There is no sugar coating it, the Atlanta Braves have sputtered on offense this month. Only eight teams have scored fewer runs in MLB. They are facing the best pitcher on the planet right now in Jacob Misiorowski, in dire need of a win as the Phillies are creeping up the standings.
The Braves have only had three players with a wRC+ over league average for the month of August, and those players are Matt Olson, Mike Yastrzemski, and Austin Riley. Because of this, it has been interesting to see what the lineup will be everyday.
Dominic Smith was great to start the season, but has struggled mightily for some time now. One of the biggest head scratchers that fans point out is why he keeps getting at-bats. He has a wRC+ 36.0 percent below league average this month better than only Albies, Murphy, and Jarvis.
This trend continued today, but fortunately Dubón is at SS instead of Jarvis.
No player in today’s lineup has faced Misiorowski in more than three ABs, and none of them have an OPS higher than .666. Maybe one of the reasons Smith got the start is he is one of the four Braves to hit a single of The Miz. The other three players to hit a single are Albies, Dubón, and Riley. Interestingly, two of the three hottest hitters this month for the Braves are hitting eighth and ninth.
The Brewers are bringing a solid lineup against Sale.
Chourio has a .917 OPS against Sale in his career in twelve ABs. We also need to keep an eye on Contreras, Ortiz, and Vaughn. All three of these hitters have an OPS north of .803 in seven or more ABs.
The Braves need to score early if they want to win. The Brewers’ bullpen has been the best in MLB since the start of the month in terms of ERA, and it is not even close.
First pitch is at 4:10 EDT.
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