Cardinals vs Rays Opener: Young Arms Take Center Stage

0:00On March 26th, the St. Louis Cardinals host the Tampa Bay Rays today for Major League baseball season opener at 4.15 p.m. Eastern Daylight. Time. Drew Rasmussen takes the mound for the Rays with a 0 and 0 record, facing Matthew Libertory for the Cardinals, also 0 and 0. Betting odds favor the Rays at minus 125 with the Cardinals at plus 105 and the over-under set at 7.5 runs. Both teams finished last season around 500 with the Cardinals going 78 and 84 overall and a solid 44 and 37 at home. The Rays were 77 and 85 struggling on the road at 36 and 45. The Cardinals pitchers posted a 4.29 earn run average last year, striking out 7.6 batters per 9 innings. Tampa Bay's offense slugged 401 as a team, averaging 2.7 extra base hits per game. Injuries could play a big role, especially for the Rays, who have several pitchers out, including Ryan Pepio with a hip issue on the 15-day.

1:05Injured list and position players like Gavin Lux and Taylor Walls, sideline short-term. The Cardinals miss Hunter Davins on the 15-day list for his knee and Lars Newt Bar for 60 days due to heel problems. Fans are buzzing for this early match-up, setting the tone for both clubs' rebuilds. Keep an eye on how these young arms hold up in the opener. Stay tuned with MLB News Today, AI-powered updates. I'm Corey with The Story.