The Braves will look to finish the sweep after a shutout Friday, and some late-inning magic Saturday. In what looks to be a hot day game at Truist Park, the Braves will seek to continue their recent stretch of pitching dominance, while getting quality at-bats throughout the order. Even with Yonny Chirinos being roughed up again in game two, the Bravos are 8-2 over their last ten, winning five in a row. Continuously, Atlanta has thrown five shutouts since August 12th, gaining momentum in the back-stretch of the season.
The Giants, who are just clinging on to the second wildcard spot, have gone 2-8, losing valuable positioning to the Dodgers before October. While their bats haven't given them much help, San Francisco's pitching has been unreliable, losing four series in a row (not counting this series). Expect the Giants to show some fight to avoid the sweep, while their best pitcher as of late, gets the start.
Pitching matchup for the Braves vs. Giants
For the final game of the series, the Braves will be sending out Max Fried for his ninth start of the year. While his season has been riddled with nagging injuries, the lefty has performed well when on the mound. So far, Fried is 4 and 1 with a 2.57 ERA, and has pitched like his usual self since returning from a forearm strain. In his last start against the Yankees, Fried went six innings giving up only two earned runs on eight hits and 83 pitches. You can expect a mid-90s four-seam fastball mixed with a heavy sinking curveball. The effective combination will also showcase a mid-80s slider & changeup, with a low-90s sinker.
San Francisco will be sending out seven year veteran Jakob Junis. The Giants have been mixing bullpen arms and backend starters mainly to eat innings. Junis has not pitched more than four innings this season, and will be filling in for a struggling Alex Wood. The righty has had a strong month giving up only one run in 11.2 innings. Over the year, Jakob has a 4.10 ERA while posting a 3-3 record. When watching Junis, expect 2-4 innings, relying on a combination of a mid-80s slider and 94-mph sinker, with the very occasional change-up/fourseam fastball tossed in.
Braves hitters to watch
While Matt Olson, Austin Riley, and Ronald Acuña Jr. have been the shining example of consistency, the line up has been very well rounded over the last ten games. Eddie Rosario has made the greatest strides in the right direction, driving in ten runs since the start of the Yankees series. Furthermore, he has raised his batting average by .18 points since August 7th. Over that stretch, the left-fielder has hit two game-winning homeruns. Look for Eddie to continue his stretch as the games get bigger.
Where to watch:
Date/Time/Location: 8/20/2023 at 1:20 PM EST at Truist Park
TV: Bally Sports Southeast, MLB Network (out of market)
Radio: 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan
Odds:
ATL -250
O/U: 9