This Wednesday the (84-51) Atlanta Braves and the (50-85) Oakland Athletics will play the final game of this short two-game series. The first pitch will be thrown out at 3:37 PM EST inside the Oakland Coliseum. The first time that these two teams matched up this season, the Braves swept the A's in another short two-game series.
The Atlanta Braves are coming into this one after sweeping the Miami Marlins. They looked incredible on the mound in that series, as they only allowed three combined runs. They completely shut down the Marlins at the plate, as they will be looking to stay solid on the mound in this one.
The Oakland Athletics are entering this one after losing their previous series to the Baltimore Orioles. They won the final game of the series to avoid a sweep, but they still struggled at the dish in the first two games. They will need to wake up at the plate if they want to challenge the Braves in this one.
This game was published before last night's results.
The Atlanta Braves have now won five games in a row and they are 7-3 in their last 10 games played. They have it working on the mound and at the plate, as they have launched themselves in the number one Wild Card spot in the National League. Unfortunately, they are still 1.0 game back from the New York Mets for first place in the NL East. They will need to stay hot if they want any chance of winning their division and avoiding the Wild Card.
At the plate, the Braves are scoring 4.96 runs per game and they are hitting .253 as a team. This is the third most runs scored per game and the ninth-highest overall team batting average. They can score multiple different ways and they are extremely tough to keep off the base paths. Atlanta has been one of the more consistent teams at the plate this season, as they have been driving in men when they are in scoring position all season. They also have multiple guys that can change the game with one swing of the bat. The Braves are averaging 1.24 bombs per game, which is the eighth most in the MLB. I also expect Atlanta to stay aggressive once they have reached base safely. They have already stolen 76 bases this season, which is the 13th most in the league. They have a ton of speed inside of their lineup, as they will do whatever it takes to get closer to home plate.
According to MLB.com, the Braves will be starting Spencer Strider on the mound. He has been decent this season, as he is 9-4 with s 2.67 ERA and a .98 WHIP. Reaching base consistently against him has been a challenge for his opponents this season. He also looked great in his last start, as he pitched for 8.0 innings and only allowed two hits and zero earned runs. He completely shut the Rockies down, as he continued to attack the strike zone against them. He has only been okay on the road this season, though. He is 4-3 with a 3.24 ERA outside of his home ballpark. If he can&# 39;t pitch deep into this game, the Braves bullpen will have to step up. They have the sixth lowest bullpen ERA, as they are only allowing 3.22 runs per game. As a team, they are allowing 3.80 runs per game, which is the seventh least in the MLB.