The Atlanta Braves are looking to avoid being swept at the hands of the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays this week.
The series concludes on Thursday afternoon with a pitching matchup between Martin Perez and Nick Martinez.
Before the Rays series finale took place, the Braves announced an intriguing Brewer Hicklen decision.
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Brewer Hicklen Slotted as DH for Braves on Thursday
In an intriguing decision by Walt Weiss, Brewer Hicklen is batting 8th for the Atlanta Braves.
He is playing as the DH. Brewer Hicklen hasn’t played much this season (most of the season in the minors), but he has been fairly productive in his big-league opportunities.
Per @UnderdogMLB, here is the full Braves batting order:
Braves 9/10: “D. Baldwin C R. Acuña Jr. RF M. Olson 1B M. Harris II CF M. Dubón 2B L. Thomas LF A. Riley 3B B. Hicklen DH H. Kim SS M. Pérez SP”
Taking a quick look at Brewers‘ Hicklen, he has batted .364 in 22 at-bats. He has three RBI and four doubles in those ABs.
Hicklen has played in parts of four MLB seasons, but all of his appearances with clubs have been very brief.
Across 34 total ABs in MLB, Hicklen carries a .294 average with zero home runs.
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Looking at the Rest of the Braves Lineup on Thursday
For Thursday’s game, there are plenty of changes.
First, Ozzie Albies is out of the lineup.
Mauricio Dubon takes over at second base, Ha-Seong Kim is playing SS, and Sean Murphy is out of the lineup, while Drake Baldwin takes over catching duties. He forms a battery with Martin Perez.
As for the Braves right now, they still carry a three-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East and will host their divisional rival in a crucial weekend set, starting on Friday (at Truist Park).
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Atlanta Braves Make Intriguing Brewer Hicklen Announcement to Salvage Rays Series