The written preview lands about a day and a half before the game, once the lineups, the injuries and the market have settled. Until then the boards below carry the matchup: recent form, how the two sides compare, and where each of them sits.
The full preview, matchup keys, probable starters and the storylines to watch, posts closer to game time, once lineups are set.
Each side's most recent results, newest first, with the score and who they played. These reach back into last season where a club has not played five yet, which is why every row carries its date.
Atlanta Braves
Phillies
RaysRaysRaysPhillies
Houston AstrosRaysPhilliesPhilliesPhillies
DiamondbacksWhere each side sits in its own division, with both clubs marked. These two are in different ones, so the tables are separate and the records are not directly comparable.
Houston Astros75-73.507L1
Texas Rangers72-76.486L3
Seattle Mariners69-79.466L1
Oakland Athletics60-88.405W2
Los Angeles Angels56-91.381L1Atlanta Braves87-61.588W2Philadelphia Phillies82-66.554L2
Miami Marlins72-76.486L4
New York Mets68-79.463L1
Washington Nationals68-81.456W1Taken from each club's most recent lineup. The official cards post 2 to 3 hours before first pitch, so a name here can still be scratched, and the batting order is the likelier thing to move than the nine men in it.
Atlanta Braves
Drake Baldwin#30LHB.277Catcher
Ronald Acuña Jr.#13RHBRight field
Didier Fuentes#72RHBPitcher
Michael Harris II#23LHB.283coldCenter field
Mauricio Dubón#14RHB.264Left fieldHouston Astros
Jose Altuve#27RHBDesignated hitter
Jeremy Peña#3RHB.271coldShortstop
Isaac Paredes#15RHBThird base
Daulton Varsho#18LHBCenter field
Yainer Diaz#21RHB.272hotCatcher
