We’ve done it, folks – Game 162 is here.
To call it a weird year is an understatement. So what does that make us if we’ve followed along so faithfully?
It’s been a relatively stress-free week of baseball following clinching the division title in Houston. Unlike some other teams fighting for their lives down to the wire, the Braves have been getting some fresh air and exercise in their tune-ups versus Cincinnati and Miami.
This afternoon’s series and season finale against the Fish is at 3:10 pm ET, along
with another matchup of interest in AZ-SD. I have no doubt you all will be tuned into that as well as CHC-BOS / TB-PHI (weather permitting) at 3:05 pm ET. Only one team can save their season and punch their ticket to Truist Park – will it be Arizona or Philly?
While that chaos abounds, the Braves’ main priority is getting through the day fully intact and healthy. A victory this afternoon for a series win and their 95th of the season is a nice-to-have.
JR Ritchie (1-4, 4.79 ERA), coming off his solid start against the Reds, will get the ball for Atlanta. In that outing, he went five innings, gave up four hits and one earned run on a solo homer. He walked three and struck out eight. This was much more aligned with what we’d hoped to see from the rookie following his return to the big club on September 15. He’d been on a dominant run in Triple-A, but struggled against the Cubs to the tune of six earned runs in 4.2 innings pitched. He’ll be looking to bolster his case for the Wild Card roster this afternoon.
The Miami Marlins gave Ritchie a loss back in May. He was tagged for six runs (five earned) in four innings and Aaron Bummer (remember him?) gave up another six earned runs in the 12-0 blowout. Xavier Edwards and Otto Lopez lead the team in ABs against Ritchie with three. Edwards, Joe Mack, and Kyle Stowers each have a hit off him in their limited experience.
JR will be opposed by Janson Junk (6-9, 4.31 ERA). Junk is 1-2 with a 7.62 ERA in the Braves against his career, with both losses coming this season. He was charged with eight earned runs in five innings and two earned runs in three innings in May and August, respectively. He has not gone longer than six innings since August 12.
The only Brave that doesn’t have a hit off Junk is Mike Yastrzemski, who’s 0-for-8. Michael Harris II has struggled, owning a .143 average and .286 OPS against him. Otherwise, everyone else owns an OPS of .800 or higher against Junk. For everyone clamoring for the bats to get hot right before the postseason, this could be a great chance to build on yesterday’s nice offensive performance.
It’s a nice Sunday for a fish fry finale. One more game before the gauntlet begins.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Sunday, September 27, 3:10 p.m. ET
Location: loanDepot Park, Miami, FL
TV: BravesVision
Streaming: MLB.tv
Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan, Los Bravos
