It would seem we’re going to have to wait at least one more day to see Ronald Acuña Jr.‘s return to the Braves.
While it was reported he could be back as soon as tonight, the team hasn’t yet announced his return from his rehab assignment and he’s not in the starting lineup the Braves released for Friday’s series opener at the Baltimore Orioles.
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Instead, Atlanta is running back a very similar lineup to the one it used for Thursday afternoon’s series finale vs. San Diego. The top six in the order remain the same, although Drake Baldwin is DHing after catching that game.
At the bottom of the order, Eli White replaces Mike Yastrzemski in right field and will hit seventh, Joey Bart will catch and hit eighth and Jorge Mateo will make his first appearance since last Friday, giving Jim Jarvis a day off as Mateo hits ninth and plays shortstop with Ha-Seong Kim’s return also on the horizon.
It’s a chance for Mateo to play against his former team, having suited up for the O’s from 2o21-25.
This will be former Marlin Trevor Rogers’ 11th career start against the Braves. So a few of the relative veterans of the lineup in Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley have faced him a decent amount. Albies is 8-for-25 (.320) with a double and three RBIs against Rogers, while Riley is 5-for-23 (.217) with three doubles, a homer and four RBIs.
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One Braves hitter who has not had success against Rogers is Matt Olson. The slugger is 1-for-16 (.063) against the southpaw with a double, eight strikeouts and one walk. It’s not a huge surprise given the matchup but still a staggering number.
Mauricio Dubón (3-for-6, two doubles) and Michael Harris II (2-for-5, one double) have had success against Rogers in smaller sample sizes. Overall, the current Braves have hit .241 against Rogers with eight doubles, a homer, 10 RBIs, 24 strikeouts and seven walks.
The Orioles are giving left fielder Taylor Ward an off day in the field, moving Dylan Beavers into his spot in the field and leadoff spot in the lineup while Ward will hit fourth and DH. Tyler O’Neill, who typically hits cleanup for Baltimore, is out of the lineup.
In the lineup is Chadwick Tromp, who will hit ninth and catch. After he started the season in the Braves organization, it’s just his fourth game with Baltimore and he’s gone 2-for-8 with two singles, a run and an RBI.
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Considering Braves starter Grant Holmes has made just one start against the Orioles, it makes sense that former Met Pete Alonso (3-for-5, 1 RBI) is the only member of the Baltimore roster with more than three career bats against him.
Jackson Holliday (3-for-3 with a homer and two RBIs) had a great game against Holmes last July in Baltimore’s 2-1 win. Those two account for the much of the reason why Baltimore’s current roster is a combined 7-for-15 (.467) with a 1.222 OPS against the right-hander.
First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. ET at Camden Yards as the Braves look to keep the good vibes rolling.
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