In the first of a three-game series between the Atlanta Braves (54-73) and the New York Yankees (69-57) at Turner Field, Williams Perez (4-4, 4.76 ERA) and Masahiro Tanaka (9-6, 3.61 ERA) take the mound. The game gets underway at 7:35 p.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 28 and will air on YES and FSSO.
In his most recent outing, Perez pitched 4.2 innings, allowing six runs, striking out four and walking two in a 9-7 loss to the Cubs. Freddie Freeman (.277, 48 Rs, 14 HRs, 47 RBIs, 3 SBs) went 1 for 4 Wednesday. The Yankees were unsuccessful to the Indians 7-3 the last time Tanaka pitched. He went 6.0 innings, allowing three runs (one unearned), striking out three and walking one.
The odds are even for this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable at the moment. The Braves have an SU record of 5-9 against the American League. The Braves rank second in the majors in extra base hits with 304. Atlanta’s pitching staff has fallen apart in the past 10 games. Its average runs allowed per game rose to 6.1 during that span, compared to its 4.5 season average.
When playing Teams in the National League, the Yankees have a 6-8 record SU. The Yankees rank second in the AL in scoring, averaging 4.7 runs per game. New York has an eye for the strike zone, ranking 3.2 in the AL with third walks per game. New York’s pitching staff tends to perform poorly when they play competition from the NL. They’ve allowed an average of 5.2 runs per game against teams from the NL, higher than their season average of 4.3.
The Braves will take on a right-hander (Tanaka) in this game and have a 45-59 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Yankees will be the right-hander Perez. They sport a 47-43 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – NYY
Notes
The Braves managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Yankees who are coming in with a 34-14 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they are outhit, the Braves are 10-50. The Yankees have a 13-45 record when opponents outhit them.
Atlanta ranks at the bottom of the league when it comes to home runs, hitting 81 this season. New York ranks in the top five at fourth with 165.
Atlanta and New York both rank in the top 10 of the league in hits. Atlanta sits at ninth with 8.54 hits per game and New York ranks sixth with 8.67.
Ranking 30th, Atlanta is at the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.680). New York ranks in the top five at fifth with an OPS of .747.
The Yankees are 34-44 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Braves are 21-52 when they allow at least one homer.
