3 hyped-up Boston Red Sox Opening Day predictions

Red Sox start Corey Kluber will settle down and pitch a solid game

It will be a chilly day at Fenway Park, but Corey Kluber will put together a solid five-inning performance against a hungry Orioles lineup.  He’ll give up a couple runs early, but the veteran will put it together on the mound and give the Red Sox a bit more hope in that starting rotation.

In all, he’ll give up a few hits, but will strike out 6 while the Red Sox batting order finds a way to get to Orioles starter Kyle Gibson.

Kluber will be making his sixth Opening Day start which he says is an honor.

"“It’s definitely an honor,” Kluber said, via MLB.  “There are plenty of guys in this clubhouse who could’ve taken the ball on Opening Day.  The way I look at it is, regardless of if you pitch the first day, the fifth day, it really only matters that first time through the order and then everything kind of gets messed up anyways.  But it is an honor.  I’ve done it before, and I will try to make it as normal as possible.”"

Red Sox manager Alex Cora did surprise folks by giving the ball to Kluber on Opening Day, but it is not a bad decision given the veteran’s experience.    Kluber is coming off a season in which he went 10-10 with a 4.34 ERA in 31 starts.  Obviously not elite, but he knows how to pitch and has been impressing during Spring Training.

A solid Opening Day start will set the tone for the starting rotation and the 2023 Boston Red Sox team looking to prove a lot of the projections wrong.