<img alt="MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Atlanta Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5ni1bsdLVr3S5Aae4LLQE4pMbrk=/0x0:4793x3195/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73486818/usa_today_23801945.0.jpg">
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Atlanta will hope to keep their division and wild-card rival down in the third game of the series away from home. The Atlanta Braves will try to salvage a series split Sunday when they wrap up a four-game series against the New York Mets. Spencer Schwellenbach delivered a tremendous start Saturday to help give Atlanta a slight edge over the Mets in the standings and Reynaldo Lopez can help extend that lead with another good start today.
Lopez will be starting with his strongly preferred 5 days rest, which has helped him a lot this season. His walks have creeped up recently, as have his runs allowed, but he's still pitching at a respectable mid-rotation level on the season as a whole. His slider has been really effective and he has located it well this season, even as he has added some vertical movement to it. He has a good fastball, but he has probably gotten away with throwing it too close to the center of the zone more times than you would like this season. Reynaldo is not an ace, but it does seem like he can be a respectable starter, who can move to the bullpen to be an impact reliever if the team decides to go that route in the postseason. That's tremendous value on his contract.
Meanwhile, on the other side, New York is starting their big lefty, David Peterson. Peterson has gotten away with a 3.14 ERA this season over 48.2 innings, despite striking out less than 7 batters per 9 and walking over 4 per 9. His xERA, FIP, and xFIP all indicate an ERA that should be closer to 5, which is unsurprising, given those walk and strikeout numbers. He's been much more respectable at the major league level in the past, but nothing to be scared of for a Braves offense that showed up with some power Saturday. None of his pitches are particularly impressive, as he primarily throws and four-seamer and sinker, with a changeup and slider roughly tied for third most frequent and with a sprinkling of curveballs. He has had the most success with that curve, but given that he hasn't increased his usage, it is likely more out of surprise than the pitch itself. Nothing that Peterson has going for him should be overly scary for the Atlanta offense, aside from his 6'6 240 lb frame.
This is a good matchup for the Braves to get a really important series win, with a solid pitcher on the mound for the Braves, and a hittable pitcher on the other side.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Sunday, July 28, 1:40 p.m. ET
Location: Citi Field, Flushing, New York
TV: Bally Sports Southeast
Streaming: MLB.tv
Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan
XM Radio: Ch. 89 / Online
<img alt="MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Atlanta Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5ni1bsdLVr3S5Aae4LLQE4pMbrk=/0x0:4793x3195/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73486818/usa_today_23801945.0.jpg">
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Atlanta will hope to keep their division and wild-card rival down in the third game of the series away from home. The Atlanta Braves will try to salvage a series split Sunday when they wrap up a four-game series against the New York Mets. Spencer Schwellenbach delivered a tremendous start Saturday to help give Atlanta a slight edge over the Mets in the standings and Reynaldo Lopez can help extend that lead with another good start today.
Lopez will be starting with his strongly preferred 5 days rest, which has helped him a lot this season. His walks have creeped up recently, as have his runs allowed, but he's still pitching at a respectable mid-rotation level on the season as a whole. His slider has been really effective and he has located it well this season, even as he has added some vertical movement to it. He has a good fastball, but he has probably gotten away with throwing it too close to the center of the zone more times than you would like this season. Reynaldo is not an ace, but it does seem like he can be a respectable starter, who can move to the bullpen to be an impact reliever if the team decides to go that route in the postseason. That's tremendous value on his contract.
Meanwhile, on the other side, New York is starting their big lefty, David Peterson. Peterson has gotten away with a 3.14 ERA this season over 48.2 innings, despite striking out less than 7 batters per 9 and walking over 4 per 9. His xERA, FIP, and xFIP all indicate an ERA that should be closer to 5, which is unsurprising, given those walk and strikeout numbers. He's been much more respectable at the major league level in the past, but nothing to be scared of for a Braves offense that showed up with some power Saturday. None of his pitches are particularly impressive, as he primarily throws and four-seamer and sinker, with a changeup and slider roughly tied for third most frequent and with a sprinkling of curveballs. He has had the most success with that curve, but given that he hasn't increased his usage, it is likely more out of surprise than the pitch itself. Nothing that Peterson has going for him should be overly scary for the Atlanta offense, aside from his 6'6 240 lb frame.
This is a good matchup for the Braves to get a really important series win, with a solid pitcher on the mound for the Braves, and a hittable pitcher on the other side.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Sunday, July 28, 1:40 p.m. ET
Location: Citi Field, Flushing, New York
TV: Bally Sports Southeast
Streaming: MLB.tv
Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan
XM Radio: Ch. 89 / Online
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