank next to them at +25. The Cubs have scored the 2nd most runs in their league at 163 but the Dodgers have the 2nd best ERA as at 3.82 and the #2 WHIP at 1.25 in Spring Training. These are two of the top playing teams in the Cactus League but I think the Cubs are a little better, especially on offense.
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