SAN DIEGO -- The Braves and Padres open their season on Thursday with a 2024 postseason rematch. And perhaps even a ¡®25 postseason preview?
At the very least, those are the ambitions for these two National League heavyweights as the new season dawns. A year ago, the Padres dispatched an injury-plagued Braves team in the NL Wild Card Series. Atlanta returns to the very same Petco Park setting to open its 2025 season.
With some notable differences, of course. For one, the Braves are getting healthier. They¡¯ll have Chris Sale on the mound this time, after he was unavailable due to a back injury last October. Jurickson Profar will be lining up on the other side this time, as well. Profar, who is beloved in San Diego for his five seasons with the club, signed with Atlanta during the offseason.
¡°Similar to us, they¡¯ve got some real star power,¡± Padres manager Mike Shildt said of his season-opening opponent. ¡°They¡¯ve got good pitching, got a good bullpen, their regulars one through nine are very experienced and good big league players. Their bench is solid. It¡¯s just a good club.
¡°It¡¯s a wonderful opportunity to start the season with a good test. We¡¯re looking forward to it.¡±
When is the game and how can I watch it?
First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET/1:10 p.m. PT on Thursday.
Watch the Braves¡¯ broadcast on FanDuel Sports South, FanDuel Sports Southeast or Gray TV and listen on 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan or La Mejor 1600/1460/1130 AM.
Watch the Padres¡¯ broadcast on PADRES.TV and listen on KWFN 97.3 or XEMO 860.
What are the lineups?
Braves
- Jurickson Profar, LF
- Austin Riley, 3B
- Matt Olson, 1B
- Marcell Ozuna, DH
- Ozzie Albies, 2B
- Michael Harris II, CF
- Drake Baldwin, C
- Orlando Arcia, SS
- Jarred Kelenic, RF
Padres
- Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
- Luis Arraez, 1B
- Manny Machado, 3B
- Xander Bogaerts, SS
- Jackson Merrill, CF
- Yuli Gurriel, DH
- Jake Cronenworth, 2B
- Brandon Lockridge, LF
- Elias Díaz, C
Who are the starting pitchers?
Braves: LHP Chris Sale
Sale, the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner, will make his sixth Opening Day start and first since 2019. The veteran left-hander won the NL¡¯s Triple Crown, leading in wins (18), ERA (2.38) and strikeouts (225) last year. He tossed seven scoreless innings against the Padres on May 20, and then allowed just one run over five innings when he started at San Diego on July 14.
Padres: RHP Michael King
King¡¯s first season in San Diego -- and his first season as a full-time starter -- couldn¡¯t have gone much better. A year later, he¡¯s the Opening Day starter. King posted a 2.95 ERA while making 31 appearances (30 starts) in 2024, and the Padres envision even bigger things for him in ¡®25. His first test? A Braves team he held scoreless for seven innings, while striking out 12, last October.
How might the bullpens line up after the starter?
Braves: Former Padre Pierce Johnson will serve as closer Raisel Iglesias¡¯ primary setup man. Aaron Bummer and Dylan Lee are a pair of left-handers who could also be used in any high-leverage situation. H¨¦ctor Neris joined the Braves after the start of Spring Training. But he and Enyel De Los Santos, another former member of the San Diego bullpen, will team with Daysbel Hern¨¢ndez to give Atlanta a trio of late-inning right-handed relief options.
Padres: Jeremiah Estrada, Jason Adam and Robert Suarez line up as the Padres¡¯ seventh-, eighth- and ninth-inning options, respectively -- with Adrian Morejon available for high-leverage lefty at-bats. Alek Jacob, who made the club with an impressive spring, could be asked to cover the middle innings, with lefties Yuki Matsui and Wandy Peralta available as well.
Any injuries of note?
Braves: Spencer Strider is still a couple weeks from completing his recovery from right elbow surgery and Ronald Acuna Jr. likely won¡¯t return from left knee surgery until May. Veteran catcher Sean Murphy will miss the season¡¯s first couple weeks with a cracked rib. His absence has opened the door for top prospect Drake Baldwin to make his MLB debut on Opening Day.
Padres: On the position-player side, the Padres made it through camp unscathed, though they¡¯re short in their rotation and bullpen. Starters Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove and Matt Waldron, and relievers Bryan Hoeing, Sean Reynolds and Jhony Brito, will open the season on the IL. Among that group, only Musgrove (Tommy John surgery) is out for the year. The rest are expected to make an impact when they return.
Who¡¯s hot and who¡¯s not?
Braves: Michael Harris batted .333 (15-for-45) with two doubles and two homers in Grapefruit League play. But Jarred Kelenic hit .205 (9-for-44) and struck out 27.1 percent of the time during the 17 games he played in Florida.
Padres: Clearly, Arraez is healthy following offseason left thumb surgery. He flirted with .400 all spring. Meanwhile, the Padres¡¯ catching situation left much to be desired in camp. D¨ªaz and Mart¨ªn Maldonado combined to bat .145 entering Monday¡¯s Cactus League finale.
Anything else fans might want to know?
? This is the second straight year the Braves have started a season where their postseason run had ended the previous year. They opened 2024 at Philadelphia¡¯s Citizens Bank Park, where they were eliminated during the 2023 NL Division Series.
? This is the sixth time the Braves and Padres have opened a season against each other, but the first time since 1994. Each of these Opening Day matchups has been played in San Diego.
• Ozzie Albies will become the first Braves player to make eight straight Opening Day starts at second base. Glenn Hubbard is the only other player in franchise history to be at second base for eight season openers. But Hubbard did so over a span of nine seasons (1979-87). Jerry Royster interrupted this span when he was Atlanta¡¯s starting second baseman in 1980.
• Manny Machado¡¯s sixth Opening Day start at third base will move him past Chase Headley for the most by a Padres third baseman.