Leading Off: Atlanta Braves
The Yankees get their first taste of interleague play in 2021, with the Atlanta Braves heading to the Bronx for a quick two game set. This gives us an opportunity to share the greatest Braves related content that the Internet has to offer. Forget your Yankees anguish with this gem!
The 2021 Braves So Far
For all the agony over the Yankees’ slow start, the Braves have started just as slow. They are owners of a 7-9 record after a weekend series win against the Cubs and sit 4th in the NL East. NL Player of the Week Ronald Acuna Jr. has carried the offense, placing himself in the early season MVP conversation by batting .419 with 7 home runs and 16 RBI. Folks, he’s good. Freddie Freeman is the only other hitter with an OPS above .800, as the offense has struggled early on. The pitching staff has been ravaged by injuries, as both Max Fried and Drew Smyly have been placed on the IL. Looking at the Braves’ early season struggles and disappointing follow-up to a year where they came within a game of the World Series is a good reminder that although it may feel like the Yankees are the only team struggling early on, that is far from the truth. The Atlanta fans are simply more passive than the Bronx Boobirds that were out in full force this weekend.
Pitching Matchups
Tuesday - Jameson Taillon (0-1, 7.56 ERA) vs. Charlie Morton (1-1,4.76 ERA)
Although this week’s series is an interleague matchup, the Yankees are very familiar with Tuesday night’s opponent. Charlie Morton has handled the Yankees for years, first with the Astros and then with the Rays. Morton has started 10 times against the Yankees in his career, going 4-2 with a 3.83 ERA. He pitched 5 scoreless innings in Game 7 of the 2017 ALCS, a game that still causes nightmares for Yankees fans everywhere. Since his 2017 renaissance, Morton has pitched to a 3.39 ERA and pares his low 90s fastball with a sinker to keep hitters off balance. Taillon has gotten off to a shaky start this year, showing good stuff in his two outings but having trouble putting hitters away, especially against Toronto last week. The former Pirate has only pitched against Atlanta once, but won that 2018 start by pitching 7 innings of two run ball.
Wednesday - Corey Kluber (0-1, 6.10 ERA) vs. Ian Anderson (0-0, 4.35 ERA)
Ian Anderson makes his Yankee Stadium debut after years spent as the frontman of the famous rock band Jethro Tull, singing hits such as Aqualung accompanied by his trusty flute...hold on, my sources are telling me this is not the same Ian Anderson. Regardless, this Ian Anderson is shaping up to be the frontman of the Atlanta Braves, as he is following up his six start debut with a spot atop their rotation. Anderson was the preseason #5 prospect in baseball according to Baseball Prospectus and made his major league debut last summer in Atlanta against the Yankees, beating them by going six innings and allowing one run. For the Yankees, Kluber has had a similar start to the season as Taillon, showing good stuff but having trouble with his command. He’ll need to start providing length (he hasn’t pitched into the fifth yet this season) and results soon to support a beleaguered pitching staff behind Gerrit Cole.
Bullpen Breakdown
The Braves bullpen has been average so far, with Will Smith (no, not that one. Not that one either) closing games and a collection of interchangeable arms coming in before him. They were heavily utilized during the Braves’ weekend series with the Cubs due to the starters not providing much length, but yesterday’s off day ensures that most arms will be fresh for the upcoming series. Similarly, the Yankees pen should benefit from the off day to fully support Kluber and Taillon in their outings. Aroldis Chapman has not pitched in a week, so look for him to go both games if the opportunity arises.
Yankees vs. Braves History
Interleague play is always a fun chance to look at matchups between teams that don’t play each other 19 times a year, which was the case in the Yankees’ first five series. The Yankees and the Braves have a long history of World Series play, matching up four times in the Fall Classic. The Yankees hold a 3-1 record in these matchups, winning in 1958, 1996, and 1999 after the Braves took the first matchup in 1957. Last year, these teams faced each other four times and split the games 2-2, with each team sweeping their home series.
Thoughts Before the Series
The Yankees pitching will need to find a way to get out Ronald Acuna to win this series - it’s as simple as that. In his career against New York, Acuna is batting .278/.316/.667 with 2 home runs and 4 RBI in 5 games. The Braves have one offensive player who can do serious damage right now and under no circumstances should Kluber/Taillon be giving Acuna anything to hit. Freeman is still a force at the plate but the rest of the offense is struggling big time right now (Yankees level struggling, to make an unkind comparison), and the game plan has to start and end with how to shut down the 22 year old superstar. After the embarrassment of the weekend series against Tampa, it will be up to Kluber and Taillon to show something more than they have in their first set of starts and that begins with devising a plan to neutralize Acuna.
At the plate, the ice cold Yankees bats will be facing the Braves’ top two pitchers in Morton and Anderson. This weekend, the Yankees struggled with passivity at the plate against the Rays. They let hittable pitches go by, especially in Saturday’s game, and failed to make the most of opportunities with men on base. The pitching faltered, but it’s hard to win when you’re only scoring two or three runs a game. This week, the Yankees need to get some wins on the board and it begins with a strong offensive showing to support Kluber, Taillon and the overworked bullpen. We don’t have to get into the main culprits right now - the fact is that this is an extremely talented lineup that needs to figure out how to start bopping home runs again and stop grounding into double plays. When hittable pitches come, the big bats need to make sure the Braves pitchers pay early and often.
This week will be a breather for the Yankees, as they take a break from battling division opponents and reliving their nightmares against the Rays and Blue Jays to play the Braves and Indians. Next week brings a series against the Orioles and one against the Tigers, so a strong week could kick off a winning streak that pulls the Yankees back into the division race. It’s annoying that the Red Sox have gotten off to a great start and its agonizing to struggle against Toronto and Tampa, but it’s important to remember that this is not a 60 game season, but a 162 game one. There is plenty of time left to reverse the trend of poor play and climb back up the standings. After all, only a few games separate last from first place right now. Play such as what we saw this weekend is downright unacceptable, especially on the defensive side of the ball, but a few good games can erase those memories rather quickly. Let’s not forget some of the past examples of poor starts from great Yankees teams (1-4 in 1998, 13-15 in 2009 and 0-9 against the Red Sox to start the year, 5-8 in 2019) and what they went on to achieve. We can only hope a similar turnaround is forthcoming this season.
