The Atlanta Braves turn their attention to the Cincinnati Reds for the start of the Major League Baseball postseason on Wednesday at Truist Park.
While the Braves come in as the favorites to advance to the NLDS, the Reds present matchups that could foil Atlanta's plans to travel to Houston and the Texas playoff bubble.
Cincinnati boasts three reliable starting pitchers who they can turn to in Trevor Bauer (5-4, 1.73 ERA), Luis Castillo (3.21 ERA, 89 Ks in 70 innings), & Sonny Gray (1.21 WHIP). While Atlanta has Cy Young candidate Max Fried set to start Game One, they will have to rely on pitchers with limited experience and success with Ian Anderson & Kyle Wright the rest of the series. Fried also injured his ankle during his last start of the regular season, and while the Braves believe the issue is minor, it will be something to monitor in the opening game of the playoffs.
While the Reds don't have the firepower & length that the Braves lineup has, they do have an affinity for the long ball. Cincinnati relied on the big fly more than any team in Major League Baseball at hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark, as 61% of their runs came via home runs.
"It's clear they're the one team nobody wanted to face," said Joe Patrick of the Batter Up! Podcast. "The Reds are the perfect example how the different dynamics of the season came into play. They have a starting three that can go up against anybody. It's a terrible matchup for the Braves because they probably have the worst starting rotation of any playoff team."
The uncertainty around Max Fried makes Caleb Johnson nervous. "If Game One, your frontline starter is ineffective because of his ankle or just has a bad game, are you going to give the Reds the game? Or will you use your top line relievers and possibly jeopardize the bullpen the rest of the series," Johnson said. "Those are huge decisions that quite honestly I don't want in the hands of Braves manager Brian Snitker."
The Braves open the postseason Wednesday at noon on ESPN, with games to follow Thursday (time TBD) & possibly Friday (if necessary). The Batter Up! Podcast will provide postgame analysis of every Braves playoff game on the 92.9 The Game Facebook Page (click to subscribe).
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