"Michael Harris II is back, but he's in left field! This gives his ailing quad muscle a bit of a break relative to center field, where Mauricio Dubon will continue to flag balls down."
"The Braves haven't had someone listed at catcher hit leadoff since 1973. It's somewhat contrary to usual practice to go with three blocks of the same handedness rather than alternating them."
"The collective line against George Kirby is a very sad .238 wOBA and .234 xwOBA in 49 PAs; the Braves probably can't afford that level of performance if they want to extend their no-series-losses streak."
"The total line against Bryce Elder comes in just 18 PAs and is a pretty scary .363 wOBA / .377 xwOBA. Not that that's predictive, but it's also not exciting."
The Braves are navigating injuries and lineup changes as Michael Harris II returns, playing left field to protect his quad. Drake Baldwin remains leadoff, while Dominic Smith returns as DH. The Braves have not had a catcher hit leadoff since 1973. The lineup features three players of the same handedness, which is unusual. For the Mariners, Cal Raleigh returns as DH. The Braves' performance against George Kirby is concerning, with a low collective wOBA. Bryce Elder's limited exposure against the Mariners adds to the uncertainty.
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