Battery Power - October 3: Marlins 4, Braves 0Your one stop shop for everything Atlanta Braveshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52890/favicon-32x32..png2022-10-03T21:32:27-04:00http://www.batterypower.com/rss/stream/231501602022-10-03T21:32:27-04:002022-10-03T21:32:27-04:00Jake Odorizzi will start Tuesday against the Marlins
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<figcaption>Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The Braves need one win over their last two games to secure the NL East crown</p> <p id="C95C0p">Jake Odorizzi will start Tuesday’s game in Miami with the Braves needing a win or a <a href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/">Mets</a>’ loss to secure a fifth straight division title. Atlanta waited until after Monday’s game to announce a starter and Brian Snitker confirmed that it would be Odorizzi in his postgame address. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Odorizzi will start tomorrow</p>— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) <a href="https://twitter.com/mlbbowman/status/1577107165398958080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2022</a>
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<p id="60Eohf">Odorizzi has struggled since coming over from Houston at the trade deadline. He had a short leash in his last start in Washington where he allowed four hits, three walks and two runs (one earned) in 3 <sup>2</sup>⁄<sub>3</sub> innings. Tuesday was Odorizzi’s normal spot in the rotation so it was somewhat notable that they waited to announce that he would start. </p>
<p id="vtXfoL">The Braves really didn’t have that many options. Max Fried, Kyle Wright and Charlie Morton started over the weekend against the Mets. Bryce Elder started Monday’s opener in Miami. Kyle Muller was optioned after his last start in Washington and couldn’t be brought back without an injury. Atlanta could have elected to go with a bullpen game, but given the short leash for Odorizzi, that may be what we see Tuesday at any rate. </p>
https://www.batterypower.com/2022/10/3/23386419/jake-odorizzi-start-tuesday-braves-vs-marlinsKris Willis2022-10-03T21:12:07-04:002022-10-03T21:12:07-04:00Bats go quiet for Braves in, 4-0 loss to Marlins
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<figcaption>Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Bryce Elder allowed four runs, but Atlanta had no answer for Jesus Luzardo</p> <p id="IfytB8">The <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Atlanta Braves</a> missed out on their first opportunity to clinch the NL East falling flat in a 4-0 loss to the <a href="https://www.fishstripes.com/">Miami Marlins</a> Monday night. </p>
<p id="zN2fv7">The Marlins jumped out to an early lead thanks to a couple of errors and some soft contact that found its way through Atlanta’s defense. Jon Berti led off the inning with a single, stole second base and advanced to third as William Contreras’ throw down bounced away from Dansby Swanson. After Joey Wendle bounced back to Elder for the first out, Bryan de la Cruz doubled to right center to make it 1-0. Avisail Garcia then hit a slow roller to second that Orlando Arcia fumbled for the second error of the inning. Jesus Sanchez made them pay with a double down the left field line to score De La Cruz to make it 2-0. Elder recovered and got Nick Fortes and JJ Bleday to pop out to end the inning with no further damage. </p>
<p id="euVIuk">Elder retired the side in order in the second, but again ran into trouble in the third. Joey Wendle singled to start the inning and de la Cruz struck again with a two-run home run to right-center to extend the lead to 4-0. </p>
<p id="lJh2OS">There wasn’t much to report for the Braves offensively against Jesus Luzardo in the first four innings. Atlanta got two on in the first as Ronald Acuña Jr. reached on an error and Dansby Swanson followed with a broken bat single. However, Luzardo struck out the next three hitters to leave them stranded. </p>
<p id="dMeuwf">Luzardo retired the side in order in the second. Robbie Grossman led off the third with a single but another strikeout and a double play got him out of the inning. Michael Harris II worked a walk to start the fourth, but was left stranded after strikeouts by Austin Riley and Matt Olson and a ground out by Travis d’Arnaud. </p>
<p id="EfThwr">Atlanta got a one out double by Arcia in the fifth, but Grossman lined out to right center and Acuña struck out to end the inning. Elder came back out for the fifth and retired the side in order striking out Wendle and Garcia while getting De La Cruz to ground out. </p>
<p id="D4dxt3">Luzardo came back out for the sixth and allowed a leadoff double to Swanson, but then came back and struck out Michael Harris, Austin Riley and Olson to end the inning. </p>
<p id="hLXele">Elder exited after the fifth having allowed six hits and four runs over five innings. He struck out five while throwing 98 pitches. Tyler Matzek replaced Elder for the sixth and allowed a single to Sanchez and a walk to Miguel Rojas, but nothing else.</p>
<p id="NtAQzq">Luzardo gave way to the Marlins bullpen for the seventh. He turned in one of his best starts of the season allowing four hits and a walk over six scoreless frames. He tied a career high with 12 strikeouts. </p>
<p id="ZuYAWQ">Even with Luzardo out of the game, the Braves were still unable to get the offense going as Jeff Brigham retired the side in order in the seventh. Bryan Hoeing worked a 1-2-3 eighth and Richard Bleier retired Harris, Riley and Olson in the ninth to end the game. </p>
<p id="KsZZNm">Atlanta falls to 100-60 on the season and their lead in the NL East is down to 1.5 games after the <a href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/">Mets</a> were rained out Monday night. The Braves haven’t announced their pitching plan for Tuesday, but the Marlins will go with left-hander Braxton Garrett. </p>
https://www.batterypower.com/2022/10/3/23386138/braves-vs-marlins-final-scoreKris Willis2022-10-03T18:00:00-04:002022-10-03T18:00:00-04:00Braves vs. Marlins game thread
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<figcaption>Photo by Austin McAfee/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Bryce Elder vs. Jesus Luzardo</p> <p id="qA1L6a">The <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Atlanta Braves</a> will begin their final three-game series of the regular season Monday night when they take on the <a href="https://www.fishstripes.com/">Miami Marlins</a>. The Braves need just one win, or a <a href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/">Mets</a>’ loss, to lock up a fifth-straight division title. Bryce Elder will be on the mound for Atlanta while Miami will go with left-hander Jesus Luzardo. </p>
<p id="gUoh3j">First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. ET and can be seen on Bally Sports South. </p>
<p id="F70Zh6"><a href="https://www.batterypower.com/2022/10/3/23385363/braves-vs-marlins-preview-time-tv-streaming-radio-bryce-elder-jesus-luzardo">PREVIEW</a> | <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/e/23149735">LINEUPS</a></p>
<h3 id="XZK6Nu">Pregame Reading</h3>
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<li id="QFicna"><a href="https://www.batterypower.com/2022/10/3/23384522/matt-olson-homer-nl-east-braves-vs-mets">Matt Olson has his signature moment for the Braves</a></li>
<li id="PwC8ap"><a href="https://www.batterypower.com/2022/10/3/23384785/bryce-elder-transformation-devleopment-atlanta-braves">Bryce Elder’s summer of transformation</a></li>
<li id="m4q2K4"><a href="https://www.sbnation.com/e/23149147">Dylan Lee’s unusual approach to left-handed hitters</a></li>
<li id="JkcE2I"><a href="https://www.batterypower.com/2022/10/3/23385875/michael-harris-named-nl-rookie-of-the-month-september-atlanta-braves">Michael Harris named NL Rookie of the Month for September</a></li>
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https://www.batterypower.com/2022/10/3/23385669/braves-vs-marlins-game-thread-discussionKris Willis2022-10-03T16:30:00-04:002022-10-03T16:30:00-04:00William Contreras, Robbie Grossman return to the lineup against Marlins
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<p>The Braves need a win to clinch the NL East. </p> <p id="BVrGpp">The <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Atlanta Braves</a> will get their first chance to clinch the NL East Friday night when they begin a three-game series against the <a href="https://www.fishstripes.com/">Miami Marlins</a>. Bryce Elder will get the start on the mound for Atlanta while Miami will go with left-hander Jesus Luzardo. </p>
<p id="prWi01">After sitting for two days, William Contreras is back in the Braves lineup at DH replacing Marcell Ozuna. Contreras is hitting .290/.370/.468 with three home runs and a 133 wRC+ in his last 20 games. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">A win tonight wins the East.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForTheA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ForTheA</a> <a href="https://t.co/1k7x5TSYMn">pic.twitter.com/1k7x5TSYMn</a></p>— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) <a href="https://twitter.com/Braves/status/1577022482892062723?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 3, 2022</a>
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<p id="aaJQ0d">With a left-hander on the mound, Robbie Grossman gets the start in left field and will hit ninth. Grossman is hitting .322/.444/.443 with a 160 wRC+ in 142 plate appearances against left-handed pitchers this season. </p>
<p id="coG1zB">For the Marlins, Jon Berti will get the start at second base and will lead off. Joey Wendle hits second and will play third base. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Marlins?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Marlins</a> lineup vs. Braves <br><br>— Miguel Rojas, who will get wrist surgery on Wednesday, starting <br>— Luzardo’s finale being caught by Fortes <br>— DLC continues to be the man in CF <a href="https://t.co/FmSoAFetqU">pic.twitter.com/FmSoAFetqU</a></p>— Christina De Nicola (@CDeNicola13) <a href="https://twitter.com/CDeNicola13/status/1577010843463561216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 3, 2022</a>
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<p id="uYJhYb">Bryan De La Cruz has been on a tear for the Marlins since September 1 hitting .370/.400/.685 with five homers and a 200 wRC+. He will play centerfield and hit third in Monday’s opener. Jesus Sanchez is back after a demotion to the minors and will hit fifth and DH. Nick Fortes will be behind the plate and hit sixth. </p>
<p id="UGUcow">Monday’s game has a scheduled start time of 6:40 p.m. ET and can be seen on Bally Sports South. </p>
https://www.batterypower.com/2022/10/3/23385694/braves-vs-marlins-lineups-william-contreras-robbie-grossmanKris Willis2022-10-03T15:57:00-04:002022-10-03T15:57:00-04:00Michael Harris named NL Rookie of the Month for September
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<figcaption>Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>It is the third time this season that Harris has taken home the honor</p> <p id="V0kjHy">Atlanta Braves outfielder Michael Harris was named NL Rookie of the Month for September on Monday. It is the third time that Harris has received the honor this season winning in June and August. His teammate, Spencer Strider, took home Rookie of the Month honors in August. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Another one <br><br>Congratulations <a href="https://twitter.com/MoneyyyMikeee?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MoneyyyMikeee</a>! <a href="https://t.co/63fxgScxuL">pic.twitter.com/63fxgScxuL</a></p>— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) <a href="https://twitter.com/Braves/status/1577021089926217728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 3, 2022</a>
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<p id="Z49rwM">Harris hit .324 in September and scored 20 runs, had five doubles, a triple and six home runs. He drove in 19 runs, stole four bases and had a .569 slugging percentage for the month. All while playing Gold Glove caliber defense in center. </p>
<p id="tOMyEy">Harris hit in seven straight games to start the month which was part of a 15-game hitting streak which is the second longest streak by a rookie in the majors this season. Harris hit safely in 21 of 26 games during the month. Harris’ 15-game hitting streak as a rookie is the second-longest by a Braves rookie trailing only Freddie Freeman who had a 20-game streak in 2011. </p>
https://www.batterypower.com/2022/10/3/23385875/michael-harris-named-nl-rookie-of-the-month-september-atlanta-bravesKris Willis2022-10-03T15:00:00-04:002022-10-03T15:00:00-04:00Dylan Lee: (An unusual) Death to Lefties
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<p>Dylan Lee has destroyed left-handed batters in 2022... but in a totally non-straightforward way</p> <p id="OtBfRj">Perhaps no other bullpen arm epitomizes the 2022 Atlanta Braves relief corps as well as Dylan Lee. The 28-year-old southpaw from the tiny town of Dinuba, California was drafted by the Marlins in the 10th round of the 2016 amateur draft, but was released by the Fish ahead of the 2021 season, options and all. The Braves snapped him up and gave him a cup of coffee late in the year, as well as making him the answer to the trivia question: who was the first pitcher to make his first Major League start in a World Series game?</p>
<p id="5RXMcZ">Fast-forward to 2022, though, and Lee has been anything but a curiosity relegated to the trivia annals. Rather, he’s up to 1.1 fWAR on the year, with a 52/69/79 line and an xERA somewhere between his ERA and FIP. He has more fWAR than high-priced relief acquisition Kenley Jansen; he’s tied for 40th in fWAR among all MLB relievers. Not bad for a guy that was outright released rather than having his option years run down, right? Not shabby for a guy who spent the first six weeks of this season pitching at Triple-A Gwinnett (although that was partly specifically <em>because</em> he had options remaining).</p>
<p id="AwkAK1">That low-risk, high-reward performance is partly why Lee epitomizes this bullpen so well. The two arms ahead of him in fWAR are A.J. Minter (arbitration-eligible, earning under $3 million in 2022) and Collin McHugh (earning $5 million this season and next season). Not ahead of him are the aforementioned Jansen ($16 million) and Will Smith ($13 million), the latter of whom was jettisoned off the roster at the Trade Deadline given his horrendous performance. The other reason he’s the bullpen in microcosm? Despite his superior performance, the timing of it has been mismatched to some extent. On the season, the Braves are tied with the Astros for MLB’s second-best bullpen. However, said bullpen is only eighth in WPA. In other words, they’ve been great, but comparatively less great in the most important situations:</p>
<ul>
<li id="td7QWG">Braves bullpen, low leverage: 3.38 FIP, 3.91 xFIP</li>
<li id="30dPhY">Braves bullpen, medium leverage: 2.54 FIP, 3.10 xFIP</li>
<li id="1gSKvh">Braves bullpen, high leverage: 3.81 FIP, 3.85 xFIP</li>
</ul>
<p id="hYB3vd">Lee has this same hallmark right now. Despite 1.1 fWAR, he has a WPA of, well, 0.00. He has 12 shutdowns to eight meltdowns, which is a pretty crappy rate. (The league, as a whole, has a rate of about 1.7 shutdowns to meltdowns, and that includes a pantsload of relievers way worse than what Lee’s done this year.) While Lee’s xFIP is basically the same across the three leverage categories (3.10, 3.18, 3.19), he’s had the unfortunate affliction of giving up his longballs in higher-leverage situations, leading to an FIP of 1.61 in low leverage, but 3.98 in medium leverage, and 4.31 in high leverage. This homer incidence isn’t really Lee’s fault, though, it’s just the sort of thing that happens when you slice up small-sample events into even smaller disparate chunks.</p>
<p id="fX3sQM">As the Atlanta relief corps helped deliver a giant sweep of the Mets, Lee was smack-dab in the middle of the action. The Braves used nine pitchers in the series, and Lee finished second in WPA with 0.20, just barely behind Raisel Iglesias (0.22), who had the advantage of pitching in all three games. Lee actually led the entire Atlanta pitching slate in WPA in both Saturday’s and Sunday’s games. </p>
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<p id="GvDCvI">I’ve now spent 600 words just on Dylan Lee, the 2022 relief guy, and haven’t gotten to what I really want to talk about: Dylan Lee is Death to Lefties this year, but the way he’s doing it is <em>weird</em>. Let’s start with some basics.</p>
<p id="UsPfo9">For the 2022 season...</p>
<ul>
<li id="P5cTv3">League-average: .309 xwOBA, 3.97 FIP, 3.97 xFIP</li>
<li id="csdMZc">Relievers: .302 xwOBA, 3.87 FIP, 3.95 xFIP</li>
<li id="izv0IB">Lefty relievers: .304 xwOBA, 3.94 FIP, 3.99 xFIP</li>
<li id="Z8y1Dv">Lefty relievers, against lefty batters: .282 xwOBA, 3.45 FIP, 3.72 xFIP</li>
</ul>
<p id="5Sd9e5">Essentially, relievers are slightly better than starters this year, but lefty relievers are slightly worse on the whole, even though they do a good job of stifling lefty batters. Now, let’s do Lee:</p>
<ul>
<li id="yaiiXN">Overall: .252 xwOBA, 2.70 FIP, 3.14 xFIP (way better than your average reliever, though we already knew this)</li>
<li id="Qu3NIu">Against lefty batters: .205 xwOBA, 1.59 FIP, 2.45 xFIP (these are wow-type numbers — Lee has been against lefties something like what A.J. Minter has been against everyone this year)</li>
</ul>
<p id="dODiq3">Here’s where it gets a little weird, though. If I told you there was a reliever, and he was death to same-handed hitters, you would figure he has a fantastic slider, right? Based on a bunch of work from Max Marchi (2010) and Jared Cross (yes, the Steamer guy, 2015, see here: <a href="https://tht.fangraphs.com/forecasting-pitcher-platoon-splits/)">https://tht.fangraphs.com/forecasting-pitcher-platoon-splits/)</a>, we have the data that supports this. Lefty sliders, in fact, have some of the biggest “yes this will result in a big platoon split” influence out there. We can use actual data from 2022 and come up with something pretty similar.</p>
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<figcaption>xwOBA across different handedness splits and pitch type, 2022</figcaption>
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<p id="aMl1kT">You can see that some pitches are fairly low-split, namely four-seamers and changeups. Curves and cutters from right-handers also don’t have much of a split. Two-seamers and sliders have fairly meaty platoon splits, as do cutters from lefties. (Splitters are not pictured because they are so rare, especially from left-handers.) Fundamentally, if you are a lefty pitcher that eats lefty batters alive, chances are, you are throwing something in the cutter/slider/curve family that breaks away from the batter... right? And you definitely aren’t forcing a four-seamer in there, yeah?</p>
<p id="yxHgy0">Except, in Dylan Lee’s case, those things would be quite wrong. Because, as you will see below, Lee has got some <em>stuff</em> going on.</p>
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<figcaption>Dylan Lee, xwOBA by handedness split and pitch type, 2022</figcaption>
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<p id="6jNNAo">Lee’s slider is pretty much a lefty-lefty slider, in the xwOBA sense. It has a smaller platoon split. His fastball is better than the usual lefty-righty four-seamer in terms of xwOBA... but oh man, has it just eviscerated same-handed batters. </p>
<p id="KQt6Hq">The exact reasons for this are hard to pinpoint. Lee’s slider-thing is more straightforward: it’s pretty cutter-y and is more of a one-plane pitch than something that really breaks away from lefty bats. His fastball has good shape, but lacks anything particularly strange about it that gives it an innate platoon advantage:</p>
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<p id="JgGk2f">When I look at the above, what jumps out at me isn’t really the shape (though boy that slider is really getting into cutter territory) of anything, but the usage. Lee is about 50-50 with his pitches overall (setting the rarely-used, poor-shape changeup aside for a moment); against lefties, it’s more 40-60 fastball-slider. So, while a lefty facing Lee sees about 0.7 fastballs for every slider, in general, lefty-lefty matchups in 2022 have featured about 1.2 fastballs for every slider. (Even when adjusting for reliever pitch usage, it’s like 1.1, but generally not flipped.)</p>
<p id="bO6ZPb">This style of backwards pitching might explain some of the fastball’s success against lefties. In other words, the fastball is the “gotcha,” the surprise out pitch after the hitter has been worn down by a steady diet of sliders. You can see this in Lee’s weird pitch type-by-count chart.</p>
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<figcaption>Dylan Lee, pitch type by count, left-handed batters. Red = four-seamer; yellow = slider.</figcaption>
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<p id="4vqlYc">Basically, against a lefty, there’s a good chance Lee is throwing a slider, something that only tends to change on 2-2 and 3-2 (and also 2-1 and 3-1, though weirdly not on 2-0 or 1-0). The “traditional” method of pitching, especially with such an effective pitch as a lefty-lefty slider, is to get ahead and then put guys away with the hard-to-contact breaking pitch. But Lee is getting ahead with the slider, throwing more sliders, and saving the four-seamer for two-strike situations. That’s gotta be confusing for lefties, though it should be noted that there are plenty of lefty starters and relievers that also throw a ton of two-strike four-seamers, from lefty fastball champ Carlos Rodon to A.J. Minter.</p>
<p id="uykmSY">There’s more, though. You might think from the above that given the “surprise!” usage of the four-seamer to lefties, its shape, and the fact that Lee is very good at taking advantage of that shape by throwing it right at the top of the zone or above, that Lee’s four-seamer is a master put-away pitch. But, it really isn’t, at least not in the conventional sense.</p>
<p id="oAj3C1">Against lefties, his four-seamer has a whiff rate of “only” 24 percent, and a put-away rate of “only” 22 percent. By comparison, his slider has whiff rates north of 40, and approaching 50 percent, against batters from both sides of the plate, with a higher put-away rate. Instead, what seems to be happening is that Lee is somehow benefiting from some horrid contact off a four-seamer that hitters probably shouldn’t be swinging at anyway.</p>
<p id="43QElK">Using the Statcast definition of the strike zone, the league swings at about 39 percent of pitches not in the zone, and connects on about 46 percent of those swings. Lefties are chasing both his fastball and slider at the same-ish 35-40 percent rate, but they generally get the fastball: 72 percent of out-of-zone fastballs that Lee has thrown to lefties this year end in contact. But, that contact is kind of the equivalent of “the dog that caught the car.” Congrats, you chased his four-seamer, here’s your spray chart:</p>
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<p id="dkBOXP">There’s a bunch of fouls, some whiffs, and this piddly contact. Even if you relax the requirement that the pitches must be out of the zone, things don’t change much. </p>
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<p id="tCsAYL">The crazy thing here is that Lee’s four-seamer, again, has good “rise,” and he’s throwing it almost exclusively up in the zone, yet getting a bunch of grounders anyway. This is a pretty generic example of Lee throwing a two-strike fastball that seems actively <em>hard</em> for a batter to beat into the ground, yet it happens anyway.</p>
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<p id="Wd5e77">And I don’t even know what Kyle Schwarber is doing here, it’s like hitters are leveling out their swings to hit something too high because they know they can’t catch up to it, even though they probably can, because he’s throwing like 92 mph:</p>
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<p id="VESuFB">I do want to add one more note in here, because it’s an important one, and it’s not quite about lefties. There was a point, all the way up until around mid-August, where Lee lacked enough feel for his slider to really execute it consistently. His fastball was still great for the reasons listed above (.229 xwOBA-against through August 18), but his slider suffered from too much hanging and general plate-ness and had a very generic, bad-for-a-slider .311 xwOBA against.</p>
<p id="Bp8XXo">Since that point, Lee has done a much better job spotting his slider, at the expense of fastball command. Given that we’ve only had this “switch” for about six weeks and a handful of appearances, it remains to be seen whether he can put everything together or not. But, even if this is best version of Dylan Lee we’re gonna get, it’s been quite a ride. He’s gone from afterthought to more-than-solid reliever, and a guy who torments same-handed batters with an unconventional, essentially backwards approach. Will it last? He’s a reliever. But it’s been head-scratchingly fun to watch so far.</p>
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https://www.batterypower.com/2022/10/3/23385106/dylan-lee-an-unusual-death-to-lefties-relief-pitching-atlanta-braves-2022Ivan the Great2022-10-03T14:00:00-04:002022-10-03T14:00:00-04:00Bryce Elder, Braves look to clinch NL East Monday against Marlins
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<figcaption>Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Atlanta needs a win or a Mets’ loss to lock up a fifth-straight NL East title. </p> <p id="cDUoR4">Needing just one win for a fifth consecutive NL East title, the <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Atlanta Braves</a> will send Bryce Elder to the mound Monday when they begin a three-game series against the <a href="https://www.fishstripes.com/">Miami Marlins</a>. The Braves are riding high after sweeping the <a href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/">Mets</a> in a three-game series at Truist Park over the weekend. Atlanta defeated Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer on back-to-back days and then knocked off Christ Bassitt in the finale Wednesday. </p>
<p id="hLZmWz">Atlanta is 12-4 against the Marlins this season and are 45-33 on the road this season. The Marlins have won two straight games and six of their last 10 overall. They took three out of four from the <a href="https://www.brewcrewball.com/">Brewers</a> in Milwaukee this past weekend dealing a critical blow to their playoff hopes. </p>
<p id="rvbuL3">Bryce Elder stepped into the rotation for the Braves after Spencer Strider was placed on the injured list with a sore oblique. Elder has pitched well down the stretch and tossed Atlanta’s only complete game shutout of the season in his last start against the Nationals. He has been excellent against the Marlins allowing just three runs combined in three starts (17 <sup>2</sup>⁄<sub>3</sub> innings) this season. </p>
<p id="ka9C7j">Miami will counter with lefty Jesus Luzardo who is looking to end his season on a positive note. Luzardo got off to a good start this season before a lengthy stint on the injured list. He returned to Miami’s rotation in August and has again pitched well down the stretch. He allowed four hits and two runs over six innings in his last start against the Mets. He has allowed three earned runs or less in nine of his last 11 starts. One of those came against the Braves on August 13 where he allowed seven hits and four runs in five innings. </p>
<p id="JmXkqb">Matt Olson battled his way through a second half slump, but came up big for the Braves in the series against the Mets. Olson finished with five hits in the series and homered in all three games. He is 10-for-23 at the plate with five home runs over his last seven games. Dansby Swanson joined Olson by homering in all three games against the Mets. The Braves enter play Monday leading the National League in home runs with 241 and are just five behind the <a href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">Yankees</a> who lead the majors with 246. </p>
<p id="ZV0e0O">First pitch for Monday’s game is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. ET and can be seen on Bally Sports South. </p>
<h3 id="lx2VjW"><strong>Game Info</strong></h3>
<p id="wN9ob8"><strong>Game Date/Time:</strong> Monday, October 3, 6:40 p.m. ET</p>
<p id="DJeJUd"><strong>Location: </strong>loanDepot Park, Miami, Florida</p>
<p id="J2iKOY"><strong>TV:</strong> Bally Sports South</p>
<p id="aq5uKu"><strong>Streaming:</strong> MLB.tv</p>
<p id="cYlFiE"><strong>Radio:</strong> 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan</p>
https://www.batterypower.com/2022/10/3/23385363/braves-vs-marlins-preview-time-tv-streaming-radio-bryce-elder-jesus-luzardoKris Willis2022-10-03T13:00:00-04:002022-10-03T13:00:00-04:00Battery Power TV: Three days that changed everything in NL East
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<figcaption>Photo by Adam Hagy/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The Braves swept the Mets and cut their magic number to one heading to the final series vs. the Marlins</p> <p id="c6N0Oe">The <a href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/">New York Mets</a> threw the best they had — quite literally — at the <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Atlanta Braves</a>, and the defending champs handled them all, standing on the cusp of another National League East title.</p>
<p id="8UjlRl">Grant McAuley and Cory McCartney on three days that changed that everything in the National League East as the Braves swept the Mets. Plus, Matt Olson, Austin Riley and Dansby Swanson break out of their slumps, Atlanta’s bullpen loomed large and putting the champagne on ice as the Braves head to Miami.</p>
<p id="B9ZtTh">Subscribe to the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjPa0drWIAkUN9JStcshyig">Battery Power YouTube channel</a> and turn on notifications to get alerts on every new episode. </p>
https://www.batterypower.com/2022/10/3/23385226/battery-power-tv-three-days-that-changed-everything-in-nl-eastCory McCartney