Atlanta Braves probable pitcher and starting lineups vs. St. Louis Cardinals, June 26

The Atlanta Braves bounced back to take game two of the series earlier this afternoon. Reynaldo Lopez was assigned game one of today’s doubleheader, and was his usual self in terms of his stinginess with runs allowed.

Even though Lopez didn’t work deep into the ballgame, his effort combined with some solid bullpen work was enough to propel Atlanta to a 6-2 victory. The offense was led by an impressive performance from Jarred Kelenic, who collected three hits (including a two-run homer). Hopefully, the offense can repeat that good work in support of Elder in game two.

Bryce Elder (1-2, 6.46 ERA) was appointed Atlanta’s 27th man ahead of game two this afternoon. It’s likely Elder would have been up soon anyway to continue Atlanta’s strategy of a six-man rotation. However, the rain last night spurred the chance for Elder to start one of these two games. Elder last pitcher for Atlanta on May 19, against the Padres. Sadly, that start wasn’t his best performance as he lastest just three innings and surrendered six earned runs.

Matthew Liberatore (1-2, 4.46 ERA) has mostly worked out of the Cardinals bullpen this season. However, he will make his fifth start of the season tonight against the Braves. Liberatore throws his slider more than any other pitch, and for good reason. He ranks in the 96th percentile in breaking run value via Baseball Savant.