The Braves are making a bold call for Saturday night. Drake Baldwin is leading off the lineup again, and he’s facing right-hander Miles Mikolas. This move puts a young bat at the front of the order against a veteran pitcher who’s lost his bite. It’s a clear signal that the team wants to attack a specific weakness right now.
A Mismatch Written in the Stats
Look at the numbers for the opposing starter. Mikolas is 37 years old and his strikeout rate has dropped to just one per two innings. That is a huge problem for a pitcher trying to survive in today’s game. According to Battery Power, his 4.75 xFIP is the most favorable among his key metrics, but that doesn’t mean he’s safe. He simply doesn’t miss many bats anymore.
Reynaldo Lopez takes the mound for Atlanta, and he’s shown some weird inconsistencies since returning. His fastball and slider still work, but his velocity isn’t what it used to be. He primarily uses those two pitches while occasionally throwing a curve, roughly 10% of the time, according to reports. He’s serviceable, but he’s not a dominant force like Chris Sale. The Braves need their offense to carry the load here.
Why the Order Makes Sense
Walt Weiss is swapping Baldwin and Ronald Acuna Jr. at the top of the order. This flexibility is smart against a pitcher who struggles to get strikeouts. If Mikolas can’t put hitters away, the Braves can keep the pressure on. Battery Power notes that Mikolas has a large arsenal and avoids walks, but his pitches aren’t very good. That is the opening the Braves need.
The lineup features Dominic Smith returning to DH and batting sixth. Austin Riley’s remnants are positioned just behind him. Mike Yastrzemski and Jim Jarvis round out the back end. This is a game where the offense should be able to handle a diminished pitcher. The plan is simple: hit the ball hard, hit it far, and hit it often.
It’s baseball, so nothing is guaranteed until the final out. But the path to a series win is clear. The Braves have two chances to win this series against the Nationals before the trade deadline hits on Monday. They need to take advantage of a pitching matchup that favors the home team. Can Baldwin and the lineup capitalize on Mikolas’s lack of strikeouts?
