After a streak-stopping defeat on Wednesday in Miami, the Atlanta Braves bounced back strong with a series-opening win over the New York Mets on Thursday night. In the second of a four-game set on Friday, Brian Snitker will send young right-hander Aaron Blair to the mound, as the Braves look to maintain their recent mojo.
Blair has struggled since arriving from Gwinnett, posting a 7.19 ERA across ten starts and 46.1 innings. However, the 24-year-old has been sharper in recent outings, and Blair was able to preside over a win in New York last week. In that outing, Blair allowed five hits and one walk in six innings, and while he did issue three earned runs, the right-hander provided Atlanta with a real chance to win while striking out four batters.
On this night, Blair will be opposed by Steven Matz, and that is slightly terrifying for Braves fans. In two starts against Atlanta this season, the talented left-hander has allowed only two earned runs in 13.2 innings, and during that time, Matz has 15 strikeouts against only two walks. As is the case with many top-shelf left-handed pitchers, Matz is a brutal match-up for this particular Braves team, but the offense has come alive in recent days and perhaps that will continue here.
The Braves are fairly significant underdogs, with the Mets sitting as approximately -175 (64%) favorites behind their dominant left-hander, but Atlanta has bucked the trend recently. Stay tuned throughout the day for all the latest, and let's do this together.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Friday, June 24, 2016, 7:35 pm ET
Location: Turner Field, Atlanta, Georgia
TV: Fox Sports South, MLB.tv (streaming)
Radio: 680 AM, 93.7 FM (Flagship in Atlanta), WYAY 106.7, Braves Radio Network