Ruby McKenzie
On paper, one narrative coming into the National League Division Series between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Atlanta Braves is how the Brewers pitching will do against the Braves hitters.
Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, and Freddy Peralta lead the Brewers’ starting rotation. This trio has broken several records this year, including Burnes’ ERA championship. Burnes has been named the starter for game one, Woodruff for game two, and Peralta is slated to start game three.
The Braves’ lineup is heavily reliant on home runs. Their ability to hit the long ball will be a major deciding element in this series. They finished with four players who hit 30 or more home runs, while shortstop Dansby Swanson narrowly missed the cut.
Adam Duvall
With 113 runs batted in this season, Adam Duvall leads the league. In addition, he hit 38 home runs for both the Marlins and the Braves. Here’s how he’s fared against the Brewers’ trio throughout the course of his career.
Woodruff: 1-4
Burnes: 1-7, 1 RBI
Peralta: 0-1, 1 BB
Combined: 2-12, 1 RBI 1 BB
Freddie Freeman
Freddie Freeman had the highest batting average among qualifying first basemen at the end of the season. He also had a.317 batting average against right-handed pitchers. He is a tough hitter, and the Brewers will have to pitch extremely cautiously against him, particularly because he has already had success against us.
Woodruff: 3-9, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Burnes: 1-4, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Peralta: 2-9, 1 RBI
Combined: 6-22, 1HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB
Austin Riley
Riley’s second-half burst was a key factor in the Braves’ victory. He ended the regular season with a batting average above.300, more than 30 home runs and doubles, and more than 100 RBIs. He is unquestionably a Brave to be concerned about entering this series.
Woodruff: 1-9, 1 BB
Burnes: 1-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB
Peralta: 1-3, 1BB
Combined: 3-16, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB
Ozzie Albies
Ozzie Albies, the switch-hitting second baseman, achieved new career highs in home runs (30) and RBIs this year (106). His batting average dropped from.259 to.100 as a result. He has yet to go far with any of the big three.
Woodruff: 2-9, 1 double
Burnes: 2-4, 1 double
Peralta: 1-7, 1 double, 2 BB
Combined: 5-20, 3 doubles, 2 BB
Dansby Swanson
Swanson had a sluggish start to the season this year and may have had a bad season, according to some. Despite this, he managed to smash 27 home runs and drive in over 80 runs. He has had the best achievement against the Brewers’ top three starters of the Braves hitters mentioned.
Woodruff 3-9, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB
Burnes: 4-5, 2 HR, 5 RBI
Peralta: 0-7, 2 BB
Combined: 7-21, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 3 BB
To be truthful to Burnes, Swanson hit two home runs off him in 2018 and 2019, when he was a very distinct pitcher than the one he is today.
The Brewers have been reliant on their starting pitchers all season and will be hoping for another strong showing. The series will be decided by how they perform against the above-mentioned batters. Game 1 will begin at 3:37 p.m. CT on Friday, October 8th.
