Atlanta Braves Visit A's in a Get-Right Series For One Club

Tuesday will see Jeffrey Springs take on a hot prospect in Didier Fuentes for Atlanta. Fuentes, 20, has made three starts for the Braves and is 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA and a 1.83 WHIP and has had trouble keeping his pitch count down to be able to eat some innings.

Baseball America recently named Fuentes as one of their rising star prospects of the first half, but also noted that his inclusion in the big-league rotation is a bit of a trial-by-fire due to the injuries the team is dealing with. He could use this as a breakout game, or he could be done after just a few innings.

Springs has been pitching well since the beginning of May, holding a 3.26 ERA in those 12 games. He's arguably been the A's most consistent pitcher this season, so if Atlanta can grab a win on Tuesday, then it may be a sign for the rest of the series.

On Wednesday, the A's are scheduled to use Mitch Spence (2-4, 4.06), while Atlanta will be going with Bryce Elder (2-6, 5.92). Spence's ERA is a touch misleading because he began the year in the bullpen for the second straight season, but in his six turns through the rotation he has pitched much better, holding a 3.64 ERA while typically going five frames per outing.

Elder has been struggling of late, holding a 6.94 ERA over his last seven starts, including an 8.07 ERA since June 1. He also hasn't pitched enough innings in that span to qualify for the leaderboards, which is a little concerning for Braves fans. He's been giving up home runs at a high rate this season, with 16 so far in 73 innings of work, and that's not exactly the best mix for pitching in Sacramento where the ball tends to travel.

In the finale we have our best shot at a pitcher's duel with JP Sears (7-7, 4.76) taking on Spencer Strider (3-7, 3.93). After an awful month of May where he had an ERA over eight, Sears has allowed just three earned runs over his past three starts spanning 16 2/3 innings. His last two starts--against the Yankees in New York and the San Francisco Giants at home--he's combined for 11 2/3 scoreless innings, given up five hits, five walks, and struck out 10.

Strider wasn't a CY Young contender immediately upon his return from the IL in May, and that had some people concerned, but he's been an effective pitcher while coming back from major surgery. In five of his last six starts he's gone at least six innings while giving up a couple of runs each time out.

Beware of the bats

Two years ago, the Braves has one of the best offenses of all time. This year, they're a little below league average, holding a 96 wRC+ (100 is league average). That ranks them No. 20 in the big leagues, while the A's 101 has them at No. 14. The A's real advantage may be in the home run department, where they've out-slugged Atlanta 113 to 92.

In a small sample size this month, Matt Olson has been one of the best hitters in the early going, posting a 202 wRC+ with two homers and six RBI. What makes this a little strange is that Sean Murphy, the other player the A's traded to the Braves in recent seasons, is their second-best hitter this month with a 191 wRC+, two homers, and four RBI.

Ronald Acuña Jr. has been hot since the beginning of June and is easily the team's best bat in that span, though he's stuggled to begin the new month, batting just .150 in six games played.

For the A's, Denzel Clarke has been racking up extra-base hits on top of his nightly web gems, and he has surprisingly been one of the A's best bats so far this month with a homer, a triple, and two doubles over the weekend against the Giants. He's batting .207 on the season, so we'll have to wait and see if it was a hot weekend or if he's figuring things out.

Former Atlanta Braves prospect Shea Langeliers has gone 4-for-15 since returning from the IL this month, including two doubles and a home run.

The guy to watch out for in this series is going to be Lawrence Butler, who is from Atlanta and will be celebrating his 25th birthday on Thursday, which is also his bobblehead night. Butler had been focused on getting to Atlanta for the All Star Game all season long, and that focus, along with the expectations following his contract extension, may have potentially led to him pressing at times.

Now, with the All-Star rosters set, he can put that behind him and go play ball against his friend Michael Harris II. This series may be a great chance for him to go out there and play loose. It should also be noted that it was around this time last year that Butler went from trying to earn regular playing time to becoming a building block for the franchise by season's end.