MLB Lineups Today: Probable Pitchers, Starting Lineups - 29th March ft. Yankees, Astros & more

Baseball is finally back. On Friday, 20 of MLB's 30 teams will be in action. After an opening day that gave fans their first glimpse of the league's new composition, many are eager to see how the season will unfold.

Among the games set to take place on March 29 is the Yankees' date with the Astros in Houston, as well as the Dodgers' fixture against the Cardinals in LA. Today, we will be examining what to expect before action begins.

New York Yankees vs Houston Astros

The rivalry that began in the 2019 ALCS is still going strong. The opening day game saw the Astros take a 4-0 lead by the second inning. However, after an RBI single from Juan Soto put the Yankees on the board, the Bombers began to battle back. An Oswaldo Cabrera home run was followed up by a sac-fly from Alex Verdugo to secure a 5-4 win for the New York Yankees.

The second game of the series is set to get underway at 7:10 p.m. EDT.

"Juan Soto. New York Yankee." - New York Yankees

Yankees projected batting order

1. Gleyber Torres, 2B
2. Juan Soto, RF
3. Aaron Judge, CF
4. Giancarlo Stanton, DH
5. Anthony Rizzo, 1B
6. Anthony Volpe, SS
7. Alex Verdugo, LF
8. Jose Trevino, C
9. Oswaldo Cabrera, 3B

Astros projected batting order

1. Jose Altuve, 2B
2. Yordan Alvarez, DH
3. Kyle Tucker, RF
4. Alex Bregman, 3B
5. Jose Abreu, 1B
6. Chas McCormick, LF
7. Yanier Diaz, C
8. Jeremy Pena, SS
9. Jake Meyers, CF

Yankees vs Astros starting pitchers

For the Yankees, Carlos Rodon will get the start. Despite coming close to winning a Cy Young Award as a member of the San Francisco Giants in 2022, Rodon had an ugly 2023, putting up a 6.85 ERA over 14 starts.

"Carlos Rodon revenge tour starts tonight." - Post Parm Volpe

For the Houston Astros, Cristian Javier will get the ball. Last year, Javier went 10-5, posting a 4.56 ERA. 2023 was also the first season that the Dominican acted exclusively in a starting capacity.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs St. Louis Cardinals

Over 52,000 fans packed into Dodger Stadium to watch Shohei Ohtani's first appearance in front of the home crowd on March 28. In turn, the 2023 AL MVP went 2-for-3 with a run scored in his team's 7-1 victory.

"Shohei Ohtani's first hit at Dodger Stadium as a Dodger!" - MLB

After finishing last in the NL Central for the first time since 1990 last year, the St. Louis Cardinals are keen to get back in the win column. The game is scheduled to commence at 6:10 PST from Los Angeles.

Dodgers projected batting order

1. Mookie Betts, SS
2. Shohei Ohtani, DH
3. Freddie Freeman, 1B
4. Max Muncy, 3B
5. Teoscar Hernandez, RF
6. Will Smith, C
7. James Outman, CF
8. Jason Heyward, RF
9. Gavin Lux, 2B

Cardinals projected batting order

1. Brendan Donovan, LF
2. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
3. Nolan Gorman, 2B
4. Nolan Arenado, 3B
5. Willson Contreras, C
6. Alec Burleson, DH
7. Jordan Walker, RF
8. Victor Scott, CF
9. Masyn Wynn, SS

Dodgers vs Cardinals starting pitchers

The pitching matchup in this affair will be a battle between two young men. For the Los Angeles Dodgers, 24-year old Bobby Miller is slated to make the start. In his rookie season of 2023, Miller put up an impressive 11-4 record to accompany his 3.76 ERA.

For the Cards, another young talent is slated to start. Zack Thompson, who pitched primarily out of the bullpen, will get the ball. Last season, Thompson went 5-7 with a 4.48 ERA across 25 appearances, nine of which were starts.