After outscoring the Toronto Blue Jays 19-11 for back-to-back wins at the Rogers Centre, the Atlanta Braves probably wished they never had to leave Canada.
However, Atlanta will return to SunTrust Park — where they’re a dismal 5-8 — for game three of a home-and-home series with the Blue Jays.
The Braves enter Wednesday as winners of four of their last five games and are averaging 6.2 runs a game over that stretch. Freddie Freeman has continued his offensive dominance in 2017 as he is now slashing .343/.457/.754 with 204 wRC+ and is tied with Aaron Judge for the most home runs in Major League Baseball (14).
Perhaps an even more uplifting offensive development has been Dansby Swanson’s hitting streak, which extended to eight games yesterday. Swanson has recorded back-to-back multi-hit games against the Blue Jays and has his slash line up to .194/.269/.279. To provide greater context, Swanson batted .156 in April with 14 hits, 24 strikeouts and just five walks in 95 plate appearances. In May, he’s batting .282 with 11 hits, 14 strikeouts and nine walks over 50 plate appearances. Albeit a smaller sample size, his numbers are undoubtedly trending in the right direction.
Mike Foltynewicz will be on the mound for the Braves on Wednesday. He enters with a 4.04 ERA and a 4.57 FIP. Foltynewicz had a solid outing in his last start as he allowed one run on six hits and struck out four without issuing a walk over six innings pitched en route to Atlanta’s 8-4 win over the Miami Marlins.
Foltynewicz will look to turn things around for Atlanta’s pitchers at SunTrust Park. Coming into Wednesday, the unit has allowed 6.2 runs per game at home, resulting in MLB’s highest home ERA (5.61).
Joe Biagini will be on the bump for the Blue Jays and he enters with a 2.28 ERA and a 2.30 FIP. However, Wednesday will be just Biagini’s third start of the season as his first 14 appearances in 2017 were as a reliever. Through his first two starts against the Tampa Bay Rays and Seattle Mariners, he allowed one unearned run on six hits and compiled seven strikeouts without walking a batter over nine innings pitched.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Wednesday, May 17, 7:35 p.m. ET
Location: SunTrust Park
TV: Fox Sports Southeast
Radio: 680 AM/93.7 FM, Braves Radio Network
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