The Braves are still Jorge Soler-less as they start their series in Anaheim, though Sean Murphy has moved up to fifth for the first time since late July:
Murphy hit seventh in his MLB debut, and then fifth when he came off the IL in late May. After that, he’s largely hit sixth, seventh, or eighth, aside from a two-game stint in Milwaukee in late July.
The Angels have a perhaps more intriguing lineup-for-lineup’s sake, as 25-year-old Niko Kavadas, who was acquired from the Red Sox at the Trade Deadline, will be making his MLB debut tonight and is hitting cleanup. Kavadas was destroying the International League with a 152 wRC+, but had struggled to a 34 wRC+ since the trade in the Pacific Coast League. He is, unsurprisingly for his 1B/DH profile, a power-over-hit, three-true-outcomes guy.
The rest of the Anaheim lineup is also kind of interesting. Nolan Schanuel is hitting third for the first time all season; he’s hit first, second, sixth, seventh, and ninth this year, and has largely hit leadoff for his club since late April. This is a pretty weak bottom of the order, which should make things a little easier for Schwellenbach considering that Kavadas aside, the first half of this lineup has swung it pretty well so far.
