After the first two games of this series, the real damage has been done. The Washington Nationals have clinched the division, and the Atlanta Braves are now scrambling just to make it back over .500 as they are in the midst of a 5-game losing streak.
Today is going to be one of the best chances for the Braves to possibly break that streak, because the Nationals have basically put out a AAA lineup for tonight's game. There are maybe 2 or 3 familiar names in that lineup, as the Nationals have decided to take advantage of clinching the division a bit early by getting their regulars some rest while seeing what some of the September call-ups have to offer.
Meanwhile, the Braves are still trotting out that same wonky lineup that they've had for the previous two games, and are clearly hoping that the third time is the charm. On the bright side, Alex Wood will be pitching tonight, so maybe he'll be able to take advantage of the Nationals B-team lineup. As far as the Braves lineup taking advantage of rookie starter Blake Treinen, well, that's anybody's guess. Again, let's just hope for the best.
Here are the lineups and further data on Treinen:
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<h3>Today's Lineups</h3>
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<th align="left">WASHINGTON NATIONALS</th>
<th align="left">ATLANTA BRAVES</th>
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<tr><td class="td-last td-name">Michael Taylor - CF</td><td class="td-first td-name">Phil Gosselin - 2B</td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name">Danny Espinosa - SS</td><td class="td-first td-name">Andrelton Simmons - SS</td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name">Kevin Frandsen - 3B</td><td class="td-first td-name">Freddie Freeman - 1B</td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name">Tyler Moore - 1B</td><td class="td-first td-name">Justin Upton - LF</td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name">Nate Schierholtz - RF</td><td class="td-first td-name">Jason Heyward - RF</td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name">Steve Souza - LF</td><td class="td-first td-name">Christian Bethancourt - C</td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name">Jeff Kobernus - 2B</td><td class="td-first td-name">Chris Johnson - 3B</td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name">Sandy Leon - C</td><td class="td-first td-name">B.J. Upton - CF</td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name">Blake Treinen - RHP</td><td class="td-first td-name">Alex Wood - LHP</td></tr></tbody>
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Trajectory and Movement - from 01/01/2014 to 01/01/2015
Pitch Type | Count | Freq | Velo (mph) | pfx HMov (in.) | pfx VMov (in.) | H. Rel (ft.) | V. Rel (ft.) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fourseam | 53 | 8.62% | 96.07 | -6.38 | 7.87 | -1.77 | 6.54 |
Sinker | 432 | 70.24% | 95.96 | -9.78 | 3.44 | -1.86 | 6.45 |
Change | 38 | 6.18% | 86.16 | -7.96 | 2.14 | -1.66 | 6.59 |
Slider | 88 | 14.31% | 84.88 | 4.54 | -3.75 | -1.84 | 6.61 |