The Braves put up a good fight for half the season but things have deteriorated rapidly for a team that’s in a rebuild mode. Atlanta was at .500 two months ago, but dropped 31 of 43 games since then and are now battling to stay out of the basement in the NL East.
The Yankees have an opportunity to possibly gain ground in the AL East and send their top prospect Luis Severino to the bump.
ODDS ANALYSIS
The Yankees completed a 5-5 homestand that started with a three-game sweep of Minnesota but ended with two straight losses to Houston. New York had lost three of four to Cleveland in between, before getting outscored 21-4 by the Astros in the three-game series. And that included a 1-0 win in the opener. As a result, the Yankees have dropped out of first place in the AL East. They are 12-15 since July 28, giving up a seven-game lead to red-hot Toronto. Back on July 7 the Braves were a .500 club at 42-42, still in the discussion for an improbable playoff run. Things have gone south for the boys from the south. Atlanta won just 12 of its next 43 games and now the discussion centers around staying out of the NL East cellar. The Braves have averaged 2.8 runs while losing 13 of 16. They opened a nine-game homestand this week by dropping two of three to Colorado, including a 6-3 defeat Wednesday.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Yankees rookie Luis Severino (1-2, 2.74 ERA) has been as advertised this season. He delivered a strong outing in Saturday’s victory over Cleveland, punching out six over six innings. One of the three hits he allowed produced the only run for the visitors when Francisco Lindor went yard in the first inning. Severino makes his fifth big league start looking to string back-to-back wins together. His pitch counts have been climbing with each outing, topping at 107.
He’ll face the Braves for the first time in his first interleague start.
Matt Wisler (5-4, 5.43 ERA) has allowed eight homers in the 22.2 innings encompassing his five August starts. The rookie surrendered four homers and seven runs in just 2.2 innings at Wrigley Field on Sunday, struggling with his command. After an impressive start to his rookie season, Wisler has been awful of late, posting a 9.13 ERA while yielding eight home runs in his last five starts.
Wisler is 3-0 with a 3.65 ERA in four starts at Turner Field and will pitch there for the first time in his last four starts.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“We had a real competitive team. We could have gone out and gotten some more pieces and kind of kept it together. But I really commend the front office for keeping the goal in mind. We’ve still got to build. That’s the goal at the end.” – Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez on the team’s wheeling and dealing during the season
LIVE BETTING or SITUATIONAL BETTING
The Yankees were outscored 21-4 by the Astros, losing the final two of a three-game series that concluded a 10-game homestand. And it was as bad as the scores made it out to be. Facing the best pitching staff in the American League, the Yanks hit just .165 while going 0 for 14 with runners in scoring position. “We didn’t swing the bats extremely well,” manager Joe Girardi said. New York’s lineup could be without Mark Teixeira and Jacoby Ellsbury for parts of this weekend as they mend from minor ailments. With no designated hitter in the NL park, Alex Rodriguez is likely limited to pinch-hitting duties, though he’s batting just .109 in his last 17 games.
PROP TALK
Brian McCann spent the first nine years of his MLB career with the Braves before signing as a free agent with the Yankees after the 2013 season. He faces his former club for the first time since that season. McCann’s 91 home runs and 317 RBIs at Turner Field are third-most all-time behind Andruw and Chipper Jones. His power numbers have carried over to New York, homering 23 times last year and 22 this season.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Both teams are struggling to score runs but at least the Yankees are still in contention for a playoff spot. The Braves were, about two months ago when their ledger was even, but things have gone wrong since then. We’ve seen the Yankees go to the extreme all season. They’re either scoring a bunch of runs or forgetting where home plate is located. Right now they’re scuffling and it won’t help that the DH is not in effect. The Yankees did have some battles with the excellent pitching of the Indians and Astros. The Braves’ staff isn’t the caliber of those clubs and the Yanks are thankful for that.
New York 7, Atlanta 3
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