The Atlanta Braves have been struggling mightily offensively in the month of June. In fact, they are tied for last in MLB in runs scored which is much different than what we were seeing in the previous months of the season.
Of course, there are injuries to blame, but there has also been underperformance from key players like Austin Riley and offseason additions like Ha-Seong Kim. Drake Baldwin is a huge boost since the Braves ranked last in catcher fWAR and wRC+ in his absence, but one player is not
enough to boost an entire offense from the cellar of run production.
Tonight the Braves will be out west facing Michael King and the Padres. King is having a decent year in terms of ERA with a 3.60 and WHIP of 1.188, but his underlying metrics show he has some regression coming in an xERA of 4.79 and an expected batting average against him that ranks in the bottom 37.0 percent of MLB.
The last time King faced the Braves it did not go well for him. It was his first start of 2025 and he only lasted 2.2 innings and gave up a HR and four walks. The Padres still won that game, but the Braves showed they have the ability to get to him. Baldwin, Harris, Olson, Riley, and Albies were all in the lineup that game and Albies hit a two-run HR against King that led to his removal.
Before the lineup dropped we had the same questions that seem to be the ongoing ones. Will Dominic Smith be the DH, or will Baldwin DH. Also, who will get the start at SS.
Of the players in the lineup, no one has faced King more than seven at-bats so there is not a lot of conclusions that can be made, but as mentioned earlier Albies had success the only time he has faced him. Outside of Albies though, no one has an OPS over .715 against him.
Grant Holmes is pitching for the Braves and only seven players on the Padres have at-bats against him and none more than five at-bats. Ty France has had the most success with an OPS of 1.100 in his five at-bats.
This game could come down to whichever team is able to get a key hit because both teams have been struggling offensively. First pitch is at 10:10 pm EDT.
