Pittsburgh vs. Boston Odds & Prediction

The Boston Red Sox will step on the field without David Ortiz on the roster for the first time since 2002 when they open the regular season at home Monday afternoon against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Ortiz retired after 14 remarkable seasons with the Sox, turning the clubhouse over to veteran second baseman Dustin Pedroia, a handful of emerging stars – particularly in the outfield – and a solid but banged-up rotation that features newcomer Chris Sale.

Also back for Boston, which won the American League East last year before being swept out of the playoffs by Cleveland, is reigning Cy Young Award winner Rick Porcello, who gets the nod in the opener. “I think regardless of what kind of season you have prior, you always turn the page on it and understand this is a new year,” Porcello told reporters. “Basically, take the same process I take every year and try to get prepared to go out there and do the things that I’m looking to do to give us a chance to win.” The Pirates are trying to rebound from a sub-.500 season that ended their string of three straight postseason appearances, and they will need one-time MVP Andrew McCutchen to return to form as he makes the move from center to right field following a down year. Pittsburgh was playing Toronto in Montreal’s Olympic Stadium on Friday and Saturday to close out its exhibition slate, while the Red Sox were in Washington to play two with the Nationals, although Friday’s affair was rained out.

TV: 2:05 p.m. ET, ROOT (Pittsburgh), NESN (Boston)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates RH Gerrit Cole (2016: 7-10, 3.88 ERA) vs. Red Sox RH Rick Porcello (2016: 22-4, 3.15)

Cole followed up a 19-win season in 2015 with an injury-plagued campaign that saw his ERA soar by more than a run as he was limited to 21 starts. The 26-year-old, who was 2-6 with a 5.48 ERA in nine starts after the All-Star break, allowed four runs in 10 innings during Grapefruit League action, although he was knocked around for three runs in three frames in his most recent outing Wednesday against Philadelphia. Cole limited the Red Sox to two runs in seven innings in his only prior meeting with them in 2014.

Porcello led the league in wins and had the best strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.91) among AL hurlers, and he was dominant at Fenway Park in his second season with the Sox, going 13-1 with a 2.97 ERA in 16 home starts. He posted an ERA below 3.00 in July, August and September while becoming the 22nd pitcher in team history to record 22 wins. Current Pirates are hitting a combined .130 against the 28-year-old, although first baseman John Jaso has a homer in 15 plate appearances versus Porcello.

WALK-OFFS

1. Pittsburgh swept Boston in a three-game series in 2014 and won two of three at Fenway Park in the previous set in 2011.

2. Red Sox LHP Drew Pomeranz (forearm) was already placed on the 10-day disabled list and LHP David Price (elbow) is slated to join him along with relievers RHP Tyler Thornburg (shoulder) and RHP Carson Smith (Tommy John)

3. Boston 3B Pablo Sandoval, who played in just three games last year, entered Friday hitting .339 with five homers this spring.

PREDICTION: Red Sox 4, Pirates 3