The suddenly run-starved Milwaukee Brewers will be looking jump-start their struggling offense against the visiting Atlanta Braves on Tuesday in the second game of a three-game series.
Right-hander Quinn Priester (3-2, 3.88 ERA) starts for the Brewers, while right-hander Grant Holmes (3-4, 3.99) gets the ball for the Braves, who snapped a seven-game skid with a 7-1 victory in the series opener.
Atlanta veteran Chris Sale allowed one run over seven-plus dominant innings on Monday, giving up five hits, striking out 11 and walking two. The Braves also pounded out three homers for their first win in June.
Matt Olson and Eli White each delivered a two-run homer and Ronald Acuna Jr. socked a solo shot for the Braves, who earned just their fourth victory in 18 games.
“They all feel good when you win, but where we were, just good to have kind of a complete game,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “It was good to see the offense. I think we talked about that earlier today, that we could see little signs of life.”
Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies had two singles, giving him 1,000 career hits and extending his career-best on-base streak to 24 games.
After a stretch of nine wins in 10 games, the Brewers have lost three of the first four games on the current homestand, scoring just one run total in the three defeats. Milwaukee has scored in just four of the 36 innings over that four-game span.
The Brewers are 5-25 when scoring three runs or fewer and 30-7 when scoring four or more.
Priester, acquired in early April from the Boston Red Sox, will be making his 12th appearance and eighth start for Milwaukee. He is 2-2 with a 3.93 ERA in his past seven appearances, including three starts.
Priester is 1-2 with a 2.83 ERA as a starter and 2-0 with a 5.66 ERA out of the bullpen. The Brewers are 1-6 in his starts.
In his latest outing, he picked up a win in relief, allowing one run in five innings during a 9-1 victory at Cincinnati on Wednesday. Priester has faced the Braves once in his career, allowing four runs in four innings without a decision in 2023.
Austin Riley had three hits in the series opener for the Braves and has hits in 13 of the past 15 games, batting .323 (20-for-62) over that span with three homers, five doubles and seven RBIs.
Acuna is batting .305 with five homers and eight RBIs in 16 games since coming off the injured list on May 23.
“I don’t know anything about their record, I just know that you look at their lineup, one through whatever, and they’re pretty good,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said.
Holmes went 1-3 in six starts during May despite a 3.22 ERA. He lasted just 3 1/3 innings in his most recent outing, allowing three runs on four hits against the Diamondbacks on Thursday. He did not get a decision in the Braves’ 11-10 loss, as Arizona rallied to win with seven runs in the ninth inning.
–Field Level Media
