The Texas Rangers play their first game since winning the 2023 World Series and will look to pick up where they left off last season on Thursday against the Chicago Cubs.
Chicago Cubs vs. Texas Rangers (-115, 8)
Nathan Eovaldi gets the start on the mound for the Rangers, who will look to duplicate his strong start to the 2023 season where he posted a 2.69 ERA with 0.6 home runs and 2.5 walks per nine innings allowed in his first 19 starts of the season before dealing with injuries during the final two months of the regular season.
The Cubs counter with All-Star starting pitcher Justin Steele, who led qualifying National League starting pitchers with 0.7 home runs per nine innings, supplying a 3.06 ERA with 9.1 strikeouts and 1.9 walks per nine innings to go along with it.
Steele had issues when he pitched on the road, however, allowing more than 1.1 home runs per nine innings allowed with his ERA jumping up to 3.66 across 12 of his 30 starts in 2023 on the road.
Both pitchers are backed by bullpens that had their fair share of issues last season with the Rangers ranking 24th in the league with a 4.77 bullpen ERA and the Cubs ranking 13th with a 3.85 bullpen ERA during the regular season, but the Rangers made moves to fortify the bullpen.
In the offseason, the Rangers signed closer David Robertson and set up man Kirby Yates to fortify a roster that features an offense that looks the same and that led the American League in both runs and home runs per game at home last season.
With the Cubs tying for 18th in Major League Baseball in home runs on the road and 12th in road on-base plus slugging, the Rangers will begin the 2024 season the same way they ended the 2023 season, with a victory at home.
The Play: Rangers -115
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