Tyler Mahle gets the ball tonight with Atlanta trying to dodge a sweep in Milwaukee, and the Braves are hoping his recent stretch keeps them from leaving empty-handed.
Mahle has settled in nicely since joining Atlanta’s rotation. He didn’t get the outcome he wanted in his last start against the Minnesota Twins earlier this week, but the underlying run of work has still been strong. Over his last seven outings, he owns a 1.45 ERA, giving Atlanta a legitimate chance to steady itself after the loss in Minnesota and the win over the Chicago White Sox.
On the season, Mahle carries a 1.31 WHIP and a 4.53 ERA. His five-pitch mix is built around the four-seamer, splitter and cutter, and he’ll need those weapons working against a Milwaukee club that has shown it can handle right-handed pitching. The Brewers also come in with momentum that Atlanta’s offense has helped provide.
Milwaukee will counter with Shane Drohan, who brings a 3.86 ERA and a 1.25 season WHIP into the start. But he’ll need a sharper outing after giving up 22 earned runs over his last seven appearances. That opens the door for Atlanta, especially with the Braves hitting fairly well against left-handed pitchers.
It sets up as a tough one to call. Atlanta’s lineup could be the variable that changes everything, while Milwaukee’s pitching still leaves room for the Braves to break through. In the end, this finale comes down to which team shows up when it matters most.
The Braves are trying to avoid the sweep and head home with something to build on. The Brewers are looking to finish the job with the brooms.
In Other News...
Former Braves Outfielder Is Already Making Atlantas Deadline Trade Sting
The Braves did not get much back in the moment when they sent Eli White to Boston before the trade deadline, but the move is looking a little sharper on the other side already. White has slipped into a useful role with the Red Sox, and in a recent comeback win over the Giants, he helped tilt the game by driving in a run and later scoring the winning run in the ninth inning.
For Atlanta, that kind of quick impact is exactly why deadline deals can linger. White has fit as a depth piece in limited action, showing he can handle left-handed pitching and bring value on the bases and in the field, which is the sort of low-profile production teams often miss once a player is gone. [Read more 🡒]
Braves First Round Pick Is Already Changing The Draft Debate
Carter Beck was the sort of first-round pick that invites instant second-guessing, especially when a club takes him 26th overall and the conversation starts before hes even settled into pro ball. Atlanta did the opposite of sitting still with him, moving him through Low-A Augusta and High-A Rome early in his first taste of the minors, and the early returns have been hard to ignore. In 15 games, Beck has hit .367/.424/.467 and already flashed the kind of bat-to-ball ability that can quiet a draft room in a hurry.
The bigger question now is less about whether Beck can hit and more about where the rest of his game goes from here. Scouts like the aggression he brings to the plate and the speed he can add on the bases, while also seeing room for growth in outfield defense and in the kind of power that tends to separate a promising prospect from a true middle-order threat. For a Braves system that leaned into upside on draft day, Beck is already making the argument that the original debate may have been the wrong one. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Top Prospect Found Perspective During A Night He Desperately Needed
The Columbus Clingstones turned one of their regular-season nights into something bigger with their annual CURE Childhood Cancer Night against Montgomery, pairing players and coaches with local pediatric cancer patients. For Braves top prospect Eric Hartman, the evening ended up carrying a different kind of weight too, because he found himself right in the middle of a memorable performance at the plate while also taking in the human side of the night around him.
Hartman launched his first Double-A home run and finished with three hits, a needed breakthrough for a player whose attention was split between baseball and perspective. He also spent time meeting the pediatric cancer patients and reflected on how much the experience meant to him, leaving the night as much about gratitude as production. [Read more 🡒]