The Pirates don’t have the first game of their 2011 regular season until Friday, but the season actually begins Thursday. Here’s a look at the MLB schedule that day.
The Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees kick off Opening Day at 1:05 PM on ESPN, with Justin Verlander facing C.C. Sabathia. Also at 1:05, the Atlanta Braves will face with Washington Nationals, with Derek Lowe taking on Livan Hernandez (and I’d make fun of the Nationals here for having Livan Hernandez as their Opening Day starter, but hey, the team I’m a fan of is starting Kevin Correia).
At 2:10 PM, the Milwaukee Brewers will play the Cincinnati Reds in a game that will feature an interesting matchup of good young pitchers in Yovani Gallardo and Edinson Volquez. At 4:10, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim take on the Kansas City Royals, with Jered Weaver facing Luke Hochevar.
At 4:15 PM, the San Diego Padres send Tim Stauffer (really? Tim Stauffer?) to face Chris Carpenter and the St. Louis Cardinals (ESPN). And at 8:00, the Giants host the Dodgers in an awesome matchup between Tim Lincecum and Clayton Kershaw.