Braves Shuffle Outfield In Front of Chris Sale to Take on Orioles
The Atlanta Braves, halfway through camp, are trying some new things in the outfield as they look to identify the best mix of players to take north.
The MLB regulars have the day off in the outfield, with the duo of Michael Harris II and Jarred Kelenic joining Ronald Acuña Jr (knee) on the sidelines as Atlanta prepares to take on the Baltimore Orioles from North Port this afternoon. Forrest Wall isn't in the lineup, either, giving some of the depth candidates for the final bench spot a chance to show what they can do with extended run.
Here's how the Braves will line up for today's contest:
2B Ozzie Albies
3B Austin Riley
1B Matt Olson
DH Marcell Ozuna
C Travis d'Arnaud
SS Orlando Arcia
LF Jordan Luplow
CF Eli White
RF Luis Liberato
Chris Sale makes his third start of spring today, with lefties Aaron Bummer & Tyler Matzek and righties Joe Jímenez and Pierce Johnson scheduled to follow.
Atlanta's giving a pair of non-roster invitees, Eli White and Jordan Luplow, an opportunity to make a case for the final bench spot on the Opening Day roster in this one. White's making a strong case, batting .412 with two stolen bases (significant, as Alex Anthopoulos has said that 'speed will play a factor' in the final bench role), but without any home runs. Luplow, who was a candidate for the final spot that ended up going to Kevin Pillar last season, is batting .235 in spring with 2 homers and 6 RBIs.
Both of them bring more career major league experience to the battle than favorite Forrest Wall, with White having 130 games of MLB time and Lupow a staggering 361, but they're both trying to catch the red-hot Wall in the competition, as he's batting .389 with a 1.365 OPS in spring. Wall's flashed power, speed, and defense this spring, as well, with three homers and several highlight-worthy defensive plays already in Grapefruit League action.
Here's how Baltimore will line up today:
CF Ryan McKenna
C Adley Rutschman
3B Ramon Urías
2B Jordan Westburg
SS Jorge Mateo
LF Colton Cowser
DH Coby Mayo
RF Kyle Stowers
1B Tyler Nevin
Starting for the Orioles is RHP Dean Kremer, with left-handers Cade Povich and Keegan Akin scheduled to follow him.
How to Watch the Atlanta Braves and Baltimore Orioles on Saturday, March 9th
First pitch from Atlanta's CoolToday Park is scheduled for 1:05 PM ET. The game broadcast is available on MLB.com for subscribers of MLB.tv, and the radio call can be found on the Atlanta Braves Radio Network.