As most of you know the pitching matchup is Vicente Padilla vs. Zach Duke. I posted the probable lineups 2 posts ago, so you can go back and check those out if you would like. Here's the weather forecast (which isn't as bad as it looks), and some batter vs. pitcher stats:
Like I said, the weather report on TV said those showers will most likely miss Pittsburgh and we'll be good to play some baseball. Let's hope that prediction comes true.
As for the BVP, the Pirates have not seen Vicente Padilla very much because he pitched in the American League with the Texas Rangers for the last 3 seasons (until he came to LA near the end of last season). The guys who have faced him have not faced him very much and for the most part have not had very much success.
The Dodgers are a different story against Zach Duke however, as they have had a lot of success against him. The most notable there are Reed Johnson (6-17), Matt Kemp (6-15), and Russell Martin (7-15).
However, you never know what is going to happen on Opening Day. There is going to be a lot of energy in PNC Park and I can definitely see the Pirates coming out and impressing early. While this isn't a team that I can see jumping off to a hot start like they have in the last couple seasons, I think they are gonna play well enough to win Monday.
The guys I am going to be paying the most attention to Monday are Jeff Clement, Lastings Milledge, and Andrew McCutchen. To me, Clement's performance is going to have as big an impact as any on how this team fairs offensively this year. If he can come out and hit the ball well and hit it over the fence at a decent rate, it will be a major boost for us. If he falls flat on his face and doesn't hit the ball at all, we are going to have serious trouble finding run production. Lastings Milledge is a guy that everyone is expecting a big year from, so there is a lot of pressure on him. He seems to be handling the pressure very well and could definitely be one of the Pirates top offensive producers this year. Andrew McCutchen is the Pirates best player and has been their best hitter this spring. He's been hitting the cover off of the ball, not for much power, but he has been getting on base. He is what makes the offense go, and I expect a hot start from him.
Another thing I'm looking forward to seeing is the bullpen. Well, I really hope I don't see the bullpen Monday, but if I have to I will definitely be paying attention. It's a totally revamped group of guys and should be very interesting to see how they perform.
Baseball is almost here. Let's go Bucs!