Hunter Greene vs Grant Holmes: Braves Look to Wake Up the Bats Against a Tough Thrower

Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna (20) readies himself to bat during the fifth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images

After a dramatic extra-inning win last night, the Braves are riding some momentum heading into game three against Cincinnati, but tonight brings a different kind of challenge.

Hunter Greene takes the ball for the Reds, and he’s been dealing. The 25-year-old flamethrower owns a 2.53 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP on the year and is striking out over 33 percent of the batters he faces. With a fastball that averages just under 100 miles per hour and a slider that generates whiffs at a ridiculous 52 percent rate, Greene doesn’t just pitch hard, he pitches smart. His high spin rate and command of the strike zone make him one of the toughest matchups in the National League when he's on.

Atlanta’s offense will have to earn everything tonight. While Matt Olson has taken Greene deep once before, he’s also struck out five times in eight career at-bats. Austin Riley has had some better luck, hitting .333 with a couple of doubles off him in nine tries. Players such as Marcell Ozuna and Alex Verdugo don't have a lot of history against him, but have managed two hits and three RBIs between them in ten at-bats. For an offense that’s had its share of cold nights this season, a power arm like Greene is no easy task to hit.

On the mound for Atlanta is Grant Holmes, who’s coming off one of the best starts of his career, and maybe one of the most frustrating. Holmes pitched lights out against the Dodgers, going six innings, striking out nine, and allowing just two runs on four hits. The Braves didn't get the win that night, as Yoshinobu Yamamoto shut the bats down, keeping them to a dismal 2-for-29 at the plate, striking out 10 times that night.

Now Holmes gets another shot, this time against Cincinnati, and if he pitches anywhere near as well as he did against L.A., Atlanta has a real shot to keep the momentum rolling. His six-pitch mix continues to keep hitters guessing, and his breaking ball numbers rank in the 94th percentile in run value. While Holmes has a decent arsenal of pitches, he relies heavily on the four-seam fastball and his slider. Holmes as of late has looked like a rising ace and continues to get better every time out.

Cincinnati's offense has been cold since hitting the Atlanta series themselves. You could make the case that they are in the same boat as Atlanta. The offense hasn't produced much, while the pitching staff has pitched well enough to keep them in games. It looks to me that this says a very good thing about Atlanta's staff. The Reds have mustered one run in two games against the Braves and are batting 8-for-64, .125 BA, after facing two dominant games from AJ Smith-Shawver, Chris Sale, and the Braves' bullpen. With Holmes on the hill tonight, it would not be out of the way to think that trend could continue.

After last night’s walk-off from Marcell Ozuna, a tenth-inning liner that brought home Alex Verdugo, this team is riding a little bit of momentum. The Braves have won three in a row and are just one game away from reaching .500 for the first time this season. The test gets tougher tonight with Greene on the hill, but if Holmes delivers again and the bats finally wake up enough to get the job done, a series win could be waiting by the end of the night.