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Atlanta Braves Host AL East Leading Toronto Blue Jays

By Jonathan Savitske

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The Atlanta Braves will welcome the AL East leading Toronto Blue Jays to Turner Field for a 3-game series beginning on Tuesday.

The Atlanta Braves have lost a franchise record 13 straight games at home, and are also coming off a 4-game sweep at the hands of the New York Mets this past weekend. The Toronto Blue Jays have been arguably the best team in baseball since they acquired SS Troy Tulowitzki at the trade deadline and lead the New York Yankees in the AL East by 3 games.

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The Jays also feature arguably the games best offense, featuring Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, Tulowitzki, and MVP candidate Josh Donaldson in their lineup. The Blue Jays also went out and added an ace in David Price from the Detroit Tigers at the deadline, further enhancing their club on their march to the postseason.

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The Atlanta Braves have only won 2 out of their last 10 games, and it looks unlikely that their fortunes will change during this series. After blowing a 3-run lead in the 9th inning on Sunday against the Mets, I’m sure the club will do its best to at least take 1 game in this series. Here are the pitching matchups against the Blue Jays:

Tuesday:

Mark Buehrle (14-7, 3.72 ERA) vs. Julio Teheran (10-7, 4.38 ERA)

Buehrle has made only 1 start so far in September after he was scratched last week to receive a cortisone shot in his left shoulder. Some Atlanta Braves hitters like Freddie Freeman and Andrelton Simmons will be familiar with Buehrle going back to his time in Miami, while Nick Swisher and A.J. Pierzynski have played against him in the AL.

Julio Teheran has pitched well in the month of September, only giving up one earned run in each of his last two starts, owning a 1.38 ERA this month. Teheran also has pitched much better at home this season, so this matchup gives the Braves a good chance for a win.

Wednesday:

Drew Hutchison (13-4, 5.33 ERA) vs. Shelby Miller (5-14, 2.86)

Drew Hutchison has benefited from excellent run support provided by the Blue Jays, who have the best run differential in the majors at +198.

Shelby Miller will attempt to snap his streak of 21 consecutive winless starts. The Atlanta Braves ace is currently 6th in the NL in ERA, and 8th in innings pitched. The mental and emotional fatigue of the season and his lack of run support may be setting in.

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Thursday:

David Price (15-5, 2.46 ERA) vs. Matt Wisler (5-7, 5.60 ERA)

David Price is one of the best left-handers in the game. Since he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays, Price owns a 2.28.

Matt Wisler rebounded nicely in his last start against the New York Mets after giving up 7 runs to the Washington Nationals a week ago. After a bullpen session two days after that, Wisler only gave up 2 earned runs to the Mets. He has pitched better at home, but faces a tough opponent in price.

It would be great to see the Atlanta Braves salvage at least one win in this series with the Blue Jays, but don’t be surprised if we see another disappointing stretch of games as the regular season enters its final two weeks.

Next: Atlanta Braves: Predicting 2016 Starting Rotation

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