The first stone in the battle for first place in the NL East will be cast on Tuesday night, as the Braves and Mets square off at Citi Field.
Mike Soroka will make his first MLB start for the Braves, and will have the following lineup backing him:
.@Mike_Soroka28 makes his big-league debut tonight in New York! #ChopOn
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) May 1, 2018
Game Preview: https://t.co/thihvSGhTe pic.twitter.com/RF5lQtQTeo
With the success of the new lineup configuration against the Phillies, Snitker has again opted to bat Ozzie Albies leadoff, and keep Ender Inciarte in the 9-hole. After Sunday’s ten-run avalanche, this is worth revisiting.
Noah Syndergaard will toe the rubber for the Mets, and this current Braves lineup has had decent success against the flamethrower. Against him as a team, the Braves are hitting .339/.365/.525/.891, with three doubles and two HR. Nick Markakis carries a .333 BA (4-for-12) against Syndergaard, Freddie Freeman has hit for the cycle against him (5-for-13 overall), and Ozzie Albies knocked a triple-digit heater over the right field fence during his first plate appearance vs. Thor.
In his career, he is 0-1 against the Braves with a 4.05 ERA.
The Mets will try to spoil Soroka’s debut with the following lineup:
Check out tonight’s lineup. #LGM pic.twitter.com/yvpyLQKuPo
— New York Mets (@Mets) May 1, 2018
Obviously, with this being Soroka’s first start, he has never faced any of these Mets hitters at the big league level. Of particular note is the presence of Yoenis Cespedes, who was believed to be out for the series due to a sore thumb.
The light at the end of the Braves’ tunnel grows a bit brighter with each prospect promotion, and this is the most exciting time to be a Braves fan in years. Can Soroka dominate? We’ll all find out at 7:10pm EST.