The (47-66) Atlanta Braves, coming off getting swept by the 70-game-winning Brewers, are looking to turn a new leaf with a five-game homestead (August 7th-10th) series against the (56-57) Miami Marlins, who are also coming off a three-game series loss against the Houston Astros, with just one win.
However, let’s not forget their sweep of the Yankees just a series prior…they’re prepared to face the Braves at their homefront, but will the Braves surprise Truist and keep the fish at bay?
Carlos Carrasco (5.68 ERA), acquired from the New York Yankees, has only one start with the Braves under his belt.
Taking the win (6 IP/ 7 H/ 3 ER/ 2 BB/ 5 K) against the Reds on the 31st was a nice welcome to the club.
With a five-pitch arsenal and a slider being his sharpest tool, Carrasco will have to be prepared to set the tone on the mound to help his new team dig themselves out of their losing streak and snag a glimmer of success to carry this series out.
This would be a cinch for the offense to follow up with…if it weren’t for the pitcher they’d be facing…
Eury Pérez (2.70 ERA) will be taking the mound against the Braves for the Marlins.
With 10 total starts this season and a 0.94 WHIP, he is holding batters to a .166 batting average.
Pérez has a six-pitch arsenal, and a four-seamer topping around 97.8 mph, along with a filthy 86.1 mph slider that has been known to blank batters at the plate.
So, what are we to do with this information if the outcome seems clear based on the stats?
Remember the game we’re playing.
This year, the Braves are seemingly unpredictable, and the Marlins are just third in the division behind the first-place Philadelphia Phillies and second-place New York Mets.
Although a good opponent, the Braves are facing after a hard loss; this is baseball…the reason we still tune in to watch.
Heck! The first regular-season female umpire, Jen Pawol, will be debuting in this series on Saturday.
But for the sake of Braves fans kicking off this series, let’s hope that the light at the end of the tunnel shows up tonight.
