Can Mariners Young Pitching Shutdown the Braves?

The Mariners kick off the last leg of a nine-game road trip tonight against the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves (27-16). Unfortunately, the good vibes from a game one win in Boston are all but gone, as the usually solid rotation has faltered over the past two games. So now, manager Scott Servais leads his team into Atlanta, facing another juggernaut offense led by Ronald Acuna Jr. and Austin Riley.
The excellent news is Servais has lined up the Mariners’ hottest starters for the three-game set.

Pitching Matchups (ATL hasn't announced Game 2-3 starters)

Game 1 – 7:20 PT:
Bryce Miller vs. Bryce Elder

Rookie phenom Bryce Miller gets a crack at Atlanta’s deep lineup in what should be a great test for the righthander. Miller has already shown the ability to make in-game adjustments as he did in Detroit by flipping his tendencies to more off-speed. However, he will likely take this approach multiple times to get through the lineup.

Offensively, look for some new lineups or some callups from the minor leagues to inject some energy into an uneven Mariner lineup. President of Baseball Operations, Jerry Dipoto, joined Brock and Salk yesterday on Seattle Sports 710, referencing the lack of external trade partners at this time of the season.

Elder is a control artist who pitches to contact (43 IP/37 K), and as you know, these pitchers give the Mariners fits.

Game 2 – 4:15 PT:
Logan Gilbert vs. TBD

‘Walter’ looks to continue his three-game quality start streak. Something tells me the splitter will be in fullforce especially with the amount of left handed thump in the Braves' lineup (Olson, Harris, Albies).

Game 3 – 10:35 AM PT:
George Kirby vs. TBD

With each start, George Kirby is ascending to ace status. He has spun eight consecutive quality starts, including a complete dismantling of a top-five offense in Boston. This start might be his most challenging yet as the Braves lead the NL in runs scored with 266 through 43 games. Of all the starters going this weekend, Kirby is the one we should have the most faith in, even against the powerhouse Braves.

Possible Lineups

On the surface it looks like a fantastic series. If it's anything like last season's three-game set in Seattle it's going to be a doozy. Let's just hope the good guys come out on top again!