Aside from a hiccup against the Marlins on the road over the weekend, the Atlanta Braves seem to have figured something out. Yes, they will have to weather the loss of Chris Sale for however long it takes for him to heal up and it is unclear what impact Jurickson Profar will have upon his return from suspension, but it is undeniable that the team is playing better right now. As it turns out, the biggest reason for that may be a simple as one change to their lineup.
For reasons passing understanding, manager Brian Snitker just kept hitting Alex Verdugo second in the lineup for a while. Alternating handedness and stretching the lineup has value and it wasn't like Verdugo was completely terrible in the #2 hole, but he just can't impact the ball enough to take advantage of what Ronald Acuña Jr. is doing right now.
Thankfully, sanity was restored as Matt Olson finally got moved to the #2 spot and all of a sudden, this Braves offense feels very different. Yes, the bottom of the lineup still stinks, but now it feels like Atlanta can do some damage when the big boys come up. Thankfully, they are sticking with the plan on Wednesday. Of note, Michael Harris II is in the lineup after leaving Tuesday game early after a HBP
Wednesday starters ⤵️#BravesCountry pic.twitter.com/E86IoxWoX6
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 25, 2025
Braves lineup against the Mets is the culmination of some hard won lessons
The Braves are going to need every edge and all the help they can get from their lineup against the Mets on Wednesday. New York is sending Clay Holmes to the mound who struggled a bit thanks to a ton of walks against the Braves in his last start, but Atlanta is going with Didier Fuentes for his second big league start ever after an up-and-down debut against the Marlins.
Given the sheer number of lefties the Mets have in their lineup against the rookie righty Fuentes, winning this matchup could require scoring more than a few runs. This lineup configuration seems well suited to deal with Holmes, but it is on the Braves to run his pitch count up again and lefties like Olson and Drake Baldwin to do some damage.
With an impressive win streak against New York on the line and the hope that this series could springboard the Braves back into contention in 2025, one hopes that Atlanta can take advantage of the opportunity in front of them. If not, there may be little point in arguing about the Braves' lineup