August 7, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves center fielder Jarred Kelenic (24) hits a home run against the Milwaukee Brewers in the ninth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Photo Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports After completing their task in San Francisco, the Atlanta Braves will look to close out their trip with a win when they open a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night in Anaheim, Calif.
With three wins from four games in San Francisco, the Braves extended their lead over the New York Mets in the multi-team race for the last wildcard spot in the National League to two games.
Atlanta coach Brian Snitker was less bothered by the 6-0 loss in San Francisco on Thursday that prevented a four-game sweep than by the two losses in three days in Colorado to start the trip.
This stretch helped the Mets, Giants and Cincinnati Reds move closer together in the Chase, while also breathing new life into the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs.
“We probably had our lowest point of the year and then we got three (wins) in a row,” Snitker said. “I think that’s good. You don’t like to lose a game this time of year. Every game is important.”
The Braves flew south knowing that center fielder Michael Harris II appears to have fully recovered from a hamstring injury that sidelined him for two months. He hit a grand slam and scored a personal best five runs in a win at San Francisco on Wednesday before getting one of Atlanta’s four hits on Thursday.
Jarred Kelenic also had hits in the last two games of the Giants series. This is an important event because it looks like the left-hander will be filling in for at least part of the weekend for Jorge Soler, who suffered a hamstring strain on Wednesday.
An MRI scan performed Thursday showed no significant damage and it is likely that Soler will be ready to play when the Braves return home on Tuesday for the start of a key series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Braves will likely see three right-handers in Anaheim, starting with Jose Soriano (6-7, 3.36 ERA) in the series opener.
The 25-year-old probably won’t mind facing another NL East team after dominating two others in his last two games – the New York Mets and Washington Nationals. Soriano allowed just one run and nine hits in 12 innings in those games, striking out 13 players and walking three.
In his last start in Washington, he was denied a win by allowing just two runs of support. The Angels have lost five of their last six games and have been limited to two runs or fewer four times during that span.
Angels manager Ron Washington expects a more energetic attack against the Braves after benching three key players — Logan O’Hoppe, Zach Neto and Jo Adell — on Wednesday ahead of their scheduled off day on Thursday.
“Neto is the only one who complained,” Washington said. “He wrote me a long message saying he didn’t need a day off and wanted to keep up with everyone else. Sometimes you just have to take responsibility out of their hands.”
Soriano has faced just seven Braves batters in his career, all in a scoreless, four-out relief appearance last season.
Braves rookie Spencer Schwellenbach (4-5, 3.95 ERA) will face the Angels for the first time. He has pitched well in his last three starts, going 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 20 innings.
–Field level media
