Opening Day FAQ: Rays vs. Marlins

MIAMI -- Opening Day on Thursday will feature not only the latest installment of the Citrus Series between the Rays and Marlins but also the return of fans after an unprecedented 2020 season. It has been a lopsided intrastate matchup of late, with Tampa Bay winning nine of 10 games over the past two seasons. But Miami is poised to close the gap.

For the Rays, the reigning American League champion, 2021 has the same goal as last season: Take it a step further. In ‘19, they were coming off a 90-win year motivated to return to the playoffs. In ‘20, they had a bad taste in their mouths after losing in the AL Division Series. In ‘21, they want to win two more games after falling short in Game 6 of the World Series against the Dodgers.

• Rays win and build concurrently | Marlins: "We've got a lot to prove"

Rotation mainstays Blake Snell and Charlie Morton are gone, but the club brought in veterans Rich Hill and Michael Wacha. Chris Archer returns, and Opening Day starter Tyler Glasnow and Ryan Yarbrough have moved to the top of the starting staff. Tampa Bay brings back the same position-player group, with a full season of breakout postseason star Randy Arozarena, and its bullpen is still loaded with nasty arms despite the loss of (noted former Marlin) Nick Anderson, its high-leverage reliever.

“I don't think anything's changed,” said Yarbrough, who will start the second game of the season on Friday. “We still understand where we want to be. But, look, instead of 60 games, we’ve got 162. So it's not going to be easy, and we know that. But, look, we feel like we have a lot of good guys, a lot of great depth this year to kind of push that from 60 to 162.

“So we're excited, but it's one of those things where you can't really think too far ahead in that way. I know it's kind of like cliché, but if you just worry about today, get the win that day, you'll be where you want to be at the end.”

The Marlins are striving to become an organization with those kinds of expectations. Last season was a good step in that direction, with the ballclub reaching the playoffs for the first time in 17 years. That put the underdog Marlins, who embraced a “Bottom Feeders” moniker, ahead of schedule per most pundits.

With new general manager Kim Ng at the helm, the Marlins will rely on a promising young rotation led by All-Star Sandy Alcantara to shock the baseball world again. A lineup filled with veterans will welcome MLB Pipeline’s No. 66 overall prospect, second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., and an exciting group of young players will continue to develop in the Minors.

“Last year was hard for me, for my team and for baseball, too, not having fans in the stadium,” Alcantara said. “I think that was one of the things that made baseball a little sad, because we want to have support on the field, we want to hear the fans cry your name, say your name or support the team. I think this year, we're going to be better, because we’re [going] to have some fans at the field. We can't wait to see that.”

When is the game, and how can I watch it?
First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET on Thursday. The game will be televised on the rebranded Bally Sports Florida and Bally Sports Sun. Out-of-market fans can watch on MLB.TV.

The starting lineups
Rays: This will be the first time in franchise history that the Rays won’t have a designated hitter on Opening Day, a fact that likely pleases only Glasnow, who spent Spring Training begging manager Kevin Cash to let him hit.

We know with certainty that Arozarena will bat in the top third of the order. Odds are that Austin Meadows will, too, now that he’s healthy and looking more like his 2019 self. Cash experimented with Yoshi Tsutsugo in the leadoff spot during Spring Training, noting that could happen during the season. The Rays are so deep that it always feels like we’re leaving someone out of the lineup -- notably, in this case, Manuel Margot, Joey Wendle and Mike Brosseau -- but that’s what makes them so dangerous.

Here’s a projection:

1) Yoshi Tsutsugo, 1B
2) Randy Arozarena, LF
3) Austin Meadows, RF
4) Brandon Lowe, 2B
5) Yandy Díaz, 3B
6) Willy Adames, SS
7) Kevin Kiermaier, CF
8) Mike Zunino, C
9) Tyler Glasnow, P

Marlins: This lineup is similar to the 2020 iteration, with the exception of slugger Adam Duvall in the cleanup spot. The free-agent acquisition hit 26 homers across 98 games for the Braves over the past two seasons, and Miami hopes he will bring that pop to an order that could use more power. The Marlins also would like to see Corey Dickerson bounce back from a tough ’20 and a full season of Starling Marte. Chisholm is the lone position-player starter with less than four MLB seasons of experience. The 23-year-old rookie, who has an enticing blend of power and speed from the left side of the plate, won the second-base job this spring. He started in Game 3 of the National League Division Series last year, doubling and walking.

Here's a projection:

1) Corey Dickerson, LF
2) Starling Marte, CF
3) Jesús Aguilar, 1B
4) Adam Duvall, RF
5) Brian Anderson, 3B
6) Jazz Chisholm Jr., 2B
7) Jorge Alfaro, C
8) Miguel Rojas, SS
9) Sandy Alcantara, P

Who are the starting pitchers?
Rays: Glasnow will make his first Opening Day start, having come into his own on and off the mound with the Rays over the past three years. The 6-foot-8 right-hander has all the tools necessary to establish himself as an ace: a triple-digit fastball, a big-breaking curveball, a newly developed slider that complements his top two weapons well and a changeup he has grown more comfortable throwing. The question now is whether Glasnow can take his place atop the rotation, as Tampa Bay is counting on him to lead the staff. You can count on strikeouts, as Glasnow has racked up 231 in 173 2/3 innings over 34 regular-season starts with the Rays, but pitching deeper into games and limiting the long ball is the next step.

Marlins: Alcantara will become the ninth pitcher in franchise history to start consecutive openers. Last season, he allowed two runs (one earned) over 6 2/3 innings in Philadelphia for an Opening Day win but then landed on the injured list with COVID-19 shortly thereafter. The 25-year-old righty faltered in his first start back on Aug. 30 against the Rays, giving up eight runs (five earned) in four-plus innings. Over his next five starts -- all of which were quality -- Alcantara compiled a 2.30 ERA, beginning with another outing against the Rays. He permitted one run over six innings with eight strikeouts. When it came time for the Marlins' first playoff run in 17 years, he got the nod in Games 1 of the NL Wild Card Series and NLDS, pitching into the seventh in both outings.

When camp opened, Alcantara expressed his desire to be the leader of the rotation, whose projected members are all 25 years old or younger. By the time Spring Training came to a close, he considered himself a better pitcher than in seasons past in part because of his changeup, which can reach 92 mph. According to Statcast, Alcantara threw it 77 times in Grapefruit League play and gave up just one hit.

How will the bullpens line up?

Rays: The Rays loaded up their relief corps with different looks they can deploy in short bursts, but they don’t have a lot of clearly defined roles. Diego Castillo and Pete Fairbanks will work in the highest-leverage spots. Chaz Roe and Andrew Kittredge will get important outs, especially against right-handed hitters. The Rays have a lot of faith in lefty Cody Reed after what they saw this spring. Ryan Thompson, Ryan Sherriff and Jeffrey Springs will likely serve as the bridge to the later innings. Collin McHugh is a veteran swingman who can pitch in just about any role.

Marlins: A revamped relief corps features strike-throwing veterans with postseason experience. Right-hander Anthony Bass, who signed a multiyear deal over the offseason after pacing the Blue Jays in saves, will be the primary closer. Yimi García returns as a reliable late-inning arm who can spell Bass when he's unavailable. Other winter additions -- righties Dylan Floro, John Curtiss, Adam Cimber and Paul Campbell, and left-hander Ross Detwiler -- can pitch multiple innings. Floro is a high-leverage option.

Any injuries of note?
Rays: Several. The Rays have five pitchers on the 60-day injured list: Jalen Beeks, Colin Poche, Yonny Chirinos, Oliver Drake and, most recently and painfully, Anderson. Beeks, Poche and Chirinos are recovering from Tommy John surgery. Drake, sidelined by a right flexor tendon strain, is due back near the middle of the season. Anderson could be out until August with a partially torn elbow ligament. The Rays also are without first baseman Ji-Man Choi (right knee inflammation) and outfielder Brett Phillips, the hero of World Series Game 4. He’s nursing a strained left hamstring.

Marlins: None.

Who is hot, and who is not?
Rays: Glasnow could hardly be coming off a better outing, as he struck out 10 of the 20 batters he faced while allowing only five baserunners over five scoreless innings in his final Spring Training outing. Overall, he struck out 27 in 14 2/3 innings of work this spring. Reed was as impressive as anyone, striking out six while allowing just one hit in his five outings, and Thompson had a similarly impressive spring. Meadows’ spring numbers may not jump off the page, but he bashed four homers and showed he was healthy again. Adames, Kiermaier, Díaz and Margot also hit well in Grapefruit League play.

The Rays don’t evaluate players, especially established veterans, off Spring Training performance, so no Grapefruit League stats are worth worrying about. But it’s worth noting that Lowe, coming off a rough postseason, didn’t have a great spring showing. Arozarena was relatively quiet, too.

Marlins: Take Grapefruit League statistics with a grain of salt, but first baseman/outfielder Garrett Cooper had a slash line of .425/.452/.700 with five doubles and two homers in 16 games. Super-utility player Jon Berti wasn't too far behind with a .417/.543/.583 slash line. Both recorded impressive exit-velocity readings. Anderson, who didn't perform well last spring but finished second in WAR among NL third basemen in 2020, struck out 17 times and walked just once this spring. Dickerson and Alfaro also were relatively quiet at the plate.

Anything else fans might want to know?
• Thursday's game at loanDepot park (formerly Marlins Park after the club announced an exclusive multiyear naming rights with the mortgage company) is a sellout, with an adjusted capacity crowd around 27%. Entrances will open at 2 p.m. ET; fans should check their tickets for recommended entry time and gate location. Ceremonies will begin at 3 p.m. For more information on safety measures, visit here.

• All fans will receive a 2021 magnet schedule and a lanyard with an Opening Day commemorative ticket. Frontline healthcare heroes from UHealth will enjoy the game from the AutoNation Alley Deck. A Pachanga band will entertain while playing around the ballpark.

• This is the first time the Rays will open on the road since 2009, ending the American League’s longest current streak of Opening Day games at home. This is also the first time the Rays will face a NL opponent on Opening Day; they were scheduled to do so last year before the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the start of the season. It’s the fifth time Tampa Bay will face a non-AL East club in the season opener.

• Without the universal designated hitter, the Marlins will look to find ways to get Cooper’s power bat in the lineup, whether at first base to spell Aguilar or right field. The latter option would give Duvall a break or move him to left field in place of Dickerson.