Atlanta at Toronto, May 12-14

Friday, May 12 2023 @ 04:29 PM EDT

Contributed by: Magpie

So... when do the Jays get to play somebody who's not a contender, anyway?

Not any time soon, it appears.

You'll be delighted to hear that the 2023 Braves, to this point in the young season, have been Mighty Road Warriors. They've gone 15-3 away fomr home, outscoring the opposition 108-48 in the process. That mark does include sweeps of St.Louis, Kansas City, and Miami. But you can only play the teams on the schedule that day, and if it's a bad team you have to face, it's your responsibility to beat them senseless.

This the Braves have done.

There may be some problems in the rotation, as ace lefty Max Fried has gone on the IL and is expected to miss about two months. Kyle Wright is already on the IL. That would seem to place quite the burden on the two 24 year old RHs, Spencer Strider, in just his second full season, and Bryce Elder, in his first. We'll see both of them this weekend - the other rotation starter still standing is Charlie Morton, who ought to be pitching this weekend but the Braves may be calling an audible. Morton is as old as the hills (did you ever wonder just which hills those might be) but he's still effective.

They can score runs, too. Ronald Acuna Jr is staking an early claim to be this year's NL MVP, while Sean Murphy and Matt Olson both seem absolutely delighted to have escaped the dreary confines of Oakland's team, ballpark, ownership, and possibly the general ambience. Last season's Rookie of the Year, Michael Harris, seems to have encountered an actual, genuine case of the Sophomore Jinx - the Braves have simply plugged Sam Hilliard into his spot in centrefield and haven't missed a beat.

Tough sledding ahead for the boys in blue. But... got to play them. Might as well beat them.

Matchups!

Fri 12 May - Strider (4-0, 2.70) vs Bassitt (4-2, 4.28)
Sat 13 May - Elder (3-0, 1.74) vs Berrios (3-3, 4.91)
Sun 14 May - S.Guy (?-?, ?.??) vs () Kikuchi (5-0, 3.35)

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