<img alt="Atlanta Braves v Milwaukee Brewers" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/bjGZOetwqE1rXMRCsTSJ8YcKv_k=/0x0:3000x2000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73491493/1568282052.0.jpg">
Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images
The Trade Deadline hangover game is probably going to have a lot of different pitchers making an appearance I am writing this preview at around 1:06 pm ET, which is about five hours away from the Trade Deadline. So far, the Braves have acquired Jorge Soler and Luke Jackson, and it remains to be seen whether that’s their sole foray into the wacky world of late-July trading, or whether the roster will look substantially different come July 31. In any case, in between the actual Trade Deadline and whatever happens after, they’ll play a game against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Ye olde pitching shuffle has led to Bryce Elder getting tabbed to make a major league start for the ninth time this season. His pitching line is pretty blah: a 153 ERA-, 117 FIP-, and 105 xFIP-. His xERA is higher than his FIP, so there’s no consolation there. By FIP-, he’s had four of eight starts above 100, and four of eight below 100; the same is true by xFIP-. The Braves are 3-5 in his starts so far. It’s hard to really say much about Elder’s trends these days, because he seems to have a wildly different start each time out. In his most recent outing, he had a 9/1 K/BB ratio, but allowed two homers and was charged with six runs in five innings. As a result, he had the best xFIP of his career in a single outing... but a poor FIP.
Elder faced the Brewers in back-to-back starts last July, during his collapse period, and was... okay. He had a combined 5/2 K/BB ratio with a homer allowed, and the Braves won both games. These Brewers aren’t exactly those 2023 Brewers from a hitting perspective, though.
To be honest, I have no idea what the Brewers are doing for pitching today. The expectation is that they will activate Joe Ross, who’s been out since May with a back injury, but that hasn’t happened yet. Before the injury, Ross had put up a 110/97/113 line and was clearly skating by on his HR/FB; the nine starts he’s made in 2024 to date are his first in the bigs since the 2021 season.
Given the presumed Elder-Ross matchup, chances are this could easily turn into a bullpen extravaganza. Ross was averaging just over five innings of start before the back injury forced him out of his previous outing after a single inning; Elder is averaging just a smidge under five innings a start. Theoretically, that should advantage the Braves, but that advantage requries some aggressive bullpen usage, and the Braves still aren’t in their aggressive phase, as evidenced by, well, Bryce Elder starting this game.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Tuesday, July 30, 8:10 p.m. ET
Location: American Family Field, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
TV: Bally Sports South
Streaming: MLB.tv
Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan
XM Radio: Ch. 89 / Online
<img alt="Atlanta Braves v Milwaukee Brewers" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/bjGZOetwqE1rXMRCsTSJ8YcKv_k=/0x0:3000x2000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73491493/1568282052.0.jpg">
Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images
The Trade Deadline hangover game is probably going to have a lot of different pitchers making an appearance I am writing this preview at around 1:06 pm ET, which is about five hours away from the Trade Deadline. So far, the Braves have acquired Jorge Soler and Luke Jackson, and it remains to be seen whether that’s their sole foray into the wacky world of late-July trading, or whether the roster will look substantially different come July 31. In any case, in between the actual Trade Deadline and whatever happens after, they’ll play a game against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Ye olde pitching shuffle has led to Bryce Elder getting tabbed to make a major league start for the ninth time this season. His pitching line is pretty blah: a 153 ERA-, 117 FIP-, and 105 xFIP-. His xERA is higher than his FIP, so there’s no consolation there. By FIP-, he’s had four of eight starts above 100, and four of eight below 100; the same is true by xFIP-. The Braves are 3-5 in his starts so far. It’s hard to really say much about Elder’s trends these days, because he seems to have a wildly different start each time out. In his most recent outing, he had a 9/1 K/BB ratio, but allowed two homers and was charged with six runs in five innings. As a result, he had the best xFIP of his career in a single outing... but a poor FIP.
Elder faced the Brewers in back-to-back starts last July, during his collapse period, and was... okay. He had a combined 5/2 K/BB ratio with a homer allowed, and the Braves won both games. These Brewers aren’t exactly those 2023 Brewers from a hitting perspective, though.
To be honest, I have no idea what the Brewers are doing for pitching today. The expectation is that they will activate Joe Ross, who’s been out since May with a back injury, but that hasn’t happened yet. Before the injury, Ross had put up a 110/97/113 line and was clearly skating by on his HR/FB; the nine starts he’s made in 2024 to date are his first in the bigs since the 2021 season.
Given the presumed Elder-Ross matchup, chances are this could easily turn into a bullpen extravaganza. Ross was averaging just over five innings of start before the back injury forced him out of his previous outing after a single inning; Elder is averaging just a smidge under five innings a start. Theoretically, that should advantage the Braves, but that advantage requries some aggressive bullpen usage, and the Braves still aren’t in their aggressive phase, as evidenced by, well, Bryce Elder starting this game.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Tuesday, July 30, 8:10 p.m. ET
Location: American Family Field, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
TV: Bally Sports South
Streaming: MLB.tv
Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan
XM Radio: Ch. 89 / Online
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