The Best of the Best: Mariners vs. Braves Series Preview
The Mariners face a tough challenge as the Braves come to town.
Clad in uniforms modeled on the pit stains of my beloved Harrisburg Senators t-shirt, shot out of a cannon in 2016 and in regular gym rotation since, the Mariners dropped a lackadaisical clunker to the Diamondbacks yesterday afternoon. It’s one of the few blemishes of Mariners baseball in recent weeks and, honestly, the uniforms were probably the worst part. With a series win over Arizona, they’re two games above .500 and half a game above the Rangers for first in the division. They’ve won their last four series tidily, powered by some gutsy, dominant pitching.
The Atlanta Braves are the best team in baseball. It is very good, this baseball they play on the Atlanta, Georgia baseball team. Once again, they have established themselves as one of the most complete teams in the league, and it’s hard to fathom them showing any real weakness… unless the calendar has flipped over to October, or you’re a Braves fan. If you wish to complain right now (and oh, some of those fans would like to, heartily), you might bemoan an offense that hasn’t exactly kept pace with powerhouse pitching. Not that Mariners fans are familiar with any part of that last sentence.
Top to bottom, this is a lineup with no real give. Ronald Acuña Jr. is Ronald Acuña Jr. Ozzie Albies, out with a broken toe, returned on Friday. Travis d’Arnaud is actively besting Father Time, mashing everything in sight, and their DH has done a lot too. Longtime AL West menace, Matt Olson has struggled uncharacteristically at the plate and, not unlike Eugenio Suárez, Jarred Kelenic had a spicy start to the season but is now experiencing some acid reflux courtesy of a 32.8% K rate.
Probable Pitchers
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Fried takes the mound in Seattle fresh off a start that had pace-of-play fanatics salivating: A Maddux in under two hours against the Marlins. Rocking a four-pitch mix, Fried’s bendy stuff could be particularly challenging for a Mariners team that seems frequently bamboozled by movement, and it’s easy to see them falling, repeatedly, for Fried’s especially potent curveball. If Seattle can rustle up some patience at the plate, though, they may be rewarded -- Fried has struggled with command in his first few starts of the year.
When they’re not facing him, López will be a fun story to follow this season. A journeyman big leaguer who spent his last few seasons as a reliever, the Braves signed him to a three year deal this off season, and many expected him to help anchor the bullpen. Instead López battled it out for a spot in the rotation during Spring Training, and has arguably been the team’s best starter, giving up just two earned runs in 25 innings of work this season. As a reliever, López relied on a 98+ MPH four-seamer and slider, and though he’s eased back on the fastball velo as a starter, that 1-2 combo remains effective. There’s a curveball and changeup tucked away in his arsenal too, but they don’t get frequent play.
Under even the best of circumstances, the passage of time boggles the mind, and good lord does the mind boggle at 2024 Atlanta Brave Chris Sale. 2024 Atlanta Brave Chris Sale who is good? To the dismay of hitters across the league, the start of this season seems to portend a return to form for the 35-year-old lefty. Now if only we could get him to pick those scissors back up too, and redirect his attention to these Fanatics monstrosities…
The Big Picture:
Good. The Mariners sit atop the AL West, half a game ahead of the Rangers. Texas hosts the Nationals, who have been a surprisingly tough opponent, this week The Astros swept the Rockies in the two-game Mexico City series and return home to face the league-leading Guardians tomorrow.