Braves vs Giants Pick: Atlanta Tries to Rebound From Disastrous Loss (Jun 6)

• Our Braves vs Giants pick assesses struggling Atlanta (27-34) visiting San Francisco (35-28)
• Atlanta is trying to recover from blowing a 6-run 9th inning lead to the D-Backs
• San Francisco recently made some significant changes to its roster amid offensive doldrums
• The Braves start Spencer Schwellenbach; the Giants respond with Hayden Birdsong

Schwellenbach Tries to Slow Braves Plummet

The Braves have lost four straight and 10 of 13. The latest setback could be their worst of the season.

Atlanta led Arizona by six runs with two outs to go, but the D-Backs subsequently scored seven runs in the top of the ninth to take the lead. They held on in the ninth for the win.

Save the jokes about a reliever whose name is Scott Blewett giving up five of the runs in the D-Backs’ comeback.

Losing has become a nearly daily occurrence for the Braves over the past two weeks. It was expected that when they got Ronald Acuña Jr. back from injury, they would continue their upward trend that helped them recover from a 5-13 start. That has not been the case.

To get back in the win column, the Braves turn to Spencer Schwellenbach.

Schwellenbach has been very good all season with a 3.13 ERA, 65 hits allowed in 74.2 innings, only 12 walks, and 71 strikeouts. In his last start against the Red Sox, he tossed 6.1 scoreless innings and K’d 11.

The only Giant who has ever faced Schwellenbach is San Francisco newcomer Dominic Smith. He’s 0 for 1 with a walk and a strikeout.

Acuña has been tremendous since his return. In 45 at-bats, he has 15 hits, including 2 doubles and 4 home runs. Marcell Ozuna has an .868 OPS and 10 home runs. Drake Baldwin is batting .310 with 7 homers.

Giants Try to Build Momentum After Major Changes

With their offense in the doldrums, Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey chose to act rather than hesitate. LaMonte Wade Jr. and Sam Huff were designated for assignment, and journeyman veteran Smith was signed.

Smith can’t be much worse than Wade has been, but given Smith’s mediocre career, he is unlikely to be the answer. Perhaps the shock value from Posey, a former MLB star and future Hall of Fame player, is the catalyst rather than worrying about the players themselves.

The Giants beat the Padres 3-2 in their first game after the moves, with Smith going 3 for 4 with 2 RBIs.

In the opener of their series with Atlanta, they send Hayden Birdsong to the hill. Birdsong recently re-entered the starting rotation after serving as a reliever for the first two months of the season.

In three starts, he has tossed 14.2 innings, given up 15 hits, 4 earned runs, walked 2, and struck out 15. The second-year righty was a solid starter in 2024.

Against the Braves, Birdsong has given up a home run in two at-bats to Sean Murphy. Austin Riley is 1 for 2 with a home run.

Apart from Matt Chapman, Heliot Ramos, and Wilmer Flores, the Giants’ offense has been up and down. Expect Posey to shake things up further as the trade deadline approaches if they do not improve.

Braves vs Giants Pick: SF Keeps Atlanta on the Skids

Fans and media tend to overreact to a horrific loss more than the players do, so once the game starts, the Braves’ players will tend to business and not think about the loss to the D-Backs. Still, their play is indicative of a team that is still trying to figure out why they are stumbling and have been for much of the past season and a half. That will continue in San Francisco as they lose to the Giants.