Opening Day 2018 is less than 24 hours away and baseball fans from coast-to-coast are rejoicing as the boys of summer prepare to make their triumphant return to the diamond. A new season always brings a ton of questions, and this year is no different.

Will the Houston Astros repeat as champions? Can Giancarlo Stanton take the Yankees to the promised land? Which teams will over and underachieve? Time will tell, but as of right now, everyone is 0-0 and hope springs eternal!

Cubs, Marlins get the season started

According to MLB.com, the first official pitch of the 2018 season will happen sometime after 12:30 p.m.

ET Thursday afternoon when the Chicago Cubs face the Miami Marlins from Marlins Park in Miami, Florida. Talk about a tale of two cities - and teams. The Marlins are expected to be one of, if not the worst team in all of baseball this season, while the Chicago Cubs are once again in the top portion of World Series favorites.

What is suppose to happen during the course of the season won’t matter on Thursday for Marlins fans, or for new chief executive officer and part owner of the Miami Marlins Derek Jeter. The longtime new york yankees star knows that the MLB season is a marathon, not a sprint, and he would like nothing more than to get his first win as an owner under his belt on Opening Day.

Schedule, Game odds

The schedule makers didn’t put together too many earth-shattering games in terms of longtime rivals or big divisional foes on the Opening Day docket. However, there are many early intriguing matchups. Besides, it doesn’t matter who your favorite team is playing against on Opening Day - as long as they win!

The defending champion Houston Astros will begin their title defense against their in-state rivals the Texas Rangers. Houston will send Justin Verlander to the hill while the Rangers counter with Cole Hamels.

The American League runner-up from 2017, the New York Yankees, will begin the season in Toronto. Last season at this time, most experts didn’t think much of the Yankees in terms of a possible World Series contender.

After the Bombers finished just one game shy of reaching the Fall Classic last October, they are now one of the favorites to win it all in 2018. What a difference a year can make!

Live stream, TV

Thanks to modern technology, every game is streaming live or on television somewhere - you just need to know how to find it! On Opening Day, four games will air nationally on ESPN and stream live on Watch ESPN. The featured games include the Cubs vs Miami, Houston vs Texas, San Francisco taking on Los Angeles, and Cleveland facing off against Seattle.

Also, be sure to check your local listings for more information. For example, the Pirates vs Tigers game will air locally in Detroit on FOX 2, but it will also stream live on FOX Sports Go.

Below is a look at the entire Opening Day schedule, along with the probable starting pitchers and odds for each game.

Early

  • Chi. Cubs (-240) vs Miami -- 12:40 p.m. -- Lester (0-0) - Urena (0-0) -- ESPN/Watch ESPN
  • Pittsburgh vs. Detroit (-110) -- 1:10 pm -- Nova (0-0) - Zimmermann (0-0)
  • St. Louis vs. N.Y. Mets (-140) -- 1:10 pm -- Martinez (0-0) - Syndergaard (0-0)

Afternoon

  • Minnesota vs. Baltimore (-111) -- 3:05 pm -- Berrios (0-0) - Gausman (0-0)
  • Houston (-175) vs. Texas -- 3:35 pm -- Verlander (0-0) - Hamels (0-0) -- ESPN/Watch ESPN
  • N.Y. Yankees (-140) vs. Toronto -- 3:37 pm -- Severino (0-0) - Happ (0-0)
  • L.A. Angels (-117) vs. Oakland -- 4:05 pm -- Richards (0-0) - Graveman (0-0)
  • Boston (-160) vs. Tampa Bay -- 4:10 pm -- Sale (0-0) - Archer (0-0)
  • Philadelphia vs. Atlanta (-120) -- 4:10 pm -- Nola (0-0) - Teheran (0-0)
  • Washington (-180) vs. Cincinnati -- 4:10 pm -- Scherzer (0-0) - Castillo (0-0)
  • Milwaukee vs. San Diego (-110)-- 4:10 pm Anderson (0-0) - Richard (0-0)
  • Chi. White Sox vs. Kansas City (-162) -- 4:15 pm - Shields (0-0) - Duffy (0-0)

Evening

  • San Francisco vs. L.A. Dodgers (-270) -- 7:10 pm - Blach (0-0) - Kershaw (0-0) -- ESPN/Watch ESPN
  • Cleveland (-150) vs. Seattle -- 10:10 pm -- Kluber (0-0) - Paxton (0-0) -- ESPN/Watch ESPN
  • Colorado vs. Arizona (-120) -- 10:10 pm -- Gray (0-0) - Ray (0-0)
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