DH Drake Baldwin<\/a>
1B Matt Olson<\/a>
3B Austin Riley<\/a>
2B Ozzie Albies<\/a>
CF Michael Harris II<\/a>
SS Mauricio Dub\u00f3n<\/a>
LF Mike Yastrzemski<\/a>
C Jonah Heim<\/a><\/p>\n
Quick thoughts:<\/p>\n
RF James Wood (L)
1B Luis Garc\u00eda Jr. (L)
3B Brady House (R)
SS CJ Abrams (L)
LF Daylen Lile (L)
CF Danny Young (R)
2B Jorbit Vivas (L)
DH Jos\u00e9 Tena (L)
C Keibert Ruiz (S)<\/p>\n
Quick thoughts:<\/p>\n
Keibert Ruiz checks into the lineup for the first time in the series, but other than that, it\u2019s business as usual for Washington. <\/p>\n
Quick snapshot:<\/p>\n
MLB: 4IP, 1ER on 2H, 1BB, 4Ks \/ AAA: 16.2IP, 4ER on 8H (1HR), 6BB, 20Ks<\/p>\n
Pitch mix (MLB):<\/p>\n
vs LHH: 52% four-seam fastball, 40% splitter, 8% slider<\/p>\n
vs RHH: 77% four-seam fastball, 23% slider<\/p>\n
What to watch:<\/p>\n
For Fuentes, it comes down to locations and his usage of the splitter. Both the fastball and the slider are good enough, on their own, to make any at-bat competitive. But such a limited repertoire can allow opponents to devise a game plan to neutralize one, as the Phillies did to Spencer Strider<\/a> in the 2023 postseason. <\/p>\n Quick snapshot:<\/p>\n The arsenal:<\/p>\n How he attacks hitters (all graphics courtesy of Thomas Nestico<\/a>)<\/p>\n vs LHH: Well-sequenced mix, with nearly equal parts slider, four-seamer, and splitter<\/p>\n vs RHH: Well-sequenced mix, with nearly equal parts slider, four-seamer, and sinker<\/p>\n Sequencing:<\/p>\n How to read a plinko chart: Each circle represents the usage of a pitcher\u2019s arsenal in a given count (color key is on the bottom of the graphic). The thickness of the connecting lines reflects how often each count occurs, helping show how a pitcher navigates an at-bat.<\/p>\n Virtually every Braves player on the roster except for Drake Baldwin and the outfield platoon of Mike Yastrzemski and Eli White<\/a> have faced Littell in their careers. <\/p>\n Good: Acu\u00f1a (2-6, HR, 2 RBI); Riley (3-7, HR, 3 RBI)<\/p>\n Fair: Dub\u00f3n (2-7); Dom Smith (2-7, RBI)<\/p>\n Poor: Albies (1-5); Farmer (1-9, RBI); Olson (2-10, RBI)<\/p>\n It\u2019s another well-sequenced, kitchen sink, soft-tosser for the Braves to deal with, and inexplicably, that has been their kryptonite this season. <\/p>\n Likely available:<\/p>\n Used recently:<\/p>\n Potential limitations:<\/p>\n Jos\u00e9 Suarez<\/a> is down for three games, based off of his 59 pitches last night. But Joel Payamps<\/a>, off a back-to-back, and Aaron Bummer<\/a>, off three straight games, are both likely down as well. <\/p>\n Quick takeaway:<\/p>\n Used recently:<\/p>\n The leverage arms – Co-closers Clayton Beeter<\/a> and Gus Varland<\/a>, as well as setup Cionel P\u00e9rez<\/a>, all pitched last night. Perez is the only one who\u2019s questionable about returning today, but Washington likely won\u2019t jeopardize a win just because his pitch count hit the 20s last night. <\/p>\n Potential limitations:<\/p>\n Brad Lord<\/a>, who threw 37 pitches on Monday, is likely still unavailable for one more day. <\/p>\n Quick takeaway:<\/p>\n Can Washington get to the youngster Fuentes early? If they knock him out of the game early, it could pay dividends for both tonight and tomorrow\u2019s finale.<\/p>\n Atlanta needs to figure out a soft-tossing kitchen sink guy already. Littell\u2019s a good candidate to get beat; his only other career start against Atlanta came in 2024, and he allowed seven runs (six earned) on eight hits in just two innings, being taken deep by both Austin Riley and Marcell Ozuna<\/a>. <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/7cd1c02c-a2f3-403a-a445-9d08c19f05dc_965x.png\" "\\"\\"")
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