The Braves are sticking close to the same look they’ve used since the All-Star break, but Sunday’s rubber match against the Texas Rangers does feature a few tweaks.
Drake Baldwin is back behind the plate, which opens the door for Dominic Smith to slide into the lineup at designated hitter. Smith will hit sixth against right-hander Nathan Eovaldi. The top five spots stay unchanged from the way Atlanta has lined up through the first two games of the series.
Jim Jarvis, who has been swinging it well with six hits over his last three games, moves up one spot to eighth. Brewer Hicklen takes over in right field for Eli White and will bat ninth.
Texas is going with the same group it used in Saturday’s comeback win, including Joc Pederson leading off as the DH.
The Braves haven’t done much damage against Eovaldi. Their current hitters are a combined 12-for-64 with four doubles, eight RBIs and 14 strikeouts against five walks. Among the players with more than two at-bats, only Michael Harris II, who is 3-for-8, and Dominic Smith, who is 2-for-6, are hitting better than .200 against him.
On the other side, the Rangers haven’t seen much of Grant Holmes, but they’ve made the most of those limited looks. Texas is 22-for-64 against the Braves starter, with a .409 batting average and .864 slugging percentage. Jake Burger has gone 3-for-5 with two homers and three RBIs against Holmes, and Elias Diaz is 2-for-5 with two doubles.
All of that history gets wiped away once the game starts at 1:35 p.m. ET. The Braves will try to turn the page on the second half with a series win.
In Other News...
Mike Yastrzemskis Return Just Forced A Tough Braves Decision
Mike Yastrzemskis return gave the Braves a little more stability, but it also underscored how tight the roster has become as the club tries to sort out its depth. After missing six games with elbow inflammation, Yastrzemski was reinstated from the injured list and back in the mix, giving Atlanta another healthy option at a time when every active spot seems to matter.
The move came with a cost, and it landed on Kyle Farmer, who had barely had a chance to settle in after returning from a forearm injury. Farmer appeared in only 12 games and made one start before Atlanta moved on, a reminder that the Braves are already making difficult calls with the trade deadline approaching and more reinforcements still working their way back. [Read more 🡒]
Alex Anthopoulos Just Raised The Stakes For One Braves Prospect
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The bigger intrigue is the one player Anthopoulos described as especially difficult to move. The name was not confirmed, which leaves plenty of room for speculation around the organizations top young talent, from Eric Hartman to Tate Southisene and Cam Caminiti, with Didier Fuentes also a possible read on the comment. However the Braves define that line, it is a useful one to watch as they head toward a deadline where being active and being careful may have to coexist. [Read more 🡒]
Braves May Be Watching A Real Deadline Fit Slip Away
The Orioles place in the standings has left them in that awkward deadline middle ground, where a 49-52 record can make a front office think twice about whether to buy, sell or simply wait for the market to come to it. For clubs like the Braves, that kind of uncertainty matters, because Baltimore has been one of the teams with a potentially movable bat that could have fit a lineup looking for help.
Taylor Ward has been part of that conversation because he has still produced enough to draw interest, even with a .748 OPS and an AL-leading walk total that speaks to how often he reaches base. The catch for Atlanta is that the bat has not quite matched last years power, and if Baltimore decides Ward is more useful to keep around than to shop, one of the more logical deadline fits could disappear before the Braves ever get a real shot at him. [Read more 🡒]