I hate to be the bearer of bad (or at least unexpected, perhaps jarring) lineup of news, but here I am. This is the Braves’ lineup for tonight’s contest against the Phillies:
Here's how the #Braves will line up tonight vs. the Phillies.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) August 22, 2020
Presented by @TruistNews | #ForTheA pic.twitter.com/w4cuSwHqui
For all the roster shuffle the past few days, this lineup reflects none of it. Alex Jackson’s callup doesn’t matter as Tyler Flowers starts at catcher and the DH spot goes to Matt Adams... which pushes Marcell Ozuna into left field and Cristian Pache to the bench. It’s a little weird to me that the Braves are using any of Pache’s call-up time to sit on the bench, especially in favor of Matt Adams, but here we are. With no d’Arnaud, Ozuna hits third, and Adam Duvall is penciled into the cleanup spot.
This is a novel defensive and offensive arrangement for the Braves this year. We’ll see how it works out.
Meanwhile, the Phillies look like this tonight:
Here's how we'll line up tonight in Atlanta. #RingTheBell
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 22, 2020
: @NBCSPhilly
: @SportsRadioWIP
: https://t.co/7M7oNitezi // https://t.co/vgbMhIMsON pic.twitter.com/19Jeml9KlW
Bryce Harper is back, yes that is indeed Phil Gosselin hitting fifth, and no, Alec Bohm is not in the lineup after his defensive adventures yesterday. It's a new look for a scuffling team that wants to avoid a fifth straight defeat today.