Just like the headline says: no Joc Pederson yet. Maybe tomorrow. Hopefully. Instead, we get a lineup in which Abraham Almonte slots in at leadoff, with the usual 2-3-4, and then Orlando Arcia hitting fifth.
Almonte hasn’t yet been penciled in to the leadoff spot for the Braves this season, and he hasn’t started a game there since September 2019, when he was with the Diamondbacks. This is also a novel defensive arrangement, as the Braves haven’t yet played Arcia and Almonte in the same outfield.
As for this unit’s familiarity with Michael Wacha — there’s some, but not a lot.