Joe Torre, a former MVP and manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, made a special surprise return to Busch Stadium on Thursday to take part in the city's beloved Opening Day traditions.

When he's on the mound and healthy, the No. 3 prospect can be downright dominant. Hence showed flashes of a future MLB All-Star last season at Double-A Springfield, carrying a no-hit bid into the fifth on Opening Day, striking out 13 in a late May start, and finishing multiple starts without allowing any runs.

BOTTOM LINE: The St. Louis Cardinals will look to sweep a three-game series with a victory against the Minnesota Twins. St. Louis had an 83-79 record overall and a 44-37 record in home games last season. The Cardinals averaged 8.4 hits per game last season while batting a collective .248.

The Twins kicked off their season on Thursday in St. Louis, falling 5-3 to the Cardinals on Opening Day. Things didn’t get much better over the weekend. They finished with three hits in Saturday’s game and got romped on Sunday,