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Braves vs. White Sox Preview: Charlie Morton set for season debut

After taking two of three in Philadelphia, the Atlanta Braves will head to Chicago for a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox. Charlie Morton will make his season debut for Atlanta. Right-hander Chris Flexen will get the nod for the White Sox.

The Braves picked right back up where they left off with their offense banging out 25 runs and 39 hits in the three games against the Phillies. Atlanta took a 3-2 lead into the seventh on Sunday before the Phillies rallied back for a 5-4 win. The White Sox come in at 0-3 after they were swept at home by the Detroit Tigers. All of Chicago’s losses were by one run, including a 7-6 defeat in 10 innings on Saturday.

Morton returns for his age-40 season and his 17th in the majors. Morton put together a solid 2023 campaign even with a slight uptick in walks. He has made at least 30 starts in all three seasons since returning to Atlanta and the Braves are banking on him being able to supply quality innings for another season.

Flexen split the 2023 season between Seattle and Colorado and struggled tallying a 6.86 ERA and a 6.22 FIP in 102 ¹⁄₃ innings. His career has been up and down and he had a bit of a renaissance while pitching in the KBO in 2020. However, his return state side hasn’t gone well. Monday will be his first matchup against the Braves since the 2019 season.

The Braves and White Sox completed a five-player trade during the offseason which means there will be plenty of familiar faces in the series. Braden Shewmake has seen action at shortstop and second base over the first three games and hit his first career major league home run on Saturday. Nicky Lopez has appeared in two games and is 1-for-7 at the plate. Michael Soroka made his White Sox debut in Saturday’s game where he allowed seven hits, three walks and four runs in five innings. Aaron Bummer’s Braves debut is off to a bit of a rough start as well having allowed five hits and three runs combined in his first two appearances.

The forecast for the three games is calling for cold temperatures and the chance of rain so stay tuned for updates. First pitch Monday is set for 2:10 p.m. ET and can be seen on Bally Sports South.