Markakis returns to outfield and Suzuki becomes DH again for Game 2 against Yankees

In a few hours, the Braves and Yankees are set to start the second game of their holiday three-game series this week. We’ve reached the usual time of day where the lineups are released, so let’s take a look at what both teams have in store for the game this evening.

Here’s Atlanta’s lineup:

Tonight’s DH will be Kurt Suzuki and this is after Nick Markakis got to spend last night as the team’s DH while Charlie Culberson got a start in the outfield. Instead, Markakis is back in the outfield. Also, this means that Tyler Flowers is back in the catcher’s spot, which is nice to see. Have I told y’all about how much I love the DH?

On the other side of things, here’s how the Yankees filled out their lineup card for tonight’s game:

They’ve made a few changes which are probably being done to counter having to deal with a lefty tonight. The 3-4-5 combo of Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks and Didi Gregorius has been shuffled around a bit. However, the most intriguing decision that Aaron Boone has made is the decision to go with Neil Walker over Gleyber Torres. Personally, I would have just kept on rolling with Torres in the lineup but hey, if they want to replace a guy who currently has a 146 wRC+ with a guy who is currently sporting a wRC+ of 43, then be my guest.

Here’s a quick glance at the the two pitchers. You aren’t going to get much from the image below, so here’s a link to Sean Newcomb’s stats for six plate appearances against Giancarlo Stanton. Hooray, data!

baseballsavant.com

So, what do you all think about tonight’s lineups?