The Atlanta Braves look to grab an early series victory on Saturday vs Arizona Diamondbacks

Max Fried pitches for the Atlanta Braves; here are the lineups and how to watch.

The Atlanta Braves defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks in ten innings Friday night, but enthusiasm were muted as news circulated of starter Spencer Strider’s “elbow discomfort,” which will be further diagnosed via MRI today.

No, we do not yet know the outcomes. We’ll get the opportunity to speak with Brian Snitker prior to batting practice, and we’ll share any updates we receive at that time.

But Atlanta needs to shrug it off as they prepare for game two, with Max Fried on the mound on a lovely Saturday evening.

Lineups for the Atlanta Braves and Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday, April 6th

Here’s how Atlanta will line up for the contest:

RF Ronald Acuña Jr
2B Ozzie Albies
3B Austin Riley
1B Matt Olson
DH Marcell Ozuna
CF Michael Harris II
SS Orlando Arcia
C Travis d’Arnaud
LF Jarred Kelenic

Max Fried will start today, and he expects a considerably longer outing than last Saturday’s two-thirds of an inning against Philadelphia. Fried did not play Arizona during his injury-plagued 2023 season, but in 2022, he had an outstanding performance against the Diamondbacks, allowing no runs over seven innings while striking out five in a 1-0 Braves win.

Here’s Arizona’s lineup today:

2B Ketel Marte
CF Corbin Carroll
LF Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
1B Christian Walker
3B Eugenio Suárez
DH Randal Grichuk
C Gabriel Moreno
RF Jake McCarthy
SS Blaze Alexander

Brandon Pfaadt did not face Atlanta last season, so Braves hitters have yet to see him in live action. He modified a few things on his way to “breaking out” in the postseason, such as modifying his pitching rubber alignment (moving to the first base side) to assist his sweeper play up and introducing a sinker against lefties to keep the four-seam fastball from being shelled. However, his successful start against Colorado last week (5IP, 5H, 1R, 0BB to 6 Ks) resembled Pfaadt’s pre-postseason form, as he relied mainly on his four-seam fastball and a harder sweeper.

If we get the Rockies version of Pfaadt tonight, I like Atlanta’s chances. I believe the postseason version would be a more difficult test for the Braves.

How to Watch the Atlanta Braves and Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday, April 6th. 

The opening pitch for today’s game is at 7:20 PM ET, and there will be a variety of broadcast options available. The Braves telecast is available in-market on Bally Sports South, while out-of-market fans can watch the Diamondbacks’ self-distributed stream on MLB.tv. For audio, the Arizona broadcast is available on ESPN Phoenix 620 and KQMR Latino Mix 100.3 FM, while the Atlanta Braves Radio Network offers the normal broadcast on 680 AM/93.7 FM. The fan base and affiliates throughout Braves country.