This Tuesday the (87-53) Atlanta Braves and the (67-73) San Francisco Giants will play game two of this three-game series. The first pitch will be thrown out at 9:45 PM EST inside Oracle Park. The last time these two teams matched up, the Braves ended up taking three of four games at home.
The Atlanta Braves are coming into this one after losing their previous series to the Seattle Mariners. The Braves struggled at the plate in game two and they were even worse on the mound in game three. They will have to be better on both sides of the field if they want to challenge the Giants in this one.
The San Francisco Giants are entering this one after winning their previous series against the Chicago Cubs. The Giants looked great on the mound in their final two games of that series, as they only allowed four combined runs.
This game was written/published before last night's re sults.
The Atlanta Braves are currently sitting at the top of the NL Wild Card standings, as they have a 10.5-game lead over the Phillies. They are also 8-2 in their last 10 games played, as their strong play has allowed them to create some space between them and their opponents. Atlanta is also in second place in the NL East, as they are still 1.5 games back from the New York Mets. The Braves could avoid the Wild Card altogether if they could pass New York.
At the plate, Atlanta is scoring 5.01 runs per game and they are hitting .253 as a team. This is the second most runs scored per game and the ninth highest overall team batting average, as they have been consistently reaching base and driving in men when they are in scoring position all season. They also have multiple guys that can crank the ball out of the park, as they are hitting 1.54 bombs per game. This is the second most in the league. The Braves will also stay con servative once they have reached base safely. They have only stolen 80 bases this season, which is the 14th most in the league. I would also watch for Austin Riley at the plate in this one. He has already hit 36 home runs, which leads his team.
According to MLB.com, the Braves will be starting Kyle Wright on the mound. He is currently 17-5 this season, with a 3.23 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. In his last start, he pitched for 4.0 innings and gave up five hits and eight earned runs, as the A's lit him up. He has been decent on the road this season, though. He is 6-3 with a 3.82 ERA outside of his home ballpark, as he will be looking to bounce back in this one. The Braves bullpen has been great this season, though. They have the fifth lowest ERA in the league, as they are only allowing 3.23 runs per game. As a team, the Braves are along 3.86 runs per game, which is the seventh least in the MLB.