Game Preview: Spencer Strider gets his second half underway against the White Sox

The Atlanta Braves play the second game of three against Chicago tonight at Truist Park. They will look to improve their 61-29 record which is the best in all of baseball.

Atlanta Braves v Tampa Bay Rays
Atlanta Braves v Tampa Bay Rays | Mike Ehrmann/GettyImages

The Atlanta Braves got off to a solid start to the second half of their season with a dominant 9-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox last night. Spencer Strider will try and follow the same roadmap Charlie Morton followed, as he went seven innings of shutout baseball.

Chicago is a team reeling and with a record of 38-55, and a poor week of baseball could lead to a firesale at the trade deadline. Lance Lynn will try and hault this skid and keep the Braves in the ballpark, as they have now homered in a franchise record 27 consecutive games.

Pitching Matchup for Braves vs. White Sox

Spencer Strider comes off an All-Star worthy first half of baseball. He went 11-2 with a 3.44 ERA, 2.84 FIP, and led all of MLB with 166 strikeouts. In his last outing he went 6.1 scoreless innings and racked up 11 Ks.

Strider has upped his changeup usage over the last month, and currently has a 50% whiff rate on the pitch for the season via baseball savant. Look for Strider to continue to utilize that pitch against left-handed batters.

Lance Lynn is in the midst of his worst season in his 13-year career. He currently sports an ERA north of 6.00, and leads MLB in earned runs and homers allowed. However, in his last start before the break he went seven innings of one-hit baseball while punching out 11 men.

The road to a bounce back second half couldn’t have a more difficult start, as Lynn will face the most prolific offense in baseball. The Braves have a MLB best .492 team slugging percentage.

How to watch Braves vs. White Sox - 7/15/23

Date/Time/Location: 7/15/2023 at 7:15 PM EST at Truist Park

TV: Fox - National

Radio: 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan