Can’t say that you can really blame the Braves for not changing anything… did you know they have a better record than the Dodgers right now? This will their fifth time using this lineup in nine games.
The Diamondbacks are making a few changes. Adrian Del Castillo missed the first few games of the season with a calf issue, but is back DHing and hitting fifth. He’s hit pretty well in the minors but has a sub-.300 xwOBA in the majors, even if his career wRC+ is 111 because he massively outhit hit xwOBA back in 2023. The Braves will also get another look at Jose Fernandez, who hit two homers in his MLB debut but hasn’t done anything since.
Every Brave in the lineup has faced Michael Soroka at least once, with the exception of leadoff hitter Ronald Acuña Jr. However, the PA tally is limited — Dominic Smith leads the gang with a whopping six PAs. Collectively, we’re talking about a .392 wOBA and .333 xwOBA in all of 20 PAs.
Six Diamondbacks in tonight’s lineup have faced Bryce Elder before, and the success level has been meh in a small sample: 31 PAs and a .335 wOBA, but a .296 xwOBA. Only Nolan Arenado has double-digit PAs against Elder, and he’s the one guy that hasn’t hit Elder well in terms of either inputs or outputs.
