Community Picks: Seattle Mariners 0% vs Texas Rangers 0%

One of the most productive teams in baseball last season, the Texas Rangers only needed one hit to get 2016 off to a positive start. The Rangers will try to get the offense going in order to start a season 2-0 for the first time in five years Tuesday night against the Seattle Mariners. Texas was third in the majors last season in runs per game at 4.64, and fifth in the AL with a .257 average. Continue to Article

April 04, 2016 10:38:pm EST

Seattle's Scott Servais will soon be where Jeff Banister was with Texas a year ago - making his debut as a big league manager and hoping to lift a team with questions back into contention. Banister's advice when they face each other on opening day in Texas on Monday was simple. ''Exhale,'' Banister said. Continue to Article

April 03, 2016 10:23:pm EST

Seattle's Scott Servais will soon be where Jeff Banister was with Texas a year ago - making his debut as a big league manager and hoping to lift a team with questions back into contention. Banister's advice when they face each other on opening day in Texas on Monday was simple. ''Exhale,'' Banister said. Continue to Article

April 03, 2016 10:22:pm EST

One of the draws from the opening day game between the Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays was the pitching matchup pitting Marcus Stroman against Chris Archer. In a battle of two of baseball's rising stars, who happen to be good friends, Stroman and Archer didn't disappoint on the big stage.  Stroman allowed three runs and struck out five over eight innings to earn the win as Toronto beat Tampa Bay 5-3, while Archer racked up 12 strikeouts in just five innings, the most strikeouts we've seen in an opening day start since Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez did the same in 2007. [ Sign up for Fantasy Baseball  |  Play for $40K  |  Expert rankings  |  Mock draft ]  Chris Archer: 4th pitcher in the Wild Card Era with 12 strikeouts in an Opening Day game (Randy Johnson, Félix Hernández, Pedro Martinez) — ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 3, 2016 The two young pitchers facing off on opening day this year was strangely fitting, too.  Sportsnet's Arden Zwelling writes  that Stroman, who was recovering from knee surgery, spent the occasion in 2015 at Tropicana Field as one of Archer's guests. Safe to say while the Blue Jays' right-hander appreciated Archer's tickets, he enjoyed the view this time a little more. Stroman used his sinker to great effect, generating 14 of the 23 outs he recorded on the ground. If he can perform at that level on a consistent basis this season, Toronto has to feel great about their ability to defend their AL East title. [Related:  Who needs spring training? Edwin Encarnacion starts off hot] The Blue Jays' dynamic offense worked Archer for two runs in the first inning and his pitch count wouldn't recover, reaching 107 pitches through five innings, but boy was the quality of his stuff on point, as evidence by the 12 K's. The Jays were among the teams that struck out the least last year , so to get them to swing and miss that often is an accomplishment.  They may be good friends, but this is an individual rivalry we're excited to watch grow. Round one went to Stroman, but like the season, this back-and-forth is just beginning. More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports: - - - - - - - Israel Fehr is a writer for Big League Stew  on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at israelfehr@yahoo.ca or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr Continue to Article

April 03, 2016 9:45:pm EST