C Drake Baldwin<\/a> (L)
1B Matt Olson<\/a> (L)
3B Austin Riley<\/a> (R)
LF Mike Yastrzmski (L)
2B Ozzie Albies<\/a> (S)
DH Dom Smith (L)
CF Michael Harris II<\/a> (L)
SS Mauricio Dub\u00f3n<\/a> (R) <\/p>\n
Quick thoughts:<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the same personnel as always, but in a different order – Dom Smith and Michael Harris II have flipped, allowing both Harris and Mauricio Dub\u00f3n to flash their speed ahead of the top of the order (and hopefully giving Smith some opportunities to produce some RBI)<\/p>\n
SS Zach Neto<\/a> (R) Quick thoughts:<\/p>\n Jorge Soler being in right field might give Chris Sale<\/a> some flashbacks to 2024. <\/p>\n Nobody on LA\u2019s roster has really had any success against Sale except for Mike Trout<\/a> (6-20, HR, 4 RBI) and he\u2019s out for tonight\u2019s game with a hand injury. Outside of him, Nolan Schanuel<\/a> is 2-3, Adam Frazier is 2-4 with an RBI, and Travis d\u2019Arnaud is 1-3 with a homer. <\/p>\n Quick snapshot (2025):<\/p>\n 2.58 ERA \/ 2.85 xERA \/ 2.67 FIP<\/p>\n 32.4 K% \/ 6.3 BB% \/ 2.2% HR<\/p>\n Pitch mix from 2025 (avg FB velo = 94.8 mph)<\/p>\n vs RHH: 46% slider, 44% 4SFB, 9% changeup, 1% sinker<\/p>\n vs LHH: 51% SL, 31% 4SFB, 15% sinker, 2% changeup<\/p>\n What\u2019s different so far this year?<\/p>\n Quick snapshot (2025):<\/p>\n The arsenal (2025):<\/p>\n Pitch 1 = sinker (97.2 mph, 49% usage)<\/p>\n Pitch 2 = curveball (85.2 mph, 27% usage)<\/p>\n Pitch 3 = splitter (92.3 mph, 9% usage)<\/p>\n Pitch 4 = four-seamer (97.9 mph, 9% usage)<\/p>\n Pitch 5 = slider (89.2 mph, 6% usage)<\/p>\n What\u2019s different so far this year?<\/p>\n So far in his two starts, Soriano has thrown more curveballs than sinkers, while ramping up the four-seamer usage to about 24%. He\u2019s much more balanced between his top three pitches now, albeit mostly in platoon situations.<\/p>\n In last year\u2019s game plans, Soriano liked to go to a whiff pitch (splitter vs LHH, curveball vs RHH) if ahead early or sinkers if he wasn\u2019t, getting pretty diversified in two-strike counts, and prioritizing something he felt confident landing in the zone in full-count scenarios.<\/p>\n In limited action so far this year, Soriano looks like he\u2019s trying to be more unpredictable. He\u2019s also minimized the sinker to lefties, instead going with four-seamers and breaking balls. <\/p>\n Vs RHH: Sinkers and curves, but with sliders<\/p>\n (2025): 51% sinkers, 31% curveballs, 11% sliders, 5% four-seamer, 2% splitter<\/p>\n Vs LHH: Sinkers and curves, but with splitters<\/p>\n (2025): 48% sinker, 23% curveball, 15% splitter, 12% four-seamer, 2% slider<\/p>\n Sequencing (2025):<\/p>\n How to read a plinko chart: Each circle represents the usage of a pitcher\u2019s arsenal in a given count (color key below). The thickness of the connecting lines reflects how often each count occurs, helping show how a pitcher navigates an at-bat.<\/p>\n There\u2019s very little familiarity with Soriano on Atlanta\u2019s roster. Outside of former AL West rival Jonah Heim<\/a>, who is 1-12 off of the righty, the rest of Atlanta\u2019s roster has a combined 25 ABs off of the flamethrower. Mauricio Dub\u00f3n is 1-2 and Matt Olson\u2019s 1-3, while Austin Riley is 1-6 and both Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr. (3 ABs), Ozzie Albies (4 ABs), and Michael Harris II (6 ABs) are hitless. <\/p>\n Looking at last year\u2019s performance against righty fastballs of 97 or harder, Matt Olson and Ozzie Albies are the two to watch for. Olson hit .297 against the combo of four-seamers and sinkers, while Ozzie hit .280 against high-velocity four-seamers but struggled against sinkers. <\/p>\n Likely available:<\/p>\n If this one\u2019s out of hand after Sale is done, I\u2019d see about letting Aaron Bummer<\/a> and Jose Suarez<\/a> take multiple innings each. <\/p>\n Used recently:<\/p>\n All three top leverage arms pitched yesterday, but none of their pitch counts preclude Walt Weiss<\/a> from using them again.<\/p>\n Potential limitations:<\/p>\n Tyler Kinley<\/a> has a back-to-back, so he\u2019s likely down unless it\u2019s an emergency – pushing a middle-leverage reliever for three outings in three days is ludicrous to do in early April. Just throw Joel Payamps<\/a> there instead. <\/p>\n Quick takeaway:<\/p>\n You can use the leverage arms today, but whoever you throw is likely out tomorrow, so choose wisely and only go there if you need to.<\/p>\n Likely available:<\/p>\n Used recently:<\/p>\n Ryan Zeferjahn<\/a> and Shaun Anderson both threw more than 25 pitches last night, but did it off of three or more days of rest, so if you need them, they might be able to go if they feel okay.<\/p>\n Potential limitations:<\/p>\n Quick takeaway:<\/p>\n I liked him as a Brave, but I\u2019m not convinced that Kurt Suzuki<\/a> knows how to manage a bullpen. <\/p>\n If Atlanta can get Soriano\u2019s pitch count up early and push him out of the game after five innings, the Angels are going to be in a world of hurt both tonight and for the rest of the series. Celebrate the long at-bats in this one. <\/p>\n
RF Jorge Soler<\/a> (R)
LF Jo Adell<\/a> (R)
1B Jeimer Candelario<\/a> (S)
C Logan O\u2019Hoppe (R)
3B Oswald Peraza<\/a> (R)
DH Joan Moncada (S)
CF Bryce Teodosio<\/a> (R)
2B Adam Frazier<\/a> (L)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/9787fc9b-a415-46b0-9e91-b7ee45200f61_889x.png\" "\\"\\"")
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