It should not come as a surprise to anyone who follows the Atlanta Braves that reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale will take the hill on opening day this season. On Monday, the team announced Sale will be ready to go on March 27 at Petco Park in San Diego when the Braves begin the new baseball season with the Padres.

The Braves have a deeper rotation than most, led by Sale, Reynaldo López and Spencer Schwellenbach, a revelation last season as a rookie. But when they activate Strider from the IL, provided the others stay healthy, it has the makings of an elite unit topped by arguably the best 1-2 combination in baseball — Sale and Strider, in either order.

Atlanta Braves pitcher Spencer Strider struck out six and didn’t allow a base runner over 2 2/3 innings in his first Grapefruit League appearance since undergoing Tommy John surgery last year.