On Monday night, the Atlanta Braves will begin a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field.
Most recently, the Braves won the series finale 5-3 over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday.
Austin Riley went 2-for-4 during the win on Sunday.
Atlanta Braves Announce Austin Riley Decision
Ahead of the series opener on Monday, the Atlanta Braves announced their starting lineup.
D. Baldwin C R. Acuña Jr. DH M. Olson 1B M. Harris II CF M. Dubón LF O. Albies 2B M. Yastrzemski RF A. Riley 3B J. Jarvis SS
M. Pérez SP
Underdog MLB posted on X: “Braves 8/17 D. Baldwin C R. Acuña Jr. DH M. Olson 1B M. Harris II CF M. Dubón LF O. Albies 2B M. Yastrzemski RF A. Riley 3B J. Jarvis SS M. Pérez SP”
Monday’s game will mark the sixth consecutive time Riley has appeared as the team’s No. 8 hitter. Riley has alternated between the seventh and eighth spot in the lineup over the past 16 games. In that span, he’s posted a .302 batting average with a .911 OPS.
Riley had not served as the No. 8 hitter for the Braves since 2022 prior to this season. He has already started 13 games in that spot this season.
Overall, the two-time All-Star is batting .224 with 99 hits, 19 doubles, 15 home runs, one triple, 52 runs, 58 RBIs and seven stolen bases in 123 games. His .670 OPS is the lowest of his career and the first time since 2020 that Riley has been a below league average hitter.
Braves Right Now
After dropping two out of the three against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Atlanta Braves fell to 74-50. They are 7.5 ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East. Atlanta has gone 5-5 over their last 10 games.
Left-hander Martín Pérez is set to make his 20th start this season for Atlanta. He enters Tuesday’s game with an 8-6 record and a 2.96 ERA in 106.1 innings this season. Pérez had a strong last outing as he did not allow a run over six innings against the Mets.
Twins Right Now
Meanwhile, the Minnesota Twins have also announced their starting lineup for Monday’s game.
L. Keaschall RF B. Buxton CF R. Jeffers C J. Bell DH R. Lewis 1B K. Clemens 2B B. Lee 3B K. Culpepper SS A. Roden LF
B. Ober SP
Underdog MLB posted on X: “Twins 8/17 L. Keaschall RF B. Buxton CF R. Jeffers C J. Bell DH R. Lewis 1B K. Clemens 2B B. Lee 3B K. Culpepper SS A. Roden LF B. Ober SP”
Most recently, the Twins were swept by the Phillies. They blew a 5-0 lead during their series finale on Sunday.
At 60-65, the Twins are 1.5 behind the third Wild Card spot in the American League. They have gone 4-6 over their last 10 games.
Atlanta Braves Announce Austin Riley Decision Before Twins Series