The first two games of this series against Atlanta, the NL East front-runner and a possible postseason opponent should the Yankees go deep in October, have gone almost as well as possible, considering the glaring holes in the New York lineup. Starting pitching has been a huge reason for that success. Max Fried and Gerrit Cole combined to allow two runs through 13.1 innings in the opening contests. Should similar events unfold today, a sweep is tantalizingly close.
The Yankees theoretically have the right
guy on the mound to do it. Cam Schlittler is in the middle of a dominant season, one that has him at the head of the pack for the AL Cy Young (or at least neck-and-neck with Dylan Cease). He’s admittedly in a bit of a rough spell, with a 3.86 ERA over his last seven starts. But in his final two starts of July, he allowed one run in 13.2 innings prior to his bumpy outing against St. Louis, so let’s not fret he’s turned into a pumpkin.
Anyone who has been watching Cam knows what to expect. He brings the heat. His four-seamer, cutter, and sinker account for 90 percent of his pitches and he has been overpowering with them. When he does sprinkle in the curve, it is overwhelmingly to lefties. If you are a right-handed hitter, prepare for the gas.
The Braves turn to Grant Homes to prevent the sweep. Holmes is in the middle of a perfectly cromulent season of his own, for what it is worth. Today should be a juxtaposition of styles. While Schlittler attacks with the No. v1, Holmes will throw the kitchen sink at Yankee hitters. Righties can expect to see his slider, four-seamer, and sinker. He attacks lefties, meanwhile, with the slider, four-seamer, cutter, curve, and changeup. All told, he throws the slider more than any other pitch so expect to see it frequently today.
With a righty on the mound, the Yankee lineup is littered with lefties. In fact, it’s actually identical to the one that they deployed on Friday against Holmes’ fellow righty, Tyler Mahle. Heliot Ramos and beloved rookie George Lombard, Jr. are the only righties starting today. Ben Rice, fresh off ending an 11-game homerless streak, hits second. The aforementioned Lombard, who went oppo taco for a homer of his own yesterday, hits seventh. Newly acquired Luis García Jr. hits cleanup. Perhaps unsurprisingly as a former division rival of Atlanta, García has the most familiarity with Holmes of any Yankee batter, the erstwhile Nat possessing a 4-for-10 line against Holmes, including a longball.
After today is a well-earned day off, and then the Mariners come to town. Let’s end the weekend with a sweep.
How to Watch:
Location: Yankee Stadium — Bronx, NY
First Pitch: 1:35 pm EDT
TV broadcast: YES / BravesVision
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 / 680 AM/93.7 The Fan, La Mejor 1600/1460/1130 AM
Online stream: MLB.tv
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