Series Preview: Braves Take on Twins in Minnesota for First Time Since 2019

The Atlanta Braves (70-60) begin their road trip on Monday night with a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins (72-58). The two clubs have only faced off 29 times with Atlanta leading the all-time series 17-12.

Atlanta is coming off of a successful homestand, going 4-2 and earning series wins against the Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals. They have now won four consecutive series and gone 10-5 over their last 15 games. The Braves still hold second place in the National League East - six games behind the Phillies. In the Wild Card, they still trail the Arizona Diamondbacks by 4.5 games for the top spot. Atlanta leads the New York Mets by 2.5 games for the final Wild Card spot.

Despite a resurgence in the win column, the Braves have some major work to do at the plate if they hope to compete with a strong Twins team. Atlanta has averaged just 2.7 runs/game over the past seven contests. With Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies out for the next several weeks, the Braves will look for offense elsewhere as they chase a seventh-straight playoff berth.

The Twins are tied for third place in a strong American League Central division. They trail the first-place Cleveland Guardians by three games heading into Monday night. Minnesota has a deep lineup of sluggers, tied for the seventh-most runs scored in MLB and ranking in the top 10 for doubles, triples, and homers. Catcher Ryan Jeffers leads the team with 20 home runs. Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa have also had great seasons, each with an OPS over .860, but will likely both miss the series against Atlanta.

Pitching has been relatively average for Minnesota, although they have struck out the fourth-most hitters in baseball this season. The Braves will miss a couple of the Twin's stronger arms in Pablo López and Joe Ryan. López leads the team with 167 strikeouts, Ryan not far behind with 147 of his own. Command has been a major problem for the Minnesota staff, who has allowed the second-most walks in MLB.

Pitching Matchups

Monday: LHP Max Fried (7-7, 3.57) vs. RHP Bailey Ober (12-5, 3.54)

After three straight starts allowing three or more earned runs, Max Fried settled down last time out against the Philadelphia Phillies. He made it through seven inning for the first time since June 4 and allowed just three baserunners. Tonight he faces the Twins for the second time in his career. Bailey Ober has pitched well in what is his fifth season with Minnestota. Over his last six starts he is 4-0 with a 2.02 ERA with 39 strikeouts.

Tuesday: RHP Spencer Schwellenbach (5-6, 3.94) vs. RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (5-3, 3.69)

The Braves' rookie has been excellent over the past couple months. He has allowed three or fewer runs in seven of his last eight starts and pitched five or more innings in all but one start this season. Strikeouts are also starting to pile up for the right-hander who has a 12.7 K/9 rate over his last 6 outings. Woods Richardson is pitching well in his first full season with the Twins after throwing just 9.2 innings combined between 2022 and 2023. He has earned the win in his last two starts, allowing three earned runs over 10 innings.

Wednesday: Chris Sale (14-3, 2.62 ) vs. RHP David Festa (2-3, 5.20)

Chris Sale extended his streak of allowing two or fewer earned runs to 13 straight games when he pitched seven innings against the Washington Nationals on Friday night. Despite allowing a season-high nine hits, he pitched well enough to help Atlanta earn a walk-off win in extras and improved his case for the National League Cy Young Award. Sale is 11-6 with a 3.81 ERA in his career against Minnesota. Twins rookie David Festa made his MLB debut just two short months ago. He struggled his last time out, giving up three runs over 3.2 innings. In three of his eight starts he has pitched five innings and given up two or fewer runs.

Injury Update

The Braves received great news on Sunday evening when it was announced that Michael Harris II did not suffer a fracture in his hand after being hit by a pitch in game three against Washington. Harris is listed as day-to-day. Marcell Ozuna appeared to be in lots of pain after fouling a ball off his shin during Sunday's contest. He is not expected to miss any time.

Minnesota will be playing without their star shortstop Carlos Correa (right plantar fasciitis) who has been out for over a month. Veteran Byron Buxton was placed on the injured list with right hip inflammation back on August 15. He could potentially return for this series, but it seems more likely that the Twins hold him out until after the Braves leave town.

Broadcast Information

All three games are scheduled to start at 7:40 p.m. EST. The Braves broadcast can be viewed on Bally Sports South. 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.