Braves start the new week three games up in the NL East
The Braves (19-14) start the new week in first place, three games up on the Miami Marlins (14-15) and the Philadelphia Phillies (14-15). Atlanta is 4.5 games up on the New York Mets (15-19) and 6.0 games up on the Washington Nationals (12-19).
It’s on to Boston for the Braves after salvaging the last game of the weekend series in Philadelphia. Max Fried (5-0, 1.35) pitches for the Braves Monday against Boston’s Colton Brewer (0-2, 4.57). Ian Anderson (1-0, 1.50) goes for Atlanta Tuesday at Fenway Park against the team he grew up rooting for as a kid in upstate New York.
After a day off Thursday following the three-game set in Boston, the Braves start a seven-game homestand. They’ll start Friday with a 4:05 p.m. ET start to a double-header against the Washington Nationals. Then the Marlins come in next Monday for a three-game set, including a day game on Labor Day.
One player red hot for the Braves is third baseman Austin Riley, who was 2-4 Sunday night with an RBI double and a two-run home run, all in the 10-run second inning for the Braves. In his last 10 games, has hit .371 (13-35) with three home runs and nine RBI. Riley is having better at bats, getting hits off breaking balls and going the other way.
In Dansby Swanson’s last 14 games, he’s hit .361 (22-61) with three home runs and six runs batted in. Since Nick Markakis returned on August 26, he’s hit .316 (6-19) with three doubles and three runs batted in for five games. And in Marcell Ozuna’s last 12 games, he’s hit .356 (16-45) with four home runs and 12 RBI.
We’ll see how Ronald Acuna, Jr.’s hamstring feels like when the Braves arrive in Boston. He was removed in the third inning and will be re-evaluated Monday before game one of the series.
For more coverage of Monday’s trade deadline, listen to The Bill Shanks Show today at 3:00 p.m. ET on TheSuperStations.com. Follow Bill on Twitter @billshanks and you can email him at thebillshanksshow@yahoo.com.