The Atlanta Braves are assembling their team and getting ready to start the season with a series against their NL East rivals as Opening Day approaches. Right-hander Spencer Strider will start Opening Day on March 28 against the Philadelphia Phillies, the team announced on Tuesday.

Strider had a memorable 2023, pitching a 20-5 record with a 3.86 ERA. Along with leading the league in victories, he also had a league-high 281-strikeout total.

Strider will start the first Opening Day of his career on the 28th. He’ll take on Zack Wheeler, the ace of the Phillies.

The Braves have some good major league left-handed pitching depth with Max Fried, Tyler Matzek, and AJ Minter. Regarding the minors, there aren’t many lefties.

The New York Mets are the next team in our series of team-by-team season previews.

The addition of Walker Buehler, Blake Treinen, Emmet Sheehan, and Brusdar Graterol to the injured list has severely hurt the Los Angeles Dodgers pitching staff.

The San Francisco Giants and reigning NL Cy Young winner Blake Snell reached a two-year agreement. Snell will get $62 million after passing his physical.

An MRI on left-hander Chris Murphy of the Boston Red Sox showed that he has ligament damage in his pitching elbow. The club has not stated whether or not therapy is necessary.