Walt Weiss has rolled out his first lineup as Braves’ manager.
The team’s first-year manager unveiled his starting nine for opening day ahead of the Braves’ game against the Royals at 7:15 p.m. Friday at Truist Park. Among the intriguing parts of Weiss’ lineup was the decision to bat second baseman Ozzie Albies third, start Eli White in left and bat the speedy outfielder sixth, and slot new shortstop Mauricio Dubón in the No. 7 hole.
Michael Harris II was penciled in to hit last.
“I want to put (Albies) in position to get as many right-handed at-bats as possible,” Weiss said before Friday’s game. “And you know, they’re going to target (Matt) Olson, (Drake) Baldwin with their lefties, so, there’s a price to pay with (Albies) sitting there in between them.”
Against left-handed pitchers, Albies is a .326 career hitter and has an OPS of .890. Against left-handed starting pitchers, the 29-year-old has hit .296 during his career.
The Braves were to face Royals lefty starting pitcher Cole Ragans on Friday.
“I talked to all these guys about this stuff before today, and look, they’re great. They’ll hit wherever you put them,” Weiss said. “But I do like (Austin) Riley in that fifth spot. I think there’s some RBIs there. I think he’s swinging the bat really well. And this stuff is always subject to change. We’ll watch what it looks like.”
Should the Royals turn to a right-handed pitcher during the course of Friday’s game, Weiss will have left-handers Mike Yastrzemski and Dominic Smith available as pinch hitters.
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