The Braves are giving Michael Harris II the leadoff spot Sunday as they try to finish off a sweep of the Phillies in the regular season finale of the series.
Ronald Acuña Jr. stays in the lineup at designated hitter and will bat second, while Matt Olson remains in the three-hole as he keeps working through signs of life at the plate. Olson is still handling first base, too, with his glove staying in place there.
Drake Baldwin will catch Grant Holmes and hit cleanup. Mauricio Dubón is set for left field and the fifth spot, followed by Ozzie Albies at second base and Austin Riley at third.
Mike Yastrzemski is back in the lineup after going 3-for-3 with a walk in Friday’s game. Ha-Seong Kim rounds out the batting order at shortstop and ninth.
Harris has had a tiny sample against Phillies starter Andrew Painter, but it’s been a productive one. In three plate appearances, he’s gone 1.000 / 2.333 / 3.333, and he delivered a two-out, two-RBI pinch-hit double off Painter on April 24 to help the Braves grab the lead in an eventual win. Atlanta is clearly hoping for more of that kind of damage with Harris getting the most chances to hit.
Philadelphia is rolling out the same lineup it used in last night’s game.
The Phillies also made a bullpen move, optioning reliever Grant Holman and bringing left-hander Tanner Banks off the injured list. That gives their bullpen a fresh arm and, as a bonus, takes away the chance for a Grant Holmes-Grant Holman matchup.
In Other News...
Braves Prospects Delivered Big Pitching Nights And Got Nothing To Show For It
Cedric De Grandpre and Luke Sinnard each turned in encouraging outings Saturday for Braves minor league clubs, only to see the scoreboard punish them anyway. De Grandpre worked five innings and struck out eight while allowing two runs on four hits, and Sinnard struck out seven over four and a third innings, giving up four runs on eight hits in a game where both sides of the ledger leaned heavily toward the pitchers.
For Atlantas farm system, the frustrating part was not the quality of the arms so much as the lack of help around them. Both teams were held down offensively, which left two promising pitching nights to become losses instead of steps forward in the standings. For prospects trying to build momentum, it was the kind of evening that can feel like progress in one dugout and wasted effort in the other. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Just Saw A Phillies Rookie Become A Bigger Problem
Andrew Painters season has been a reminder that a rough stretch does not always define a rookie pitcher. After being optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley when his ERA climbed too high, the Phillies right-hander came back to the majors and settled in enough to start looking like a real factor again. His most recent outing against the Braves showed why Philadelphia kept turning back to him, as he worked five innings and allowed just one earned run.
The Phillies still did not get the win out of that start, but Painters progress has mattered in a bigger picture for a club trying to stay in the thick of the National League Wild Card race. For Atlanta, the concern is less about one bad night than the possibility that a young arm once in trouble has now found enough rhythm to make life harder on division rivals down the stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Acua Is Twisting The Knife As Braves Pull Away From Philly
Ronald Acua Jr. was right in the middle of Atlantas latest statement win, helping fuel an eight-run fourth inning that turned a close game into a rout in a 12-2 victory over the Phillies. Acua finished with a three-hit night that included a home run and a single, another reminder of how quickly the Braves can change the mood of a series when their lineup starts rolling.
The timing mattered just as much as the box score. Atlanta stretched its lead to six games over Philadelphia in the NL East and has already locked up the tiebreaker, which gives every head-to-head result a little more weight for the team chasing from behind. The Braves also keep getting steady work from Tyler Mahle, who has settled in with a 1.25 ERA across seven starts since arriving before the Trade Deadline, adding another layer to a team that is pulling away in more ways than one. [Read more 🡒]