Lineup, how to watch Spencer Strider go for John Smoltz's single season strikeout record versus Washington on Saturday

Atlanta Braves pitcher Spencer Strider, in only his second full season in the majors, has quickly become MLB's preeminent strikeout artist. Relying predominantly on just two insanely-effective pitches, a four-seam fastball and a slider, Strider's leading all of Major League Baseball in both strikeouts (274) and strikeout rate (13.6 K/9). He's got a new target in his sights: John Smoltz's modern-era franchise record for strikeouts in a single season, coming in Smoltz's 1996 Cy Young year where he punched out 276 batters in 253.2 innings, for a strikeouts rate of 9.8 K/9. It'll only take three strikeouts today for Strider to take the record, but it's not the franchise's all-time record - as always, that's held by a Boston Beaneater, with 23 year-old Charlie Buffinton getting 417 strikeouts in his 1884 season, after going 48-16 with a 2.15 ERA in his 67 starts, at a rate of 6.4 K/9 in his 587 innings.

Lineup for the Atlanta Braves on Saturday, September 30th

Here's how the Braves will line up for the contest:

.@SpencerSTRIDer gets the start!#ForTheA pic.twitter.com/2KcvCIzhgh
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 30, 2023

Atlanta's playing the regulars today, with Michael Harris II and Orlando Arcia back in the lineup after a day off. Sean Murphy is tonight's catcher, batting 7th.

Pitching Matchup for the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals on Saturday, September 30th

Starting for Atlanta, as we mentioned above, is Spencer Strider. He's 19-5 (a league leading .792 winning percentage) with a 3.81 ERA in his 31 starts and a league leading 2.87 FIP. This'll be his third start against Washington this season - he went six scoreless innings with nine strikeouts in April's opening weekend, but struggled with four runs on seven hits in 5.2 innings last week, striking out only four. No Nationals hitters have a particularly long track record against Strider, but 2nd baseman Luis García is 4-10 with two homers and three RBIs in limited action.

Opposing the Braves will be Nationals righty Joan Adon. 2-4 with a 6.42 ERA in his eleven appearances (nine starts), he's hoping for better results against Atlanta in his 2nd time out: last week, he gave up five runs on four hits in only 4.2 innings, walking four and giving up an home run to Kevin Pillar, en route to a 8-5 Atlanta victory.

How to Watch the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals on Saturday, September 30th

Tonight's first pitch is set for 7:20 PM ET, with the game broadcast available locally on Bally Sports Southeast and nationally on MLB.TV. The radio call is available in the Atlanta metro area on 680 The Fan and across the Southeast on the Atlanta Braves Radio Network.

Check out Braves Today on Socials!
Follow Braves Today on Twitter!
Like Braves Today on Facebook!
Check out the homepage for more Atlanta Braves News!
Subscribe to Braves Today on YouTube!
Get Exclusive Braves Merchandise from FOCO