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Cubs' Opening Day Starter Officially Announced

By Devon Platana

The Chicago Cubs' Opening Day starting pitcher has officially been announced.
The Chicago Cubs' Opening Day starting pitcher has officially been announced. / ASSOCIATED PRESS
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The Chicago Cubs show signs of improvement in 2022, but it wasn't good enough to return to the MLB postseason. The Cubs' fanbase won't be nearly as forgiving if their club misses the playoffs again, meaning a lot is riding on David Ross' team during the 2023 MLB season.

The Cubs' journey begins with an Opening Day matchup against the rival Milwaukee Brewers on March 30. For those curious, the MLB revealed on Friday which Chicago pitcher will be going up against the NL Central rival in less than a week.

Cubs Opening Day Starter 2023

Marcus Stroman will face the Brewers in Milwaukee next Thursday. The 31-year-old hurler is on the second year of a three-year, $71 million contract he signed with Chicago back in December 2021.

Stroman is out to prove himself after an underwhelming 2022 campaign. While his 3.50 ERA through 25 starts isn't horrific, it was still his worst mark since 2018. Nevertheless, he also pitched to a 1.147 WHIP over 138.2 innings while averaging 7.7 strikeouts per nine.

Stroman has had a decent amount of success against the Brewers in the past. He's faced Milwaukee five previous times, going 2-1 with a 2.36 ERA and 22 strikeouts over 34.1 innings.

The Brewers are sending former NL Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes to counter Stroman on Thursday.

Cubs World Series Odds

Although fans might have high hopes for the Cubs in 2023, oddsmakers say to temper expectations. FanDuel Sportsbook lists Chicago as having just +8000 odds to win the World Series, ranking No. 20 among all 30 clubs.

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Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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