The Atlanta Braves are set to conclude their series with the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday evening.
It’s a rubber match between the two NL contenders, and a few hours before first pitch, the Braves have revealed their lineup, which features a major Ozzie Albies boost.
Atlanta will send out rookie JR Ritchie to the bump, while the Cubs are going with LHP Shota Imanaga, which has prompted a lot of changes by manager Walt Weiss.
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Ozzie Albies Slotted As Cleanup Man on Wednesday Against Cubs
Ozzie Albies, very notably, hits LHP much better than righties (although he had a clutch 2R home run on Tuesday evening against RHP Jacob Webb), so when there’s a southpaw starter going for the Braves opponent, it usually means Ozzie Albies is going to get a bump in the order.
So after batting eighth on Tuesday, moving up to the cleanup spot is a major boost.
Here is the full Atlanta Braves batting order for 9/16:
Braves 9/16: “R. Acuña Jr. RF D. Baldwin DH M. Olson 1B, O. Albies 2B M. Harris II CF M. Dubón LF A. Riley 3B S. Murphy C H. Kim SS J. Ritchie SP”
R. Acuña Jr. RF D. Baldwin DH M. Olson 1B O. Albies 2B M. Harris II CF M. Dubón LF A. Riley 3B S. Murphy C H. Kim SS
J. Ritchie SP
Other lineup tweaks include Drake Baldwin and Ronald Acuña Jr. switching spots, Austin Riley dropped to 7th, and Sean Murphy forming a battery with JR Ritchie.
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Taking a Quick Look at Ozzie Albies This Season
It’s been a very up-and-down season for Braves infielder Ozzie Albies.
He was named an All-Star back in July, but Ozzie Albies has certainly slowed down at the plate since.
He’s played in 152 games for the Braves, which is very impressive, as he’s on pace to play all 162 games.
Over 580 at-bats, Albies has 22 home runs, 27 doubles, and 71 RBI. His OPS+ is 93, and Ozzie has a bWAR of 1.6.
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