The Detroit Tigers and Tampa Bay Rays open the 2023 season in the grayscale dome of Tropicana Field on Thursday, March 30. For the Tigers, the AL Central coud be winnable in 2023 if things break right; the Cleveland Guardians made the playoffs last year but are far from a guarantee and the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox have more than a few question marks between them. For the Rays, the AL East is a considerably tougher slog, but expanded playoffs mean a wild-card berth is well within reach.
Other information on the Tigers vs. Rays, including live stream details, is below.
Tigers vs. Rays
Date: Thursday, March 30 | Time: 3:10 p.m. ET
Location: Tropicana Field - St. Petersburg, Fla.
Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free), MLB.TV | TV: Bally Sports Detroit, Bally Sports Sun
Probable pitchers: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (DET) vs. LHP Shane McClanahan (TBR)
Odds: DET +192; TB -235; O/U: 7 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Storylines
Tigers: After a disappointing 2022 season that saw the Tigers lose 96 games, the fans and the front office are hoping to see a rebound, especially from big free agent signing Javier Baez. Well, last offseason's big free agent signing, because Detroit didn't sign a single free-agent position player this year. Instead, they'll look to Báez, Alex Meadows (and maybe his brother Parker by the end of the year), Spencer Torkelson, Riley Greene and others to power them in 2023.
Rays: Blink and you missed the Rays' fourth straight trip to the postseason last year, a sweep by the Guardians in the American League Wild Card Series. Things aren't exactly going to get easier for them this year in the always-tough AL East but, and stop me if you've heard this one before, they're a strong team if they stay healthy. Their big offseason move was right-hander Zach Eflin, who should theoretically stabilize a rotation with high upside (McClanahan, Shane) and even higher injury risk (Glasnow, Tyler). Could a full season from Wander Franco be enough? Maybe, but they should also figure out how to convince Randy Arozarena that every game is a playoff game.
