Today the Atlanta Braves and Major League Baseball released their tentative schedules for the 2017 season, Atlanta's first at SunTrust Park. The Braves will host their first regular-season game at the new ballpark on Friday, April 14 against the San Diego Padres with first pitch set for 7:35 p.m. Atlanta is set to open the venue with an exhibition game against the New York Yankees on March 31, which will serve as the final game of Spring Training.
The Braves are set to begin their 2017 campaign on Monday, April 3 at New York (NL), with a three-game series against the Mets (April 3, 5 and 6). Atlanta will continue its opening road trip with a three-game set at Pittsburgh, April 7-9, followed by a two-game series at Miami (April 11-12). The Braves have a scheduled off day on April 10.
Atlanta's first homestand at SunTrust Park follows an eight-game, 10-day road trip to open the season. The Braves will host San Diego for a total of four games from April 14-17, before a three-game mid-week series with Washington (April 18-20) wraps up the home slate for the month.
Atlanta plays a total of eight interleague series (20 total interleague games), with four series (10 games) taking place at SunTrust Park. The Braves' home interleague portion of the 2017 campaign opens with a two-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays, May 17-18, and also includes series against the Astros (July 4-5), Mariners (August 21-23) and Rangers (September 4-6). The 2017 season marks the first time Atlanta will host Houston in interleague play following the Astros' switch to the American League in 2013. Atlanta will play four road interleague series, including two-game series at Houston, May 9-10, and Toronto, May 15-16. The Braves' other American League road opponents include three-game sets against the Los Angeles Angels (May 29-31) and Oakland Athletics (June 30-July 2).
The Braves and SunTrust Park are set to host 10 games each against National League East Division rivals Miami and New York, and nine games against Philadelphia and Washington. The home portion of the schedule includes a total of 38 games against National League East opponents, 16 games against the National League Central Division, 17 against the National League West Division and 10 contests against American League teams.
The overall home slate features 42 games played at SunTrust Park prior to the All-Star break and 39 home games following the break. The Braves will play 46 games on the road prior to the Mid-Summer Classic, compared to 35 road games in the "second half" of the season.
The Braves will close out the regular season portion of their home slate with a nine-game, 10-day homestand against the Mets (September 15-17), Nationals (September 19-21) and Phillies (September 22-24), before a seven-game road trip concludes the regular season. Atlanta will visit New York (NL) from September 25-27, prior to a four-game series at Miami (September 28-October 1) to end the season.
A finalized schedule with start times will be released at a later date in the offseason.