MLB Opening Day 2012: Toronto Blue Jays vs. Cleveland Indians Predictions

By now we are all very excited that the Major League Baseball season is finally upon us. The Toronto Blue Jays square off against the Cleveland Indians tomorrow at 3:05 EDT at Progressive Field. I hope that most of you will be able to watch it even though it is during the day.

So what can we expect from this season opener against the Tribe? Let's break it down.

Pitching

Ricky Romero vs. Justin Masterson (Advantage: Romero)

Masterson made some great improvements in his second year as a starter (his path reminds me a little of Brandon Morrow) and he will only improve as a starter.

That being said, Masterson has had a terrible spring, giving up 18 runs in 18 innings. His BAA was .315. He just isn't hitting his spots even though he is still getting some strikeouts (16 K in 18 IP).

He has the ability to put it together and pitch well on any given night but it won't happen in the home opener against the Blue Jays.

On the flip side, Romero has had a great spring as he has worked on incorporating new pitches and mastering the others. As he stated in his "Blue Jays Up Close" piece, with the knowledge that his spot in the rotation is secure, he can work on improving other areas and trying new pitches.

His spring numbers are tremendous (11 IP, 10 K, .059 BAA). Romero should dominate this Cleveland lineup that doesn't have much pop.

Tribe Studs in the Lineup

Their lineup isn't very exciting. Carlos Santana, Sin-Soo Choo, Asdrubal Cabrera and Travis Hafner are their four players who you would expect to do the most damage.

With two of them being left-handed batters and the other two switch hitters, this should only improve Romero's chance at gaining a "W" being a lefty himself.

Cabrera and Santana have had a poor time hitting the ball this spring (.211 and .200 average respectively), so they aren't coming into the season tearing the seams off the ball.

Outcome

Jays 8, Indians 1

The Jays stack up very well against the Indians, especially with Romero on the hill. I think that the left-handed batters will have a field day against Masterson (.291 average against lefties last season).

I expect the Jays to come out to an early lead and win this game.

What do you think?

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