The second-place Braves come to town on something of a cold streak but they have the tough lefty Max Fried on the mound.
Granted, it’s really hard to lose a 20-game winner in Spencer Strider and last year’s NL MVP, Ronald Acuña, and still play superlative baseball. But Atlanta has lost six of their last ten, including three of four to the Nationals. Huh. The trouble seems to be a soggy offense. They’re tenth of 15 NL teams in runs scored, and no one in the lineup other than Marcell Ozuna is really hitting the ball hard right now.
Despite the fact that pitchers’ elbows seem to be exploding all over the league, Atlanta still has an impressive stable of starting pitching. Their 3.68 team ERA is third in the NL, Chris Sale can still pitch, and Reynaldo López is turning heads at age 30.
As usual, Max Fried is really good, too, and that’s who the O’s will see tonight. Over 12 starts, the lefty is 6-2, with a 2.93 ERA and 67 K. He’s limiting hard contact, with a .201 opposing average, and eluding baserunners, with a 1.02 WHIP. Since 2019, only one pitcher, Gerrit Cole, has more wins than Fried.
Countering is dark horse Albert Suárez (2-0, 1.83 ERA, 33 K), who’s been a huge surprise for Baltimore filling in in the rotation. Suárez has been avoiding hard contact like a pro (well, he is a pro), as his 5.3% barrel rate ranks in the 92nd percentile in the league. His changeup is his best pitch according to Run Value, but surprisingly his fastball is also excellent.
See if you can spot the pattern in the Orioles lineup below: only one southpaw, and it’s the Milkman himself, batting ninth. Gunnar Henderson gets the day off for the first time this season. Probably no Orioles fan is excited to hear that, but Hyde said the other day that the youngster was “exhausted,” so hopefully he enjoys the rest. Jorge Mateo has been reinstated off a brief IL stint.
Orioles lineup
- Jordan Westburg 2B (R)
- Adley Rutschman DH (S)
- Ryan Mountcastle 1B (R)
- Anthony Santander RF (S)
- Austin Hays LF (R)
- Jorge Mateo SS (R)
- Ramón Urías 3B (R)
- James McCann C (R)
- Colton Cowser CF (L)
RHP Albert Suárez
Braves lineup
- Michael Harris II CF (L)
- Ozzie Albies 2B (S)
- Austin Riley 3B (R)
- Matt Olson 1B (L)
- Marcell Ozuna DH (R)
- Adam Duvall RF (R)
- Jarred Kelenic LF (L)
- Sean Murphy C (R)
- Orlando Arcía SS (R)
LHP Max Fried