GameThread, 7/4/2022: Cardinals @ Braves

It’s a big Monday night showdown between two of the NL’s likely playoff teams, as the Cardinals come to Truist Park to tangle with the Braves.

Here’s your Statcast graphic:

Eddie Rosario returns, while Phil Gosselin gets the start at second base in lieu of the backsliding Orlando Arcia. This is a novel lineup and defensive arrangement, of course, since Michael Harris II was still in the minors when Rosario was starting for the Braves.

It’s a novel lineup and defensive arrangement for St. Louis, too, as Austin Romine has been recalled from Triple-A and will bat ninth tonight in his Cardinals debut. Romine has a career 68 wRC+ in over 1,300 PAs, and really punctuates the difference between the heart of this Cardinals order and the middling-to-bad xwOBAs at the top and bottom — though again, don’t discount the devil magic since Tommy Edman and Brendan Donovan are outhitting their xwOBAs by a ton.