Atlanta Braves will need to be at their peak against Toronto

The Atlanta Braves enter this series with the Toronto Blue Jays having lost a great chance to win it all against a Rockies team that is already looking forward to the 2025 season. Of course, that includes the Blue Jays, considering who has been getting the most playing time for them lately, but this is not your typical last-place team.

Although the Jays started the month with three straight losses, they finished August with a 16-12 record — their best month of the season to date. They’ve been a .500 team since the All-Star break, and their offense has been stellar since then, too. The Blue Jays are slashing .254/.320/.44 as a team with a .327 wOBA and a team wRC+ of 115 since the break. Much of that has to do with players like Daulton Varsho and Addison Barger consistently coming off strong numbers during that stretch, but it also has a lot to do with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. going supernova in the second half of the season.

Since the break, he’s been posting an incredible .419/.489/.813, .532 wOBA, and 257 wRC+. He has the highest wRC+ in baseball since the break, which is a big deal considering how Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt Jr. are doing. Atlanta’s pitching staff has been excellent this season, but they’ll face a tough test trying to keep Vladito and the Blue Jays lineup in check.

Friday, September 6, 7:20 PM ET, Bally Sports Southeast

LHP Max Fried (24 GS, 140 IP, 117 ERA-, 108 FIP-, 22.4 K%, 8.6 BB%)

Fried enters this start against the Blue Jays having given up at least three runs in six of his last eight starts. In fact, he has given up at least five runs in four of those starts. Sure, he hasn’t given up five runs in a start since his appearance at Coors Field on Aug. 10, but it’s still been a bit of a rollercoaster. Over that eight-start span, Fried has a 115 ERA- and 106 FIP- with a strikeout rate of 23.5 percent but a walk rate of 10.2 percent. With this resurgent Blue Jays lineup coming to town, it’ll be huge if Fried can rebound and find his best game in this start in particular.

RHP Kevin Gausman (27 GS, 157 IP, 101 ERA-, 95 FIP-, 22 K%, 7.1 BB%)

Our old friend Kevin Gausman is back in town and has been on a rollercoaster ride of late. On Aug. 13, Gausman threw seven shutout innings in Anaheim, helping the Blue Jays to a win. Six days later, he was held to four runs in five innings against the Reds. He then beat the Angels again, throwing seven innings while allowing just one run and 10 strikeouts. But after that, he gave up two runs and four walks while pitching 5.2 innings in what turned out to be a loss to the Twins. While the walks may be a bit unusual, the inconsistency has been there all season. If the Braves catch him on a bad day, it could be a productive night for the home team.

Saturday, September 7, 7:20 p.m. ET, Bally Sports Southeast

RHP Spencer Schwellenbach (16 GS, 92.2 IP, 88 ERA-, 78 FIP-, 27.6 K%, 5.0 BB%)

Schwellenbach continues to solidify his place as one of the best starting pitchers in baseball this season. Although his last start ended in controversy due to the decision to leave him in the game a bit longer than necessary, it’s still not a bad thing to make it to the sixth inning and only give up two runs while only walking one batter at Citizens Bank Park. Schwellenbach will now look to do it at home, as he’s actually put up better numbers on the road (3.53 ERA, 2.48 FIP) than he has at home (3.89 ERA, 3.91 FIP).

LHP José Berríos (28 GS, 170.1 IP, 89 ERA-, 116 FIP-, 19.3 K%, 6.8 BB%)

It was a tale of two halves for the Blue Jays, and that was definitely the case for José Berríos this season. In the first half, Berríos made 20 starts and finished with a 99 ERA- and 125 FIP-. Since the break, however, Berríos has a 65 ERA- and 97 FIP- and will enter this game having pitched six shutout innings against the Twins on Aug. 31. He has had three instances since the All-Star break where he pitched seven innings and allowed just one run, so he has definitely been locked in since the break. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see another pitchers’ duel this Saturday night.

Sunday, September 8, 1:35 PM ET, Bally Sports Southeast

LHP Chris Sale (26 GS, 160.2 IP, 59 ERA-, 51 FIP-, 32.4 K%, 5.4 BB%)

We here at Battery Power are going to break the record for the number of times you can say, “What more can you say?” about Chris Sale. But seriously, what more can you say about this guy? He’ll win the NL Cy Young Award, probably get NL MVP votes, and face a Blue Jays team he’s historically had a lot of success against. Sale has given the Braves a run down the stretch, even if he hasn’t had his best game on any given night, and I’d be shocked if he doesn’t provide the kind of play the Braves will likely need.

RHP Yariel Rodríguez (17 GS, 68.1 IP, 114 ERA-, 108 FIP-, 23.4 K%, 11.2 BB%)

The good news for Rodríguez is that he didn’t score a single run in his last appearance. The bad news is that he only pitched three innings in that start, and that’s after giving up six runs to the Red Sox on Aug. 27, five runs to the Reds on Aug. 21, and four runs to the Cubs on Aug. 16. While Rodríguez certainly has some good offspeed and has done well to avoid barrels this season, it’s clear that he enters this game in a somewhat vulnerable position. That being said, this Braves lineup has proven to be a cure-all for certain pitchers from time to time, so it’s not like it’s a guarantee that the Braves will show up and show up against this guy.