We've finally reached the point in the Braves' annual west-coast swing where the light is at the end of the tunnel. They picked up one win out of three in Los Angeles, and managed to salvage a split in San Francisco in dramatic fashion. Now, the Braves will be hoping to end this long trip out west on a good note as they visit the Arizona Diamondbacks for three games.
After playing two of the top teams in the NL West for seven games, this visit to the desert may seem like a bit of an oasis, as the Braves will be facing a team that's under .500 at home. This isn't to say that the Diamondbacks are going to be a breeze of fresh air for the Braves, at least when it comes to Arizona's offense. The Braves just got done visiting the top two teams in batter fWAR in the National League so far this season, and now they'll be visiting the #4 team. Of course, when you talk about the D-Backs, you have to talk about perennial MVP candidate Paul Goldschmidt, who is having another solid season so far. He's been hitting .354/.463/.680 with 15 home runs and 202 wRC+ for 3.0 fWAR, which puts him in 4th place in all of baseball on the fWAR leaderboards. Needless to say, he's the key component of this Diamondbacks squad, but that's no surprise.
Meanwhile, A.J. Pollock has been the team's second-best batter so far (.314/.366/.465, 5 HR, 127 wRC+), and he's been closely followed by David Peralta and Mark Trumbo. Add Yasmany Tomas to the fold (who won't be starting tonight), and you've got a pretty solid offensive lineup; One that Shelby Miller, Mike Foltynewicz, and Alex Wood will all have to be on their A-game to contain.
On the other hand, the pitching has been what's been letting the Diamondbacks down so far. They have a bunch of decent arms, but they don't really have anybody in their pitching staff who is really all that intimidating. In fact, the Braves should have some good matchups for this series, starting with Monday night's opposing pitcher: Archie Bradley. Bradley's been having a rough season so far (5.28 ERA, 4.46 FIP, 4.81 xFIP), and he's given up four or more earned runs in his last three starts, so there's a big chance for the Braves to get something done with the bats. Meanwhile, Rubby de la Rosa and Josh Collmenter have both been unspectacular this season to say the least. There's no Clayton Kershaws or Madison Bumgarners to deal with in Arizona, so again: This is a solid opportunity for the Braves' offense to continue dinking and dunking their way to success.
Overall, the Diamondbacks aren't a terrible team, but they're a team that the Braves should have a solid shot against. If the Braves can finish this west coast swing with a winning record over the trip, it'd be amazing, but that'll only come if they can take advantage of some favorable pitching matchups and keep Goldschmidt and company at bay. Hopefully the Braves can end this trip on a winning note.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Monday, June 1st at 9:40 PM EST
Alex Wood (ATL): 3-2, 3.50 ERA, 3.17 FIP, 52.7%GB%
vs.
Archie Bradley (ARI): 2-2, 5.28 ERA, 4.46 FIP, 5.58 BB/9
Tuesday, June 2nd at 9:40 PM EST
Shelby Miller (ATL): 5-2, 1.48 ERA, 3.35 FIP, 88.7% LOB%
vs.
Josh Collmenter (ARI): 3-5, 5.05 ERA, 4.60 FIP, 1.42 HR/9
Wednesday, June 3rd at 3:40 PM EST
Mike Foltynewicz (ATL): 3-2, 3.96 ERA, 3.67 FIP, 9.41 K/9
vs.
Rubby de la Rosa (ARI): 4-2, 4.50 ERA, 4.08 FIP, 16.9% HR/FB%