The Atlanta Braves and Minnesota Twins open a three-game set Tuesday night at Target Field, with first pitch scheduled for 7:40 p.m. ET.
Atlanta comes in at 74-50, while Minnesota is 60-65. The matchup also puts a pair of right-handers on the mound: Tyler Mahle for the Braves and Zebby Matthews for the Twins.
Mahle has made 20 starts this season and is 4-9 with a 4.64 ERA. He’s averaging 5.1 innings per start, with a 1.322 WHIP and 8.9 strikeouts per nine innings.
Matthews has 16 starts under his belt, going 6-8 with a 5.34 ERA. He’s averaging 5.2 innings per start, posting a 1.352 WHIP and 7.6 K/9.
Both lineups bring plenty of power. The Braves rank fourth in baseball with 166 home runs, or 1.3 per game, and they’ve scored the sixth-most runs in MLB with 599, an average of 4.8 per game. Atlanta also owns an .247 batting average, good for 11th in the league.
Minnesota’s offense has been productive as well. The Twins have hit 146 home runs, which ranks 15th in Major League Baseball, and their .245 team batting average ranks 12th. They’ve scored 578 runs this season, placing ninth in MLB.
For Atlanta, Matt Olson leads the way with 36 home runs and 77 RBI, while Michael Harris II and Drake Baldwin have each reached 20 homers. Ozzie Albies has added 20 home runs and 64 RBI, and Mauricio Dubon has chipped in 10 homers and 61 RBI.
The Twins’ key bats include Byron Buxton, who has 25 home runs in 85 games, and Kody Clemens, who has 21 homers. Brooks Lee has supplied 18 home runs and 66 RBI, while Josh Bell has 16 homers and 72 RBI. Luke Keaschall has also been a steady presence, hitting .266 with a .362 on-base percentage.
Fans can watch the game on Fubo, and it will also be on the radio at 830 WCCO.
Atlanta’s trip continues with another game at Minnesota on Aug. 19 before moving on to face the White Sox and Brewers. The Twins stay home for one more game against the Braves before heading to the Padres and then the Athletics.
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