Matchups

Robert Stephenson had a poor spring training, but the Cincinnati Reds' No. 2 prospect still represents hope for the future of the franchise. Stephenson gets the call to make his major league debut Thursday afternoon when the Reds wrap up their season-opening three-game home series with the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Oakland Athletics attempt to earn a split of their season-opening four-game series when they host the Chicago White Sox in the finale Thursday afternoon. Oakland began the campaign by dropping a pair of one-run decisions before winning one Wednesday, scoring in each of the first two innings and letting ace Sonny Gray do the rest in a 2-1 triumph.

The New York Yankees used a quick-strike offense to get the jump on many opponents last year, and they have already put that strategy to work in 2016. The Yankees will look for another fast start on Thursday afternoon when they take on the visiting Houston Astros in the rubber game of a season-opening three-game set.

Following a pair of nail-biters on the road, the Washington Nationals open up their home schedule Thursday afternoon with the first of three games against the Miami Marlins. The Nationals captured an extra-inning affair in Atlanta on Monday to begin the year and then scored three times in the seventh on Tuesday before surviving a shaky ninth to post a 3-1 triumph.

Jake Peavy looks to continue his dominance against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday as the San Francisco Giants return to AT&T Park for their home opener. Peavy is 14-3 with a 2.38 ERA in 29 career starts against Los Angeles, which became the second team in major league history to record three shutouts to begin the season during a three-game sweep of the San Diego Padres.

The Cleveland Indians are banking on a strong rotation to lead them to the playoffs this season but are so far still looking for a quality start. Danny Salazar will take his turn for the Indians when they host the rubber match of a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday.

The Baltimore Orioles built a slugging lineup in an effort to provide plenty of runs for a pitching staff that had some question marks, but so far it’s the pitching that is leading the way. The Orioles will try to coax a third straight strong start out of the rotation and polish off a three-game sweep when they host the Minnesota Twins in the series finale on Thursday.

Some of the game’s brightest young stars will be on display when the Arizona Diamondbacks host the Chicago Cubs for a four-game series starting Thursday. The Diamondbacks have won six of their past seven home games against the Cubs, but Chicago won four of six overall meetings last season.

The Los Angeles Angels were outscored 15-1 while losing their first two games of the season and aim to display improvement on Thursday when they open a four-game home series against the Texas Rangers. The Angels had just seven hits while losing consecutive games against the Chicago Cubs and center fielder Mike Trout and designated hitter Albert Pujols are looking for their first hits.