Nick Allen gets another start, Freddie Freeman still absent for the Dodgers

Orlando Arcia bears the brunt of the team’s attempt to make something happen

It’s lineup time, and that means that the Braves are giving Nick Allen another start as though Orlando Arcia were a specific problem at the top of the priority list right now. Allen at least had a nice game in his first start of the year, so we’ll see what happens.

The Dodgers also have a new lineup on the young season, spurred by Freddie Freeman’s absence for a second straight contest. This time, Tommy Edman will slide up to hit third, while Miguel Rojas and Chris Taylor give Los Angeles additional righty bats against Chris Sale (in lieu of Max Muncy and Michael Conforto, respectively).

In the Braves’ lineup, only Matt Olson, Marcell Ozuna, and Austin Riley have faced Dustin May, combining for 13 PAs against the young right-hander. Ozuna has a single, homer, double, and walk against May in six PAs, though none more recently than 2020. Riley has struck out both times they faced off; Olson has two walks in four PAs.

The Dodgers are comparatively way more familiar with Sale, as eight of their starting nine have faced him — including a combined 33 PAs for Teoscar Hernandez and Mookie Betts combined. Those two guys have hit him well, but everyone else has scuffled in the wOBA or xwOBA department, or both. In total, we’re talking 65 PAs with a .282 wOBA / .294 xwOBA.