Braves sticking with new lineup in finale

It seems like Brian Snitker is learning … at least a little.

(We’ll update this once San Diego finally gets around to announcing its lineup.)

After moving Drake Baldwin to the 2-spot, he’s keeping him there in the series finale. It’s a good move, given that he’s keeping him in the lineup at the catching spot and he might actually be one of the team’s better hitters. Sean Murphy is still hitting well, but he’s cooled off a bit since his torrid start. Meanwhile, Baldwin is getting the results that the peripherals suggested earlier on. I don’t see any issue with letting Baldwin run while he’s having success, and once the league adjusts and Baldwin needs some time, Murphy can step back in. I got yelled at a little in the comments last week for suggesting trading one at some point, but that point isn’t in 2025. We let this ride for 2025, and then we can revisit in the offseason, depending on how it goes.

My only real issue is having Harris hitting 8th with Verdugo hitting 6th. I realize Verdugo has a better batting line, but Harris is an actual part of the future. But then again (Harris on the left and Verdugo on the right) …

It’s been a rough year so far for Harris, but I have a lot more faith that he’ll turn it around.

For the Padres, I’d like to spend a little time talking about Manny Machado. My wife absolutely hates this guy for some reason. I think some of it comes back to him being a Dodger briefly but not helping them win a title, and now he’s a Padre, leaving her with no real choice but to hate him. Anyhoo, the villain in our story (he’s 4-8 this series with a rather key home run … we don’t have to talk about it) is having a bit of a Renaissance year, hitting .317/.388/.464 with a 143 wRC+ that would be the third-highest of his career. It’s buoyed a bit by .365 BABIP, but he’s been legitimately very good.