The lineups are out for tonight’s middle game between the Atlanta Braves and the Pittsburgh Pirates and there aren’t too many shocks or surprises going on as far as the Braves are concerned. Michael Harris II is still leading off, Austin Riley is near the bottom, the top of the order seems a bit imposing while you’re hoping for the best from the middle and the bottom portion of the lineup.
Here’s how things are looking for the Braves tonight:
The catcher decision is an interesting one since this’ll actually be the first time that Grant Holmes has formed a battery with Joey Bart, as his past three starts (since Bart joined the club) have all been with Drake Baldwin serving as the backstop. We’ll see how that goes in terms of a pitching combination and we’ll also see how it goes for Bart at the plate as he’s currently hitting .136/.269/.318 with a .273 wOBA and a 68 wRC+ since joining the Braves. That’s not great but to be completely honest, it’s better than the production they had been getting from previous catchers.
Drake Baldwin, on the other hand, has looked more like his usual self since the calendar went from “June” to “July” so hopefully he’ll continue to keep things going in the right direction. The same goes for the rest of the lineup as well, as they’re showing serious signs of getting things back rolling again at the plate after spending a month wandering in the wilderness as a unit.
We will update this post with the Pirates lineup once they release it. For now, make sure to join us late on as first pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. ET tonight at PNC Park.
