White Sox at Braves
Suffice to say the Atlanta Braves have rediscovered their offensive swagger after an extended dry spell and they look to finish a three-game home sweep of the Chicago White Sox on Sunday. The National League East leaders have scored 30 runs on 36 hits in their past three games after scoring only 18 times in their previous six contests, plating six first-inning runs in Saturday’s 11-5 victory as second baseman Ozzie Albies and center fielder Billy Hamilton led the charge.
Albies followed his four-hit night in Friday’s series opener by going 2-for-3 with a run scored and two walks Saturday, while Hamilton – who started in center field for the slumping Ronald Acuna Jr. – added two hits, two runs scored and one RBI as Atlanta maintained its 5 ½ game division lead over Washington. The only blemish was first baseman Freddie Freeman, who fouled a ball off his left foot in the second inning and eventually came out of the game in the sixth inning. The White Sox lost their fifth in a row and seventh in nine games, but left fielder Eloy Jimenez collected three hits to improve to 5-for-9 in the series. Shortstop Tim Anderson, who struck out three times in the series opener, finished with two hits.
TV: 5:10 p.m. ET, WGN (Chicago), FS South (Atlanta)
PITCHING MATCHUP: White Sox RH Lucas Giolito (14-7, 3.20 ERA) vs. Braves RH Julio Teheran (8-8, 3.39)
One year after giving up a major-league worst 118 earned runs, Giolito has emerged as an AL Comeback Player of the Year candidate, entering Saturday fifth in the league in hits per nine innings (6.79), fifth in ERA and sixth in WHIP (1.09). The 25-year-old went 3-2 with a 2.45 ERA in five August starts, striking out nine in six innings while allowing two runs on four hits Tuesday in a loss to Minnesota. Giolito, who has struck out at least nine hitters in five of his past six starts (including three with at least 11), gave up two runs on five hits in 3 1/3 innings in his lone career appearance against Atlanta in 2016.
Teheran has continued a remarkable run in which he’s allowed more than three earned runs just three times in 21 starts since the beginning of May, pitching to a 2.72 ERA in that span as Atlanta is 14-7 in those outings. The 28-year-old gave up six runs in 1 1/3 innings against the Mets on Aug. 15, but has not been scored upon in 13 innings since while surrendering just eight hits (three hits in six shutout innings Monday at Colorado). Teheran gave up five runs on nine hits in six innings in his only career contest against the White Sox in 2016.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Braves are expected to activate C Brian McCann off the injured list (left knee sprain) Sunday.
2. After RHP Reynaldo Lopez was knocked out after 2/3 inning Saturday, Chicago relievers gave up five runs on six hits in 7 1/3 innings.
3. Atlanta 3B Josh Donaldson snapped an 0-for-14 skid with a second-inning single Saturday and added a homer in the eighth.