It's time for the Atlanta Braves to embark on their quest for a World Series as they take on the Phillies in the Wild Card series. The series begins Tuesday at 2 PM EST, with Truist Park playing host to Atlanta's division rival.
Seems fitting that the Braves would have to take on a team that has been a thorn in their side in the playoffs over the last few years. It's shaping up to be a nail-biting series between two teams that don't like one another very much. The Braves will send their ace Chris Sale to the mound in game one. He will be opposed by fellow southpaw Jesus Luzardo. Luzardo will serve as the opener since he pitched one inning in the final game of the regular season as well as due to some ongoing shoulder issues.
Last time the Braves' offense faced the lefty Luzardo, he absolutely carved them up with a complete-game shutout with one walk and 12 strikeouts. That doesn't give a lot of confidence to fans who know the offense has struggled mightily at times this season.
However, this is the hand that was dealt to them, and manager Walt Weiss will have to hope his lineup gets the job done. He'll have to stack the lineup with right-handers to give them a chance. The lineup will most likely look fairly similar to the last time they faced Luzardo.
Here's how the Braves lineup may look for the first game of the NL Wild Card Series
It's safe to assume the Braves will go with this offensive attack on Tuesday afternoon:
1. Ronald Acuna Jr., RF
2. Drake Baldwin, DH
3. Ozzie Albies, 2B
4. Matt Olson, 1B
5. Austin Riley, 3B
6. Mauricio Dubon, LF
7. Michael Harris II, CF
8. Sean Murphy, C
9. Ha-Seong Kim, SS
Ozzie Albies batting that high in the lineup seems crazy, but Weiss had him in that spot last time. It makes sense to have a switch-hitter in that spot to break up the lefties. And the stats back up that decision, as Albies has a .295/.332/.527 career slash line and an .859 OPS. It's possible that Riley and Albies could swap places, but this lineup seems the most obvious.
Atlanta has work to do, as they have struggled against left-handed pitching. They had a .240/.300/.390 slash line during the regular season, with a .696 OPS. However, this is the hand they've been dealt. The good news is Luzardo likely won't pitch the entire game, and the Braves have crushed relief pitchers this year.
In order to force Luzardo out of the game sooner, Atlanta will have to buck their tendency to chase pitches, as they have a 33.7% chase rate as a team. They need to stay disciplined so that the pitch count rises quickly and an opportunity to get more pitches in the zone.
Add us as a preferred source on Google