This Saturday the (77-43) Houston Astros and the (73-47) Atlanta Braves will play game two of this three-game series. The first pitch will be thrown out at 7:15 PM EST inside Truist Park. This is also the first time that these two teams have matched up this season.
The Houston Astros are coming into this one after a four-game series with the Chicago White Sox. The Astros ended up splitting this series, as they won the final two games. They also exploded at the plate on Thursday, as they scored 25 runs in the final game of their series.
The Atlanta Braves are entering this one after a tough series with the New York Mets. They won three of four games and looked great on the mound. They held the Mets' to three combined runs in their three wins, as they did a great job of keeping New York off the scoreboard.
This game was written/published before last night's results.< /p>
The Houston Astros are currently the number one seed in the AL Playoff race, as they have won seven of their last 10 games. They are extremely tough to beat right now, as they are getting the job done on the mound and at the plate. They also have an 11.5-game lead over the Mariners in the AL West. At the plate, the Astros are scoring 4.69 runs per game and they are hitting .246 as a team. This is the eighth most runs scored per game and the 13th highest overall team batting average. They have been reaching base safely and they have also been driving in men when they are in scoring position. They also scored 25 runs against the White Sox in the final game of their series, as the Astros were feeling it at the plate. Houston can also score multiple different ways, as they are averaging 1.39 home runs per game. This is the third highest average in the league, as it isn't easy to keep up with the Astros on the scoreboard. I also expect them to stay conservative once they have reached base safely, as they don't need to risk losing their base runners with the way they are making contact with the ball.
According to MLB.com, the Astros will start Cristian Javier on the mound. He has been solid this season, as he is (7-8) with a 2.96 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. Reaching base has been difficult for his opponents and it's also very tough to string together multiple hits against him. The right-hander has had some issues on the road this season, though. In his opponent's ballparks, he is (2-4) with a 3.80 ERA. He did bounce back in his last start, as he completely shut down the Athletics for 6.0 innings. He only allowed one hit and zero earned runs, as the A's couldn't do anything against him at the dish. I also have a ton of faith in the Astros bullpen, as they are allowing the least amount of runs per game with 2.91. They have been one of the best bullpens in the MLB this season, as they ha ve continued to shut down batting lineups late in these games.