<img alt="MLB: JUL 06 Phillies at Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6MGpWb6KHZQ24yvAvLqDYWuZ6cY=/0x0:3600x2400/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73447783/2160336835.0.jpg">
Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Reynaldo Lopez vs. Michael Mercado It’s time for the rubber game of this series. The Braves are 5-4 in rubber games so far this year; they’re 10-4 series-wise in terms of series where a single team has won both of the first two games.
Another thing of note is that the Braves continue to plummet in the “inputs reflect outputs” standings. They are now fourth-worst in xwOBA underperformance, and have outperformed their xwOBA in just two of their last 12 games.
Here’s the Statcast graphic, which should tell you that Reynaldo Lopez needs to stay away from the top of this lineup a third time, and also that using an opener against this version of the Phillies is a no-brainer that no one is going to be executing anyway.
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kqk7wPqDSk6hjfIbYmyk7KT_p8c=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25520729/Screenshot_2024_07_07_122338.png">
<img alt="MLB: JUL 06 Phillies at Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6MGpWb6KHZQ24yvAvLqDYWuZ6cY=/0x0:3600x2400/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73447783/2160336835.0.jpg">
Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Reynaldo Lopez vs. Michael Mercado It’s time for the rubber game of this series. The Braves are 5-4 in rubber games so far this year; they’re 10-4 series-wise in terms of series where a single team has won both of the first two games.
Another thing of note is that the Braves continue to plummet in the “inputs reflect outputs” standings. They are now fourth-worst in xwOBA underperformance, and have outperformed their xwOBA in just two of their last 12 games.
Here’s the Statcast graphic, which should tell you that Reynaldo Lopez needs to stay away from the top of this lineup a third time, and also that using an opener against this version of the Phillies is a no-brainer that no one is going to be executing anyway.
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kqk7wPqDSk6hjfIbYmyk7KT_p8c=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25520729/Screenshot_2024_07_07_122338.png">
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