"Well, trying to explain the Atlanta Braves lineup configuration these days (any days?) is somewhere between a fool's errand and conversing with the abyss. In any case, Ha-Seong Kim will be batting cleanup tonight, while Ronald Acuña Jr. remains mired in the six-hole. Kim hasn't actually hit particularly well in the handful of games he's had with his new team (.294 xwOBA), though he's had fine-enough outputs (.330 wOBA) in the process."
"Drake Baldwin missed last week's showdown against Shota Imanaga, but the other eight batters in this lineup have faced him at least once before. Ozzie Albies and Matt Olson have both crushed Imanaga in just a handful of PAs; Albies homered off him last week. Collectively, these eight guys bring a .379 wOBA / .362 xwOBA in 39 prior PAs against Imanaga."
"One of the pseudo-surprises is that Ian Happ is hitting second; he has rarely done so this season and this will be just his ninth start of 2025 in that spot. Nico Hoerner also usually hits somewhere other than fifth; this will be his tenth start in that spot. Willi Castro playing center while Pete Crow-Armstrong slots in at DH is a little weird, but not that weird, and that's part of the reason the Cubs got Castro, anyway."
The Braves placed Ha-Seong Kim in the cleanup spot while Ronald Acuña Jr. bats sixth. Kim’s limited time with the team shows a .294 xwOBA and a .330 wOBA, and a six-PA sample against lefties produced a .642 xwOBA and .749 wOBA with only one out. Eight Braves in the lineup have faced Shota Imanaga before, combining for a .379 wOBA and .362 xwOBA in 39 PAs, with Ozzie Albies and Matt Olson notably successful. The Cubs made role adjustments—Ian Happ second, Nico Hoerner fifth, Willi Castro in center and Pete Crow-Armstrong at DH—and their hitters (except Crow-Armstrong) have about 40 PAs against Bryce Elder with a collective .252 wOBA and .322 xwOBA.
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