<img alt="Pittsburgh Pirates v Atlanta Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/MLrQ4rzC8Dg04r2m_4VZtPfK_EA=/0x0:4712x3141/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73446811/2160019613.0.jpg">
Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images
Atlanta will hope that their rookie can give the offense what it needs to win the game against their division rival After an ugly game to watch Friday night, the Braves will hope to tie up the series against Philly.
The Phillies will throw one of their two Cy Young candidates in Ranger Suarez. Suarez has been a consistently good starter for a while with his relatively low strikeout, high ground ball style, but he has taken it up a level this year by cutting his walk rate to below 2 BB/9. His ERA is a spectacular 2.27, but his peripherals float just below 3, which is still very strong. He has a true five pitch mix, with a sinker, four-seamer, and cutter, along with a curveball and changeup. His curveball is probably his best pitch, but his mix is fairly balanced in the effectiveness of his various pitches. The Braves have had mixed success against the veteran lefty in his time with Philly, but the Braves offense is at it’s worst and he is at his best since he became a starter for the Phillies.
Atlanta may need to rely on run prevention to win Saturday, with the offense continuing to struggle and facing a really good pitcher. Having right-handed Ozzie will be a major boon though. Regardless, they will be hoping for a strong performance from their rookie, Spencer Schwellenbach. The Braves’ second Spencer has been pretty solid in his rookie year, despite exceedingly little pitching experience, as he was primarily a shortstop in college, only pitching as a reliever. His ERA is a sub-par 5.68, but his more predictive metrics are sitting around 4, which is pretty good for a rookie with his profile and experience. Hopefully he can see some positive regression and continue to develop at the major league level. Spencer has been using a pretty effective six-pitch mix, with four-seam, sinker, and cutter variants of his fastball, a curveball and slider, and a relatively new splitter. His slider has a ton of depth on it for the velocity he throws it with, but his fastball can be fairly straight. It will be interesting to watch him continue to develop, since he is still so young in his development as a pitcher.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Saturday, July 6, 7:15 p.m. ET
Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, Georgia
Streaming: FOX/MLB.tv
Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM
<img alt="Pittsburgh Pirates v Atlanta Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/MLrQ4rzC8Dg04r2m_4VZtPfK_EA=/0x0:4712x3141/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73446811/2160019613.0.jpg">
Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images
Atlanta will hope that their rookie can give the offense what it needs to win the game against their division rival After an ugly game to watch Friday night, the Braves will hope to tie up the series against Philly.
The Phillies will throw one of their two Cy Young candidates in Ranger Suarez. Suarez has been a consistently good starter for a while with his relatively low strikeout, high ground ball style, but he has taken it up a level this year by cutting his walk rate to below 2 BB/9. His ERA is a spectacular 2.27, but his peripherals float just below 3, which is still very strong. He has a true five pitch mix, with a sinker, four-seamer, and cutter, along with a curveball and changeup. His curveball is probably his best pitch, but his mix is fairly balanced in the effectiveness of his various pitches. The Braves have had mixed success against the veteran lefty in his time with Philly, but the Braves offense is at it’s worst and he is at his best since he became a starter for the Phillies.
Atlanta may need to rely on run prevention to win Saturday, with the offense continuing to struggle and facing a really good pitcher. Having right-handed Ozzie will be a major boon though. Regardless, they will be hoping for a strong performance from their rookie, Spencer Schwellenbach. The Braves’ second Spencer has been pretty solid in his rookie year, despite exceedingly little pitching experience, as he was primarily a shortstop in college, only pitching as a reliever. His ERA is a sub-par 5.68, but his more predictive metrics are sitting around 4, which is pretty good for a rookie with his profile and experience. Hopefully he can see some positive regression and continue to develop at the major league level. Spencer has been using a pretty effective six-pitch mix, with four-seam, sinker, and cutter variants of his fastball, a curveball and slider, and a relatively new splitter. His slider has a ton of depth on it for the velocity he throws it with, but his fastball can be fairly straight. It will be interesting to watch him continue to develop, since he is still so young in his development as a pitcher.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Saturday, July 6, 7:15 p.m. ET
Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, Georgia
Streaming: FOX/MLB.tv
Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM
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