The Braves won game one of a crucial series between the two teams with the best records in baseball going into it thanks to some solid pitching from Chris Sale and effective all-around hitting. In game two, Atlanta will look to their aging leader to keep the Guardians off the scoreboard as they try to win the series at home.
For Cleveland, the youthful Tanner Bibee receives the ball as he attempts to improve on his impressive rookie performance in his sophomore campaign. Pitched behind a somewhat hittable mid-90s fastball with sporadic curveballs mixed in, Bibee earns his keep mostly with a powerful slider and changeup. The 25-year-old right-hander has below-average ground ball rates in addition to fairly average strikeout and walk rates. He has generally been a relatively mediocre pitcher in his major league career, but he has done worse so far this season. He just seems to do better at avoiding barrels. For this game, let’s hope the Braves can maintain their early-season trend.
Charlie, on the other hand, has pitched admirably but unremarkably this season, staying mostly true to himself. Even though it is still early in the season, his strikeout rate is currently the lowest it has been in nearly a decade. It will be challenging to break that trend against a Cleveland team that ranks near the bottom of the league in strikeout rates this season after having the lowest strikeout rate in the previous campaign. Charlie’s walks are also back to where they were during his rookie season, albeit somewhat lower than they were during the previous one. Charlie should be able to build on the amazing last four games the Braves’ rotation has been having in terms of length and quality.
Similar to early last season, Ronald Acuna is still reaching base at a remarkable rate but has not yet developed his power stroke. With any luck, he can begin to smash some home runs and maybe attract Matt Olson, who has been struggling at the plate for some time. It has taken Jarred Kelenic the whole season to hit his first home run. The Braves lead the league in position-player WAR and wRC+, which is truly amazing considering that they lack power in Acuna and Kelenic, Olson and Riley struggle in relation to their baselines, and Ozzie Albies and Sean Murphy have lost significant time.
By defeating the other best MLB club in Cleveland to begin the season, the Braves would further demonstrate their exceptional talent level if they were to win this series.
Information about the Game: Saturday, April 27, 7:20 p.m. Eastern Time
Location: Atlanta, Georgia’s Truist Park