NLDS Game 2 Preview: Atlanta Braves Hitters vs. Zack Wheeler
By Seth Carter
The Atlanta Braves offense needs to wake up after being shut out in game one. All the records they set in the regular season can be flushed down the toilet with two more poor outings. I expect these bats to wake up immediately considering this team tied the 1927 Yankees for the highest wRC+ in a single season. They tied the mark for homers in a season. They had the highest team OPS ever! COME ON!
Okay, I got that out of the way. I'm sure everyone can relate and if by chance some Phillies fan meandered their way to our site and is reading this, enjoy my agony while you can...
Braves and Phillies Sending Aces to Mound in Game 2 of NLDS
The Braves and Phillies are sending their aces to the mound in Game 2 of the NLDS. We recently took a look at Max Fried's struggles against Phillies hitters over his career. Today we will take a look at how Braves hitters have performed against Phillies ace Zack Wheeler.
Atlanta Braves Hitters vs. Zack Wheeler
Braves players are hitting .217 against Wheeler over their careers with just a .256 on-base percentage. Their combined OPS is .661 in 300 PAs. Braves players have struck out in 27% of their plate appearances against Zack Wheeler.
Ronald Acuna Jr. has four homers, four doubles, and seven RBI against Wheeler over his career. He has a solid .261 average with an outstanding .609 slugging percentage. The downside of the matchup is that Wheeler has held Acuna Jr. to just one walk and 10 Ks in 47 PAs. When Acuna hits him, he hits him hard. This is going to be a fun matchup with Acuna taking his game to a new level this year.
Ozzie Albies has been owned by Zack Wheeler. He his hitting .159 with a .196 OBP and a .537 OPS over 46 PAs.
Orlando Arcia is also hitting below .200 against the ace. His triple slash line of .188/.235/.375 is not what you want to see over 16 at-bats. He struck out in five of those 16 ABs.
Marcell Ozuna has more at-bats against Wheeler than anyone on the roster and he also has some of the worst results. Ozuna is hitting .191 with a .544 OPS and 17 strikeouts in 47 at-bats. He has just two walks and one homer.
Eddie Rosario is hitting just .125 in 16 at-bats. Kevin Pillar is hitting .091 in 11 at-bats.
Outside of Acuna Jr., there are only two players with decent numbers against Wheeler over their careers. Austin Riley has a .785 OPS in 42 PAs. He is hitting .275 with one homer, five doubles, and four RBI. Travis d'Arnaud is slashing .381/.435/.571 in 23 PAs.
Braves Offense Needs to Forget Struggles vs. Wheeler
The Braves bats need to forget the past and come to life against Wheeler in Game Two of the NLDS. It's a tall order when you look at the matchups. Max Fried's career numbers against Phillies hitters don't paint a pretty picture either.
This team is one of the greatest offenses in the history of the game. Some of these career numbers can be thrown out the window. So many Braves hitters are reaching new heights. Let's hope they can buck the trends and re-write history against Zack Wheeler on Monday night at 6:07 EST on TBS.