Which NFL quarterback will be the one to get benched first? Agree to Disagree
The final matchup of the regular season between the clubs is expected to turn into a second consecutive survey of the San Francisco bullpen, with Tristan Beck (3-2, 3.34 ERA) up first. The Giants used four relievers after opener Ryan Walker in Saturday’s 7-3 loss.Right-hander Jared Shuster (4-2, 5.00), recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett earlier in the week, is the scheduled starter for the Braves
Atlanta’s win Saturday made it two straight over the Giants in San Francisco and four of five going back to its 2-1 series win at home last week.
For the second straight week, the Braves will go for a series sweep on Sunday, a position not at all unfamiliar to the
Giants. The Giants
avoided a sweep on three occasions, including last week against the Brave On the other three occasions — including last week against the Braves — the Giants
avoided a sweep by winning the third game.Last Sunday’s win also came with an opener on the mound — Jakob Junis — and required a two-out, bases-loaded walk to Joc Pederson in the ninth to produce the difference-making run in a 4-3 win.The Giants have gone just 5-14 since the opener of the Oakland series on Aug. 5, with the last 10 losses having all come to heavyweights — the Rangers, Tampa Bay Rays,
Braves
and Phillies.Giants manager Gabe Kapler wasn’t making excuses when he admitted after Saturday’s game that his team is just running into better teams.“We’re going up against some of the best offenses in baseball. “We’re going up against some of the most potent offenses in baseball,” Kapler said after Saturday’s game. It’s hard to limit their run production. It’s not good enough to compete with these teams who are better at baseball than we are. “The
Braves have won four in a row, both out-hitting and out-pitching the
Giants
in the first two games of this series, 5-1 and 7-3 wins. Michael Harris II, Austin Riley and Orlando Arcia have contributed home runs to the two wins, while starting pitchers Spencer Strider and Max Fried combined to allow just three runs in 13 innings, followed by a bullpen that has given up one run in five innings.
While his teammates have provided the power, Ronald Acuna Jr. has flashed some of his speed in the series, swiping his 59th base in Saturday’s win. He’s now one steal and two home runs away from becoming the first in baseball history to steal 60 bases and hit 30 homers in the same season.But the Braves are much more than Acuna.“Everybody knows it could be somebody, anybody, that’s gonna pick the team up. We’re all happy, said Travis d’Arnaud, catcher. “Even if I get out, I know This makes hitting much less stressful. “
The rookie Shuster has never faced the
Giants. Beck made two relief appearances for the Giants
against the
Braves last weekend, allowing just two hits in four innings and striking out five.–Field Level Media