Braves Send Spencer Schwellenbach to Mound in 'All-Name Game'

The Atlanta Braves are in a fight down the stretch, trying to hold on to their position in the final National League Wild Card spot.

But that doesn't mean they can't enjoy the little fun things that make baseball great.

Today's pitching matchup is just that: Fun.

Spencer Schwellenbach (5-6, 3.94) takes on Minnesota Twins rookie Simeon Woods-Richardson (5-3, 3.69), two incredibly long last names for a jersey. At 29 characters, all indications are that it might be the longest starting pitcher last name pairing in modern MLB history .

Update: The team's game notes and baseball reference have both confirmed that the 28 characters (Woods-Richardson does not use the hyphen on his game jersey) is in fact the longest last name pitching matchup in MLB history.

But this is no laughing matter - both teams need a win here. Atlanta is preparing to head to Philadelphia for a four-game series against the Phillies and every victory gets them closer to overcoming the six-game deficit in the standings. The Twins, however, lost yesterday but still gained ground on the AL Central-leading Cleveland Guardians, who dropped both ends of a doubleheader to the Kansas City Royals yesterday. Both teams are currently in the final wild-card spot in their respective leagues, but both need to win to maintain pace over their closest rivals, the New York Mets and the Boston Red Sox, respectively.

Lineup for the Atlanta Braves and Minnesota Twins on Tuesday, August 27th

Here's how the Braves will line up for the contest:

2B Whit Merrifield
RF Jorge Soler
DH Marcell Ozuna
1B Matt Olson
C Travis d'Arnaud
CF Michael Harris II
LF Ramón Laureano
3B Gio Urshela
SS Orlando Arcia

Atlanta gets Michael Harris II back in the lineup after he left Sunday's game following a HBP in the left hand. Initially held out of last night's lineup in the series opener, he checked in to play defense later in the game and appeared to be fine while swinging the bat. He'll be batting sixth, while leading off will once again be Whit Merrified, who went 5-5 last night for the second time in his career. A longtime member of the Kansas City Royals, 738 of his 1131 career games played have seen him take his at-bats from the leadoff spot, where he hit .284 with a .750 OPS.

Here is Minnesota's lineup for Tuesday evening:

SS Willi Castro
LF Trevor Larnach
DH Matt Wallner
2B Edouard Julien
3B Royce Lewis
RF Max Kepler
1B Carlos Santana
C Ryan Jeffers
CF Austin Martin

Both rookies, neither Schwellenbach or Woods-Richardson have faced the opposing team. No Twins hitters have an at-bat off of Schwellenbach, while exactly three Braves have faced Woods-Richardson: Ramón Laureano (0-2), Jorge Soler (1-3), and Gio Urshela (0-4).

How to Watch the Atlanta Braves and Minnesota Twins on Tuesday, August 27th

Tonight's middle game of the series is scheduled for 7:40 PM ET from Target Field in Minneapolis. The Braves television broadcast can be found on Bally Sports South, while the radio call is on 680AM/93.7 FM The Fan.