Following a 2-0 win over the Chicago White Sox on Thursday, the Atlanta Braves will look to make a statement against the best team in MLB--the Milwaukee Brewers.
Following a 2-0 shutout victory over the Chicago White Sox on Thursday, the Atlanta Braves will look to keep up the momentum on the road against MLB's best--the Milwaukee Brewers who have gone 79-49 overall and are ranked first in the NL Central.
37-year-old ace Chris Sale will take the mound in tonight's opener against Brewers right-hander Jacob Misiorowski who has shown ace-like dominance throughout just his second season in the league, having compiled a 1.75 ERA while notching 210 strikeouts in 139 innings pitched.
Sale fanned nine batters and gave up a single earned run through six innings of work in his most recent outing against the Arizona Diamondbacks last Friday. Unfortunately though, he took the loss with Arizona winning 2-0.
Regardless, the 10-year All-Star has held Atlanta's rotation through thick and thin, compiling a 2.16 ERA and recording 160 punchouts on the season.
While the Braves currently do not have a set starter for Saturday against Milwaukee's Logan Henderson, it is likely that Bryce Elder will get the nod.
During his most recent outing on Sunday, the right-hander struck out five batters while giving up four hits and one earned run across six innings.
Tyler Mahle could get the opportunity to wrap it up in Sunday's finale against left-hander Shane Drohan.
Since being acquired from the San Francisco Giants before the Aug. 3 trade deadline, the 31-year-old Mahle has combined for 19 strikeouts and only three earned runs allowed through his first three starts with Atlanta.
Offensively, Matt Olson is worth keeping an eye on after he salvaged the Arizona series with a three-run homer to seal a 5-3 win for the Braves. As of now, he leads the lineup with 77 RBI and 36 home runs.
Moreover, Austin Riley has been slowly finding his groove after a rough first half, driving in both of Atlanta's runs against the White Sox.
Michael Harris II could also be in for a monster series with his team-best .291 hitting average and 135 hits.
Drake Baldwin is on the upswing as well, batting .272 and recording a team-high .354 on-base percentage.
Still, the Brewers' gauntlet of Brice Turang, Jake Bauers and Jackson Chourio is no easy feat. Going into Friday, Chourio has batted .280 while Turang leads the way with 121 hits and 75 RBI.
Meanwhile, Bauers has logged a .386 on-base percentage and 22 home runs.
Both teams will kick off their three-game series this afternoon at 4:10 p.m. EDT.
