Both the Atlanta Braves (9-4) and the Kansas City Royals (4-9) polished off their last series with a winning effort on Wednesday. On Saturday, in Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium, these teams will battle for a second time, weather pending. These two clubs have completely different expectations for this season, but a long year can create wacky results. If the rain goes away, this game will create a story of its own, starting at 4:10 p.m. EST.
Atlanta rolled into Missouri 9-4 this season after sweeping the Cincinnati Reds. Strangely enough, all nine of their wins are against primarily red teams. They faced one team that isn't red, the Padres, and got swept. This weekend in Kansas City, they can beat a different color for the first time all year. For a team that shares a division with the Mets and has World Series aspirations, they'll need to do it eventually.
Happy flight! ??#ForTheA pic.twitter.com/aDupG0m82A
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 13, 2023
Seriously though, the Braves have been tremendous early in this campaign. They entered this series top-10 in runs, walks, stolen bases, batting average, OBP, and slugging percentage. Ronald Acuna Jr. is healthy, and it's showing, as he's batting .370 with six stolen bases through 13 games. The only Brave with a higher OPS is Matt Olson, who has four home runs, 12 RBIs, and 10 walks, all of which lead the team.
On the pitching side, Atlanta is eighth in ERA at 3.92 entering this series. The team is 10th in FIP, led by an HR/9 that is fourth in the majors. The starting rotation is third in HR/FB, and when their collective BABIP comes down from .365, they are going to torment opposing lineups. Atlanta's bullpen has had better luck with balls in play, resulting in the seventh-lowest ERA and ninth-most WAR.
Bryce Elder gets the start in this one, his third of the season and 12th of his career. 2023 has seen the young Elder throw 12.1 innings without allowing a run ahead of this contest. He only has 66.1 career innings under his belt, but early returns have Bryce Elder well above the MLB averages for OPS, home run percentage, and ground ball percentage.