The Braves are leaning hard into the right-handed look against Nick Martinez, and the lineup tells the story. Lane Thomas and Brewer Hicklen are in there this afternoon, along with Ha-Seong Kim, while Sean Murphy, Ozzie Albies, and Mike Yastrzemski are on the bench.
It’s a curious choice, because Martinez doesn’t really scream one-way platoon monster. His 2026 numbers do tilt a bit: lefties have posted a .283 wOBA against him, while righties are at .310.
The expected stats point the same direction, with a 3.78 xERA from left-handed hitters and a 4.89 xERA from right-handed hitters. But the run-prevention metrics flatten things out.
Against lefties, Martinez has a 3.96 FIP and 4.50 xFIP; against righties, it’s 3.94 FIP and 4.45 xFIP. That looks a lot more like a pitcher who sits near neutral than one who needs a full lineup tilt.
The career picture backs that up. Over the long haul, Martinez has essentially no meaningful split in wOBA-against, with the numbers within .001 of each other.
His xERA is only slightly better against lefties, 4.19 to 4.39, and his FIP and xFIP show only a modest split in the expected direction: 4.53 and 4.66 against lefties, 4.45 and 4.49 against righties. In other words, there’s enough noise here to make the matchup look debatable, but not enough to make the Braves’ heavy righty approach feel obvious.
The Rays are taking a somewhat different tack against Martin Perez, adding a few more right-handed bats, including Ryan Vilade and Nick Madrigal, while still keeping Chandler Simpson and Cedric Mullins in the lineup even though both hit left-handed.
If you want another layer, the batter-versus-pitcher history is at least something to chew on, even if it doesn’t mean much. On the Braves side, everyone except Hicklen and Drake Baldwin has seen Martinez at least twice.
Matt Olson has the biggest track record, with 19 plate appearances and a strong .508 wOBA with a .384 xwOBA. Austin Riley, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Mauricio Dubon have also had success in smaller samples.
As a group, Braves hitters are at .351 wOBA and .336 xwOBA in 53 plate appearances against Martinez.
The Rays have similar familiarity with Perez. Six of their nine hitters have faced him before.
Yandy Diaz owns the biggest sample, with 32 career plate appearances and a .468 wOBA alongside a .358 xwOBA. Mullins has had a rougher time, sitting around a .210-.220ish wOBA/xwOBA in 14 plate appearances.
Overall, the Rays are at 64 plate appearances with a .364 wOBA and .316 xwOBA against Perez, so both lineups come in with a comparable level of history against their scheduled starter.
In Other News...
Braves Suddenly Have An Outfield Problem They Didnt Plan For
Lane Thomas was already fighting for his place in Atlantas outfield mix, and now the Braves have to navigate life without him for at least a stretch after placing him on the injured list with an intercostal injury. Since arriving, Thomas has struggled to get much going at the plate, batting .171/.261/.317 in 21 games, and the injury only adds to the uncertainty around how often he would have played even if he had stayed healthy.
For a club that has leaned on depth to get through the season, losing another outfield option is more than a small inconvenience. It tightens the margin on the bench and could force the Braves to shuffle the roster to cover innings and at-bats in the outfield, especially while they try to sort out who can handle regular work and who might simply be insurance. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Just Took Another Hit To Their Pitching Depth
The Braves saw another bit of pitching depth slip away when the Giants claimed right-hander Duncan Davitt off waivers and sent him to Triple-A Sacramento. San Francisco cleared room on its 40-man roster by designating Spencer Bivens for assignment, a reminder of how quickly these fringe arm transactions can ripple through a bullpen picture this time of year.
Atlantas interest, of course, is less about the Giants paperwork than its own October posture. The club placed Bryce Elder on the injured list while activating Reynaldo Lpez, a move that keeps the big-league staff aligned for the postseason but also underscores how thin the cushion can be when injuries and roster churn hit at the same time. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Add Catching Depth As Their October Plan Gets More Interesting
The Braves added another layer to their catching picture on September 1, signing Eric Haase to a minor league contract and sending him to their Florida complex. It is the kind of low-risk move that can matter in September, especially for a team always trying to keep its roster flexible as the calendar turns toward October. Atlanta already views Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy as its catching duo, but the addition of Haase gives the club another experienced name to keep in the mix.
Haase has been around the block this season, having played for three organizations, including the Giants and White Sox. His appeal has always been obvious enough: real power from a catcher, even if the strikeouts have come with it. If the Braves decide they want him available for the postseason, he is eligible as long as the paperwork is filed by the league deadline, leaving at least one more roster decision hanging as the October picture comes into focus. [Read more 🡒]