The Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays wrap up a quick two-game series in Toronto Wednesday night. The two teams will meet again for a two-game series in Atlanta at the beginning of next week.
Still Hot
Atlanta is currently 80-54 after taking a 3-1 loss to the Blue Jays in the opener. The Braves have been very solid lately and are making a great run for the postseason, but they are in danger of being swept in this two-game series in Toronto.
On the road this year, the Braves are 41-27, and they are also 8-2 over their last 10 games. Atlanta controls the top spot in the National League East, leading by 5.5 games over a hot Nationals team.
Getting the start for the Braves in this game will be Mike Foltynewicz, who is 4-5 this season with a 5.68 ERA and 76 strikeouts. In his last outing against the Mets, he allowed just one run and two hits over seven innings but did not factor into the decision. The 27-year-old has gone 2-0 in August and has not allowed more than four runs in a single outing.
As a team, the Braves are batting .259 with 210 home runs this season. They are led in home runs by their star centerfielder, Ronald Acuna Jr., who has put together another great season at the plate with 36 home runs, 89 runs batted in and a .289 batting average. Their veteran first baseman, Freddie Freeman, leads the team with his .296 average and 105 runs batted in.
Building For The Future
Despite pulling off the win over the Braves in the opener, the Blue Jays are just 54-80 this season and finishing the season to see which players are worth building around moving forward. They would like to take game two in this series to complete the sweep of a very good team.
Toronto is 33 games back in the American League East, only ahead of Baltimore. They are at home for this series where they are 26-39, not giving them any kind of advantage to speak of.
Jacob Waguespack will be getting the start for game two for Toronto. The Blue Jays pitcher shut out a very good Dodgers team in his last outing on Thursday. He threw seven innings against them but did not factor into the decision.
The 25-year-old has proven he can step up and shut down the top teams, and this will be a test to see if he can do it again. Waguespack is 4-1 this season with a 3.63 ERA and 40 strikeouts, a bright spot for a rough season in Toronto.
Offseason newcomer Randal Grichuk has been solid for the Blue Jays this season as he currently leads the team with 58 runs batted in and 23 home runs. Their batting-average leader is shortstop Freddy Galvis at .277, and he also has 22 home runs and 65 runs batted in.
What To Expect
Although typically I would not expect lightning to strike twice, with Toronto having such a strong, young pitcher on the mound that most teams haven’t seen much of before, I like their chances to pull this one off and get the sweep in a low-scoring affair.
