By MIKE ROBERTS
It was a break-even week for the Atlanta Braves. They took two of three from the New York Mets before losing two of three to the Arizona Diamondbacks. At 74-50, the Braves are still in first place in the National League East with a comfortable 7.5-game lead over the second-place Philadelphia Phillies.
Baseball fans will witness some “must-see TV” this coming weekend when the Braves duke it out with the Milwaukee Brewers. It’ll be just like the ’80s Lakers vs. Celtics! Or Ohio State vs. Michigan!
Okay, maybe it’s not quite that big, but definitely a great matchup between two division leaders battling to secure first-round byes for the playoffs.
In this week’s report, we’re going to preview that three-game series.
See, What Happened Was …
These two teams met up in Atlanta back in June with the Braves taking two of the three games.
In the series opener, Atlanta won 3-2 as Brewers star pitcher Jacob Misiorowski lost for just the first time in two months and the Braves’ Mike Yastrzemski (.228 AVG, .702 OPS, 9 HR, 34 RBI, 1 SB) hit a home run in the seventh inning. The following day, the Braves picked up a 4-3 come-from-behind victory, with Ozzie Albies (.252 AVG, .731 OPS, 20 HR, 64 RBI, 2 SB) hitting a pair of home runs, including a walk-off in the ninth.
Milwaukee, though, avoided the sweep, knocking off Atlanta 9-4 in the series finale. Brewers catcher William Contreras recorded four hits in that contest, including a three-run homer in the team’s eight-run second inning.
Tale of the Tape
Both the Braves and Brewers rank in the top 11 in batting average. Through Aug. 16, Milwaukee is hitting .250 (seventh in the majors) while Atlanta is currently hitting .247 (11th) this season. When it comes to OPS, the Braves have the edge. Their .730 OPS is tied for eighth in the majors. Milwaukee is tied for 11th, with a .727 OPS.
Atlanta, however, is a much better home run-hitting team. The Braves rank fourth in the league with 165 homers while Milwaukee is dead last with 113. Four Braves already have clubbed at least 20 homers: 2026 All-Stars Matt Olson (36), Drake Baldwin (20), Ozzie Albies (20), and All-Star snub Michael Harris II (20).
The Brewers have a huge edge on the basepaths. They rank fifth with 122 stolen bases while the Braves are 26th with 57 steals.
Both teams are led by great pitchers: Atlanta’s Chris Sale (12-8, 2.16 ERA, 1.02 WHIP) and the aforementioned Misiorowski (12-5, 1.75 ERA, .075 WHIP) of the Brewers, who is probably the frontrunner to win the NL Cy Young. As a team, the Brewers rank second in ERA and WHIP. The Braves are fifth and eighth, respectively, in those two categories.
Prediction
The Braves and Brewers are both serious World Series contenders this year. Milwaukee boasts the best record in Major League Baseball (77-48) and Atlanta is second in the NL, just a half-game ahead of the Dodgers going into the week.
So, who do we think will win?
Yes, the Brewers have the game’s best record. And they just took three out of four from the two-time defending champion Dodgers in Los Angeles. However, we think the Braves and their dangerous, star-studded batting order, to find a way to defeat Milwaukee. Plus, they just have had the Brewers’ number this season.
Stay tuned. Because after an off day Aug. 24, the Braves turn right around and start a series with the Dodgers.
Looking Ahead
The Braves start a seven-game road trip tonight. It begins with a three-game series at Minnesota tonight, then Atlanta travels to Chicago to play the White Sox on Thursday (making up their contest from June 11th that was postponed). Then, the Braves head to American Family Field to take on the Brewers in that series we previewed, which begins on Friday.
Here’s a look at the upcoming schedule, including TV information and probable pitchers:
- Monday, 8/17: 7:40 PM, BravesVision/MLB.TV, Martin Perez (ATL) (8-6, 2.96 ERA, 1.15 WHIP) vs. Bailey Ober (MIN) (7-4, 4.64 ERA, 1.23 WHIP)
- Tuesday, 8/18: 7:40 PM, BravesVision/MLB.TV, Tyler Mahle (ATL) (4-9, 4.64 ERA, 1.32 WHIP) vs. Zebby Matthews (MIN) (6-8, 5.34 ERA, 1.35 WHIP)
- Wednesday, 8/19: 1:40 PM, BravesVision/MLB.TV, Chris Sale (ATL) (12-8, 2.16 ERA, 1.02 WHIP) vs. Taj Bradley (MIN) (9-5, 3.98 ERA, 1.29 WHIP)
- Thursday, 8/20: 2:10 PM, BravesVision/MLB.TV, TBD (ATL) vs. TBD (CHW)
- Friday, 8/21: 4:10 PM, BravesVision/MLB.TV, TBD (ATL) vs. TBD (MIL)
- Saturday, 8/22: 2:10 PM, BravesVision/MLB.TV, TBD (ATL) vs. TBD (MIL)
- Sunday, 8/23: 7:10 PM, ESPN, TBD (ATL) vs. TBD (MIL)