Kevin Pillar starts in left as Braves begin series against Cubs

Bryce Elder will take the mound for the Atlanta Braves Tuesday as they begin their final homestand against the Chicago Cubs. Left-hander Justin Steele will get the start for Chicago.

The Braves will go with their regulars in the series opener with the exception of Kevin Pillar, who starts in place of Eddie Rosario with a lefty on the mound. Ronald Acuña Jr is 3-for-5 in his career against Steele. Matt Olson is 2-for-4 with a homer.

The Cubs are using what is currently their “standard” lineup against right-handers, though they’ve only used it four times before today. They’re 2-2 with this lineup so far.

It’s a little jarring to see Dansby Swanson hitting sixth among this group. He’s largely hit second or fifth for the Cubs this year. Swanson has the third-highest xwOBA among Cubs regulars and guys in today’s lineup, and that also holds if you focus on xwOBA against right-handers only, so it’s kind of weird to see him all the way down at sixth while Nico Hoerner occupies the two-hole.

Tuesday’s game is scheduled to get underway at 7:20 p.m. ET and can be seen on Bally Sports South.