Here’s your Atlanta Braves lineup for the series opener against the Miami Marlins:
Yes, Orlando Arcia is hitting fifth, and yes, that is weird. However, consider (but do not let it skew your judgment):
- Arcia’s .401 wOBA since the All-Star Break is the second-highest of everyone in this lineup (Marcell Ozuna);
- Arcia’s .399 xwOBA in that same span is the fourth-highest of everyone in this lineup, though one of those guys is Whit Merrifield and his one game of PAs (the other two are Ozuna and Sean Murphy); and
- Believe it or not, the Braves actually hit Arcia second for multiple games in April.
I imagine it might be forever until the Marlins post a lineup, so if you see this post without a Marlins lineup in it, it’s simply because they haven’t gotten around to posting one yet. Not that I really blame them, though — it’s probably hard to know who exactly is even on the roster these days. They may have forgotten someone before taking the flight out, a la a Home Alone situation.
