Off the heels of a 6-2 victory in Game 1 of the World Series, the Braves will look to take a commanding 2-0 lead tonight. With Max Fried scheduled to take the mound for Atlanta, José Urquidy will be handed the ball for the Astros as they look to even up the series before traveling to Truist Park.
The Starters
Max Fried:
Season:
28 Starts; 14-7
3.04 ERA
1.087 WHIP
3.85 SO/W
Postseason:
15 Games (7 Starts); 1-2
3.86 ERA
1.307 WHIP
3.92 SO/W
José Urquidy
Season:
20 Starts; 8-3
3.62 ERA
0.991 WHIP
4.74 SO/W
Postseason:
9 Games (5 Starts); 1-2
4.28 ERA
1.317 WHIP
2.50 SO/W
Both of these pitchers are coming off games they would like to forget. The Dodgers lit up Max Fried to the tune of five runs off of eight hits and two walks in 4.2 innings. The Red Sox punished José Urquidy by scoring six runs (5 ER) off five hits and two walks in only 1.2 innings of work.
For Fried, he hasn’t looked like himself since Game 2 of the NLDS against the Brewers when he pitched six innings of shutout ball. He had a decent box score against Los Angeles in Game 1 of the NLCS, only giving up two runs over six innings, but you could tell he was a little off. Then, of course, he was the victim of an offensive onslaught in Game 5. Still, the Braves shouldn’t want anyone else on the mound than Fried, who has been the best pitcher in baseball since the All-Star break.
Supposed to work out of the bullpen in the postseason, injuries to the rest of Houston’s pitching staff put José Urquidy in a tough spot. Lance McCullers will miss the whole series with a flexor strain, Justin Verlander had Tommy John‘s in the spring, and Zack Greinke hasn’t looked like the same guy since coming off of the IL in early October. Thus, Urquidy was the only option they could turn to for starts. Having only worked 1.2 innings the whole postseason, he will be fully rested, and the Astros need a lengthy performance out of him.
The Bullpens
Braves:
Season:
3.97 ERA
1.320 WHIP
.241 AVG
Postseason:
3.44 ERA
1.230 WHIP
.232 AVG
Astros:
Season:
4.06 ERA
1.300 WHIP
.230 AVG
Postseason:
3.16 ERA
1.140 WHIP
.223 AVG
The Astros bullpen had to cover seven innings after Framber Valdez could only go two. Luckily for them, they were able to get multiple innings out of Jake Odorizzi and Brooks Raley. This bullpen needs some rest if Houston hopes to come back and win the series.
The same can be said for the Braves; however, the starter struggling wasn’t the problem. Charlie Morton had to exit the game in the 3rd inning last night with a fractured fibula after taking a comebacker to the shin. Unfortunately, he will miss the rest of the World Series. Because of his injury, the bullpen had to work 6.2 innings. A.J. Minter stepped up mightily by going 2.2 innings and saving some of the other guys. Luke Jackson looked like his old self after getting five outs, and Matzek passed the baton successfully to Will Smith, who closed it out with a smooth ninth. Hopefully, Max Fried can throw a gem and give his guys a little bit of rest.
The Lineups
Braves:
Eddie Rosario: .259/.305/.435; .740 OPS; 14 HR; 62 RBI; 11 SB
Jorge Soler: .223/.316/.432; .749 OPS; 27 HR; 70 RBI
Freddie Freeman: .300/.393/.503; .896 OPS; 31 HR; 83 RBI; 8 SB
Austin Riley: .303/.367/.531; .898 OPS; 33 HR; 107 RBI
Ozzie Albies: .259/.310/.488; .799 OPS; 30 HR; 106 RBI; 20 SB
Adam Duvall: .228/.281/.491; .772 OPS; 38 HR; 113 RBI; 5 SB
Joc Pederson: .238/.310/.422; .732 OPS; 18 HR; 61 RBI; 2 SB
Dansby Swanson: .248/.311/.449: .760 OPS; 27 HR; 88 RBI; 9 SB
Travis d’Arnaud: .220/.284/.388; .671 OPS; 7 HR; 26 RBI
Bench:
Guillermo Heredia: .220/.311/.354; .665 OPS; 5 HR; 26 RBI
Ehire Adrianza: .247/.327/.401; .728 OPS; 5 HR; 28 RBI
William Contreras: .215/.303/.399; .701 OPS; 8 HR; 23 RBI
Orlando Arcia: .198/.258/.309; .567 OPS; 2 HR; 14 RBI; SB
Terrance Gore: (AAA) .232/.361/.319; .680 OPS; RBI; 18 SB
Astros:
Jose Altuve: .278/.350/.489; .839 OPS; 31 HR; 83 RBI; 5 SB
Michael Brantley: .311/.362/.437; .799 OPS; 8 HR; 47 RBI; 1 SB
Alex Bregman: .270/.355/.422; .777 OPS; 12 HR; 55 RBI; 1 SB
Yordan Alvarez: .277/.346/.531; .877 OPS; 33 HR; 104 RBI; 1 SB
Carlos Correa: .279/.366/.485; .850 OPS; 26 HR; 92 RBI
Kyle Tucker: .294/.359/.557; .917 OPS; 30 HR; 92 RBI; 14 SB
Yuli Gurriel: .319/.383/.462; .846 OPS; 15 HR; 81 RBI; 1 SB
Chas McCormick: .257/.319/.447; .766 OPS; 14 HR; 50 RBI; 4 SB
MartÃn Maldonado: .172/.272/.300; .573 OPS; 12 HR; 36 RBI
Bench:
Jason Castro: .235/.356/.443; .799 OPS; 8 HR; 21 RBI
Aledmys DÃaz: .259/.317/.405; .721 OPS; 8 HR; 45 RBI
Jose Siri: .304/.347/.609; .956 OPS; 4 HR; 9 RBI; 3 SB
Marwin Gonzalez: .199/.275/.304; .579 OPS; 5 HR; 28 RBI; 2 SB; 1-2 K
For the Braves, they will probably go back to their usual lineup with Eddie Rosario leading off against a right-hander. Jorge Soler may move back to the two-hole or into the five-hole after Austin Riley. Dansby Swanson could also possibly swap spots with Travis d’Arnaud and bat 7th. Other than that, everyone else should be in the same spot.
I doubt Dusty Baker changes up his lineup as he’s used the same one for each postseason game.
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