Atlanta Braves come home to feud with Cubs

After a nationally televised game helped thwart plans for a sweep in New York, the Atlanta Braves now return home and look to bounce back by taking out their frustrations on the visiting Chicago Cubs.

That being said, any illusions the Braves might have that this is a walk in the park need to be eliminated immediately as the Cubs start Shōta Imanaga for tonight’s contest. While it’s still relatively early in the campaign, it’s become clear that Imanaga has made a smooth transition from NPB to MLB – he currently sits on an ERA of 1.08 (ERA of 27) and FIP of 2 .37 (FIP of 61). and he is currently in the top 10 in fWAR among starting pitchers so far. Imanaga has started seven games for the Cubs so far, he’s been the record-winning pitcher in five of those games and Chicago has won all seven games he’s started so far.

Shōta Imanaga’s four-seamer has been nearly unhittable this season and he has relied on this pitch alongside a split-fingered pitch that has also been effective every time he uses it. Opposing hitters are hitting .140 against Imanaga’s four-seamer with an xBA of .219, while hitters are hitting .214 against his splitter with an xBA of .177. He doesn’t overwhelm anyone with his speed either, as his fastball typically sits at 92 mph and the rest of his repertoire sits below 90. He’s out there making his throws and executing them to perfection until now. He’s currently in the 97th percentile when it comes to getting hitters to get after his business and it really wouldn’t be shocking to see a bunch of swings and misses while he’s on the mound tonight.

This is shaping up to be another tough game for the Braves just a week after welcoming Kutter Crawford to Cobb County, but at the same time the Braves were able to convince Crawford to give up a home run and they ended up coming out victorious in this match. . This lineup is difficult for anyone to handle and Shōta Imanaga will have to be up to his level if he wants to keep the Braves quiet in their own stadium.

On the other hand, Reynaldo López is off to a fresh start and he will certainly look to continue his streak of strong starts even further. Six days ago, López allowed just two runs (one earned) over 5.1 IP against the Red Sox in a game the Braves ultimately won 4-2. López may want to cut down on walks, as that’s what ultimately got him in trouble coming out of the aforementioned game against Boston.

This could really get him in trouble if he picks up this habit against the Cubs – Chicago’s offense enters this game with a 10.1 percent walk rate, which is tied for third in the entire baseball. We saw evidence of patience over the weekend, when the Cubs scored seven runs in the fifth inning of their 10-9 loss to Pittsburgh on Saturday, six of those runs being walks.

While I would be incredibly shocked if this “feat” was somehow repeated tonight, it’s still a cautionary tale that shows this team will be incredibly patient at the plate if necessary. The Cubs as an offense are also pretty solid, as their team wRC+ of 106 puts them in the top 10 in all of baseball and just behind the Braves and their team wRC+ of 110. Simply put, both pitchers are going to have the hand. full when it comes to keeping these two particular queues quiet. This is one of those games where you can see a pitcher’s duel breaking out, but you can also easily see a scenario where it could result in both teams hitting the ball all over the yard.

So yeah, this should be a very interesting game to watch. The Braves returned to solid form last week and the Cubs head to Cobb County after picking up a series win in Pittsburgh this weekend. Both teams are doing well so far, but someone has to lose – hopefully not the Braves either!

Game information

Game date/time: Monday, May 13, 7:20 p.m. ET

Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, Georgia

TV: Bally Sports South, MLB Network (out-of-market only)

Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan