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The New York Yankees will make their way to Atlanta to take on the Braves for a three-game series this week in what should bring a great atmosphere at Turner Field. Yankees fans (and their casual bandwagoners) always fill the stands when Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Co. take the field, and you know Braves supporters are going to want to make a statement against professional sports' greatest franchise.
New York, a club that is 34-25 this season, has one of the best offenses in the league. They have scored a few runs less than the Braves, but their lineup is as good as anyone's. They are led by Robinson Cano, who has been phenomenal at the plate with a .882 OPS. Curtis Granderson is tied for third in all baseball in home runs (18) and he leads his club in RBIs with 43.
Jeter got off to a great start in 2012 and has cooled off a bit in recent weeks, but the veteran shortstop is still hitting .317. Former Braves first baseman Mark Teixeira just keeps on swinging the bat well this season with a wOBA of .342. He's about as consistent as they come, folks.
Russell Martin has been a great surprise for the Yankees with a 118 wRC+ and hit a game-winning homer against the Mets on Sunday. A-Rod is not the hitter he once was, but his .797 OPS is still very respectable for a third baseman.
As a whole this is a very dangerous lineup and they usually score enough runs to support what has been a pretty average pitching staff.
Pitching Matchups & Start Times:
Monday, 7:10 p.m. - Randall Delgado (4-5, 4.26 ERA, 4.08 FIP) vs. Ivan Nova (7-2, 5.09 ERA, 4.76 FIP)
Tuesday, 7:10 p.m. - Mike Minor (3-4, 6.57 ERA, 5.53 FIP) vs. CC Sabathia (7-3, 3.69 ERA, 3.51 FIP)
Wednesday, 7:10 p.m. - Tim Hudson (4-2, 3.83 ERA, 3.14 FIP) vs. Hiroki Kuroda (5-6, 3.46 ERA, 4.63 FIP)
Team Sites: Talking Chop; Pinstripe Alley