Pitching Matchups Announced For Upcoming Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves Series
The Houston Astros will visit the Atlanta Braves for a 2021 World Series rematch at Truist Park in Atlanta over the weekend. The three-game series will be one of the more high-profile matchups of the season and will pit two World Series favorites against each other.
The pitching matchups for the weekend series have already been announced.
Friday night: Bryce Elder (ATL) vs. Hunter Brown (HOU)
Saturday: Kyle Wright (ATL) vs. Framber Valdez (HOU)
Sunday: Max Fried (ATL) vs. Cristian Javier (HOU)
Friday's matchup features the two most raw pitchers in this series. Elder is 23 years old and made his debut last year. He's 4-4 for his career with a 2.76 ERA but its out to a 2-0 start this year with a 1.53 ERA.
Brown, 24, is another link in the exciting chain of young Astros prospects. He's out to a 2-0 start this year with a 1.93 ERA. Lifetime, he's 4-0 with a 1.38 ERA.
Wright led the National League in wins last year with 21 and is 23-13 in his career. He started this year on the injured list but has come back to make two starts, posting an ERA of 6.23 in those. Valdez, one of the top pitchers in the American League, helped the Astros win the World Series in 2022. He went 17-6 last year with a 2.82 ERA and has posted a 1.80 ERA thus far this year.
Fried, just made his return from the injured list the other day, throwing five dominant innings against the Padres. He allowed no runs on four hits, with no walks and five strikeouts. He threw 79 pitches in the outing, 55 of which were for strikes.
Javier is 2-0 this year for Houston with a 3.68 ERA.
Friday's game one of the series begins at 7:20 p.m. ET
