The Atlanta Braves flipped the script against the Marlins with an exciting late-inning win. Marcell Ozuna stepped to the plate with the team down by a run and an opportunity for a big hit. With an 0-2 count, he blasted a three-run homer to center field to put the Braves up by two runs. This led to a 9-7 win over Miami.
Now, Atlanta turns their attention toward the Houston Astros. It's been three years since the Braves won the World Series by defeating a talented Astros roster. Atlanta recently added a member of that 2021 Astros roster on a minor league deal.
The Astros have been struggling as they are currently 6-11 on the season and fifth in the AL West. However, it won't be a cupcake of an opponent as the Astros are still one of the most talented lineups in baseball. Starting pitching has been a bit of a weakness for them so far and hopefully, Atlanta can take advantage of that.
The good news is Houston has to face an Atlanta lineup that is also considered one of the toughest in baseball. Let's preview the upcoming series.
The @Braves are back in Houston for the first time since... pic.twitter.com/Onjb5QY6oo
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) April 15, 2024
Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros square off in three-game series
Game 1: Darius Vines vs. Spencer Arrighetti, 8:10 p.m. EST
This will be a battle of two young pitchers who have to face tough offenses. Darius Vines is making a spot start for the Braves as he fills the vacancy left by Spencer Strider who is lost for the season with a UCL injury. He has pitched decently for Triple-A Gwinnett in his two starts so far. Hopefully, he can get through five innings for the Braves and give them a shot to win the opening game.
Spencer Arrighetti carries a 21.00 ERA into this start as he was roughed up by the Royals in a three-inning performance during his first outing of the year. Kansas City has been surprisingly good to start the season but the Braves lineup is a whole different beast. The rookie pitcher certainly has his work cut out for him.
Game 2: Reynaldo Lopez vs. Hunter Brown, 8:10 p.m. EST
Reynaldo Lopez has been impressive so far in a Braves uniform. He's turned in two quality starts and carries a 0.75 ERA into this series. His fastball has shown a lot of life on it and he's been able to keep batters off balance with his breaking stuff. It will be interesting to see if that continues in this series.
Hunter Brown looked pretty good in his first start of the year against the Yankees. However, the two starts after that were very rough on the flamethrowing right-hander. He only completed three innings against the Rangers after giving up five runs and walking four batters. Things only got worse against the Royals as Brown didn't escape the first inning. He allowed nine runs on 11 hits during that start.
Game 3: Max Fried vs. J.P. France, 2:10 p.m. EST
Max Fried carries some momentum into this start after struggling to get through his first two. His most recent start in Miami was more like himself as he completed 6.1 innings with one run scored on four hits. His command looked a lot better and helped settle any nerves fans were feeling heading into that start.
He will be opposed by J.P. France who has a 8.22 ERA through three starts on the season. France was roughed up by the Rangers back on April 12 as they scored eight runs through four innings. He was involved in a bit of controversy during that start but not because of anything he did but rather the umpire behind the plate. France didn't throw a single strike when facing Wyatt Langford but umpire Angel Hernandez had three horrific calls outside the zone to give France a strikeout when it should have been a walk.
This looks to be a great series featuring two talented rosters. The Braves will hope to continue their winning ways and carry the momentum from Sunday's exciting win to finish the road trip strong.