This Tuesday the (84-51) Atlanta Braves and the (50-85) Oakland Athletics will play game one of this short two-game series. The first pitch will be thrown out at 9:40 PM EST inside the Oakland Coliseum. The last time these two teams matched up, the Atlanta Braves were able to sweep the A's.
The Atlanta Braves are coming into this one after another impressive series win. They swept the Marlins, as they had it working on the mound and at the plate. This was also their fifth straight win.
The Oakland Athletics are entering this one after losing their previous series to the Baltimore Orioles. The A's struggled at the plate in the first two games of that series, as they only scored three combined runs. They will have to wake up at the plate in this one if they want to have any chance of taking down the Braves.
This game was written/published before last night's resu lts.
The Atlanta Braves are currently in second place in the AL East, as they still trail the New York Mets by a game. They are also 7-3 in their last 10 games played, as their strong play has launched them into the top NL Wild Card spot. They will need to stay hot if they want to continue making a push toward the postseason.
At the plate, the Braves are scoring 4.96 runs per game and they are hitting .253 as a team. This is the ninth-highest overall team batting average and the third most runs scored per game. They have one of the deepest batting lineups in the MLB and they can score multiple different ways. They are also hitting 1.51 bombs per game, which is the second most. They have multiple players that can step up to the plate and change the game with one swing. Watch for Austin Riley at the plate in this one, as he has continued to stay hot over the second half of this season. He has already hit 35 home runs and he is hitting .287, which leads his team. I also expect the Braves to stay aggressive once they have reached base safely. They have already stolen 76 bases, which is the 13th most in the league.
According to MLB.com, the Braves will be stating Kyle Wright on the mound in this one. He has been great all season, as he is 17-5 with a 2.85 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. Reaching base safely has been a struggle for his opponents and he has also been a road warrior this season. He is currently 6-3 with a 2.90 ERA on the road. The Atlanta bullpen has also been solid this season, as they are allowing 3.22 runs per game, which is the sixth lowest bullpen ERA in the MLB. As a team, they are allowing 3.80 runs per game, which is the seventh least.