With another series of dominant pitching, the Atlanta Braves (68-59) have now won three consecutive series and seven of their past 10 games.
Despite losing Austin Riley this week, Atlanta took care of business, winning two out of three games in a pivotal series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Heading into Friday night's contest, the Braves sit in second place in the National League East - six games behind Philadelphia. In the Wild Card, they still trail the Arizona Diamondbacks by three games for the top spot. Atlanta leads the New York Mets by 1.5 games for the final Wild Card spot.
The additions of Whit Merrifield and Gio Urshela have paid off for Atlanta as they desperately need quality at-bats to replace the production of injured Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies. In the Phillies series, the pair combined to hit .333 with three extra-base hits and 2 RBI as well as displaying spectacular defense in the field. The pitching staff also limited an impressive Phillies lineup to just six runs over the past three games. Atlanta hopes these trends continue as they look ahead to the weekend.
On Friday night the Braves begin a three-game series against the Washington Nationals (58-70). Atlanta has won the season series against Washington every year since 2017, but has just managed a 2-6 record against them this year. With five games remaining between the two clubs, the Braves still have a chance to finish 2024 with a better head-to-head record.
Pitching Matchups
Friday: LHP Chris Sale (14-3) vs. LHP Mackenzie Gore (7-11, 4.66)
The Braves ace will start game one on Friday night. Sale has not allowed more than three runs in a start since June 1, but he is 0-2 against the Nationals over the past two seasons. Atlanta will take on Mackenzie Gore for the third time this season. Gore has been in a major rut of late, posting a 7.50 ERA over his last eight starts.
Saturday: RHP Charlie Morton (7-7, 4.29) vs. RHP Jake Irvin (9-10, 3.81)
Charlie Morton will look for redemption against Washington after a couple of tough outings earlier this season. Morton is 0-2 with 19 hits and 12 earned runs allowed against the Nats in 2024. He has looked more like vintage Charlie in his last two starts, but he will be opposing Jake Irvin who has thrown 12 scoreless innings with 14 strikeouts against the Braves this season.
Sunday: RHP Reynaldo L ó pez (7-4, 2.05) vs. LHP DJ Herz (2-6, 4.15)
Reynaldo López will make his second start of August in Sunday's finale. He was sharp in his return from injury in game one against the Phillies, striking out 10 batters over five innings. Atlanta faced DJ Herz back in June in what was his second career start, scoring two runs against him over 4.2 innings pitched.
Injury Update
It was announced Wednesday that reliever A.J. Minter underwent season-ending surgery for a left hip issue that has plagued him for a few months. Grant Holmes and Pierce Johnson will continue to pitch in those sixth and seventh inning slots with Minter out for the year. Jorge Soler has not made a start since August 14 after injuring his hamstring. The slugger made two pinch hit appearances against Philadelphia but did not stay in the game. The Braves are hopeful he can return in the field this weekend. Travis d'Arnaud is also expected to return to the lineup this weekend after being HBP in the wrist on Sunday.
Broadcast Information
Friday and Saturday's games are scheduled to start at 7:20 p.m. EST. The Braves broadcast for those contests can be viewed on Bally Sports Southeast. The first pitch for Sunday's finale is set for 12:05 p.m. EST and will be a national broadcast on Roku. You can listen to the games by tuning in to the Atlanta Braves Radio Network on 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan and affiliates across Braves Country.
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