The Braves will welcome Ozzie Albies again tomorrow. Supervisor Brian Snitker confirmed after right now’s 15-3 drubbing of the Reds that Atlanta will activate Albies from the 10-day injured record (hyperlink by way of Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Structure). They’ve been with out their star second baseman for nearly two months due to a left wrist fracture. The Braves might want to create an lively roster spot tomorrow.
Albies nonetheless feels discomfort when he hits from the left facet. He’ll restrict himself to the right-handed batter’s field in consequence. That’s his far stronger facet normally. Albies is a profession .339/.364/.568 hitter towards left-handed pitching. He has a roughly common .247/.309/.437 slash versus righties. His activity as a right-handed batter can be harder with out at all times having the platoon benefit (to say nothing of the problem of leaping again to motion after an eight-week absence). Nonetheless, if Albies had to decide on a facet of the plate, he’d actually choose this one.
It’s crunch time for Atlanta. The Braves are 1.5 video games behind the Diamondbacks and Mets for the ultimate playoff spot within the Nationwide League (pending Arizona’s and New York’s outcomes tonight). Atlanta holds the tiebreaker over Arizona. They’ve break up the season sequence with the Mets and can resolve that tiebreaker with a three-game set at residence early subsequent week. That appears as if it’ll be the most important common season sequence of the yr for any crew.
Atlanta is headed to Miami for a three-game weekend set. They’re off on Monday earlier than closing their season with the Mets and three video games towards the Royals (who could be combating for their very own playoff lives) at residence. The Mets are internet hosting the Phillies for 4 this weekend earlier than closing their season with highway units in Atlanta and Milwaukee. Arizona has a four-game sequence in Milwaukee and can play host to the Giants and Padres for 3 apiece subsequent week.
The Braves have had a middle-of-the-pack offense for the previous couple months. They’re thirteenth in scoring because the Albies harm, with equally middling showings in on-base share (sixteenth) and slugging (twelfth). Atlanta second basemen are hitting .220/.319/.296 throughout 216 plate appearances in that stretch. That’s weighed down by dreadful small-sample performances from Luke Williams and prospect Nacho Alvarez Jr. The Braves have given many of the second base reps to Whit Merrifield, who has reached base at a robust .344 clip however hasn’t supplied any type of energy since signing with Atlanta.
Merrifield has loads of expertise bouncing across the diamond. If Snitker needed to maintain him within the lineup, he’d in all probability kick him to 3rd base and bench Gio Urshela. The veteran nook infielder is hitting .234/.258/.340 over 26 video games as a Courageous. Urshela signed an enormous league deal within the wake of Austin Riley’s harm, not lengthy after Urshela was launched by the Tigers.
