On Monday night, the Atlanta Braves will begin a three-game series with the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.
Most recently, the Braves lost the series finale against the Brewers 9-4 on Sunday.
Austin Riley went 1-for-4 in the series finale.
Atlanta Braves Announce Austin Riley Decision
Ahead of the series opener, the Atlanta Braves announced their starting lineup.
M. Dubón LF D. Baldwin C M. Olson 1B O. Albies 2B M. Harris II CF A. Riley 3B D. Smith DH M. Yastrzemski RF J. Mateo SS
G. Holmes SP
Underdog MLB posted on X: “Braves 6/22 M. Dubón LF D. Baldwin C M. Olson 1B O. Albies 2B M. Harris II CF A. Riley 3B D. Smith DH M. Yastrzemski RF J. Mateo SS G. Holmes SP”
As was the case in the Brewers series, Riley will continue to bat sixth in the lineup. He last batted fifth in the series finale against the San Francisco Giants. Despite going 3-for-5 on that occasion, Riley has stayed in the No. 6 spot.
The Braves’ third baseman went 2-for-10 against the Brewers with an RBI and four strikeouts.
On the season, the two-time All-Star is batting .211 with 58 hits, 12 doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 31 runs, 36 RBIs and four stolen bases in 76 games.
His .638 OPS is the lowest of his career, and has continued a worrying trend for Riley where his OPS has declined in each season since 2022.
Defensively, he has not fared much better as Baseball Savant lists him at -4 fielding run value with -5 outs above average.
Braves Right Now
Despite the loss on Sunday, the Braves won the series against the Brewers after taking the first two games. Following the series win, the Braves improved to 48-28 on the season as they remain in first place of the National League East, 6.5 games above the Philadelphia Phillies.
Right-hander Grant Holmes will make his 15th start of the season. He enters Monday’s game with a 4-3 record and a 4.33 ERA across 68.2 innings this season. Holmes has allowed two or more runs in five consecutive starts.
Padres Right Now
Meanwhile, the San Diego Padres have also announced their starting lineup for the series opener.
F. Tatis Jr. RF J. Merrill CF M. Machado 3B G. Sheets DH T. France 1B X. Bogaerts SS W. Wagner 2B R. Durán C S. Taylor LF
M. King SP
Underdog MLB posted on X: “Padres 6/22 F. Tatis Jr. RF J. Merrill CF M. Machado 3B G. Sheets DH T. France 1B X. Bogaerts SS W. Wagner 2B R. Durán C S. Taylor LF M. King SP”
At 39-37, the Padres are in second place in the National League West. They have gone 5-5 in their last 10 games.
Atlanta Braves Announce Austin Riley Decision Amid Padres Series