"Austin Riley is back hitting cleanup, and Michael Harris II has dropped to sixth. These all sort make sense if you think the lineup as responding to semi-recent trends as Riley has hit pretty well over the last two weeks, while Dubon and Harris have been okay at best in that span. The bottom of the lineup is what it is, for another day. The Braves find ways to keep winning anyway."
"This will be Riley's first time hitting cleanup since April 23; with this start, he will once again take over the mantle of "has hit cleanup for the Braves in 2026 most often" which he currently shares with Matt Olson. The Braves have used 32 different batting orders in 45 games so far; this game will make it 33 in 46."
"The Red Sox will deploy a lineup pretty similar to the one the Braves experience last night, except that Mickey Gasper is catching, such that Carlos Narvaez is pushed to the bench in favor of Masataka Yoshida starting at DH. When you look at the Statcast game preview above, you can see why the Red Sox have struggled to plate runs, as only Gasper, Wilyer Abreu, and Willson Contreras have any semblance of good batting inputs."
"Gasper, Yoshida, and Durbin have not faced Bryce Elder in their respective careers; the other six guys in the Red Sox lineup have, but none have double-digit PAs in the matchup. The collective line is a .162 wOBA and .191 xwOBA in 26 PAs, which really isn't anything at all. Nobody in the Braves' lineup has faced Tolle before, which makes sense given that the youngster hasn't pitched much in the majors and hasn't yet faced the Braves."
Austin Riley returns to the cleanup spot for the Braves, with Michael Harris II moving to sixth and Mauricio Dubon’s lefty matchup plan placed on hiatus. The change aligns with recent hitting performance over the past two weeks, while the bottom of the lineup remains unchanged. Riley’s cleanup start is his first since April 23 and restores his role as one of the most frequent cleanup hitters for Atlanta in 2026. The Braves have used 32 batting orders in 45 games. The Red Sox counter with a similar lineup to the previous night, with Mickey Gasper catching and Masataka Yoshida starting at DH, while Carlos Narvaez sits. Statcast inputs show limited run creation potential, and several Red Sox hitters have little or no prior experience against Bryce Elder. The Braves also have no prior matchups against Payton Tolle, who has limited major-league pitching exposure.
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