Brian Snitker on his plans for the leadoff spot, Kyle Wright

After saying that he was considering his options for the leadoff spot in Game 1, Brian Snitker settled on Jorge Soler who will DH and lead off against Astros lefty Framber Valdez. Snitker talked about the decision prior to the game and said that he settled on Soler because they were facing a lefty. He did say that Eddie Rosario, who had a huge NLCS in the leadoff spot, will likely be in the top spot of the order in Game 2.

“I weighed both things all night, and then just looking at how actually we could balance the lineup,” Snitker said. “Because this is the postseason, you never know what they’re going to do. Guys do stuff different than they have and I find myself doing that.”

Soler is 2-for-13 with a pair of walks so far in the postseason. Rosario will hit fifth in Game 1. He set a franchise record with 14 hits during the NLCS. He is 18-for-38 with three home runs and has driven in 11 runs during the postseason.

The Braves added Kyle Wright to their World Series roster earlier Tuesday. Wright made just two starts at the Major League level in 2021 but finished the season strong at Gwinnett. He is essentially replacing Huascar Ynoa on the roster. Ynoa was scheduled to start Game 4 of the NLCS but was scratched due to shoulder soreness. He was replaced by lefty reliever Dylan Lee making him ineligible to play in the World Series.

“Kyle has been throwing really well at Triple-A for a while now,” Snitker said. “It’s not a small sample size. We go back and look, and he’s really maturing as a pitcher. He’s just been throwing really well, and it’s another length option for us.”

The Braves announced Tuesday that Max Fried will start in Game 2 Wednesday. They haven’t announced their plans for when the series shifts back to Atlanta. Ian Anderson is the likely starter for Game 3 and a bullpen game is a possibility for Game 4. Snitker said that Wright could figure into the mix for Game 4

“Yeah, absolutely. Game 4 is we’re not tied to anything right now,” Snitker said of Wright. “We’re open to a lot of different options, and he could definitely be one of those.”

Ronald Acuña Jr. traveled with the team to Houston along with Mike Soroka and Stephen Vogt. Snitker said that they wanted to bring everyone along so they could experience the World Series.

“Yeah, we brought him (Acuña), Mike Soroka is here with us, Stephen Vogt,” Snitker said of the injured players who traveled to Houston. “We wanted everybody that had a part of this. I’m really glad these guys can be here to experience this with their teammates. Ronald had a big hand in this until he was hurt. I want them to experience it because they are part of this club.”

The roof is closed at Minute Maid Park for Game 1 and Snitker said that they were expecting a loud and vocal crowd.

“Everywhere we’ve been, when we started off the playoff run in Milwaukee, the thing was closed, and it was unbelievably loud,” Snitker said of the postseason crowds. “It’s been loud at our place. We knew coming here it’s going to be unbelievably loud.”

The Braves have some experience at Minute Maid Park having played the NLDS against the Marlins last season in the bubble.

“We played a whole series here last year in the playoffs,” Snitker said. “I think the biggest thing is the defensive aspect of it and the bounces that this park has, some of the ricochets down the lines. We worked on that yesterday in our workout.”

“I thought we did a good job last year for the first time a lot of these guys have been here so I think we’ll be fine,” he added. “I watched video, and there’s some hops and things that their guys don’t get right all the time. That’s just part of this experience.”