Eddie Rosario gets a start (for some reason) as Braves look to sweep Rockies

Hopefully not verklempt without Verdugo

Well, uh… it is my [insert emotion here] to inform you that Eddie Rosario, yes, Eddie Manuel Rosario, Jr., is starting in right field for the 2025 Atlanta Braves as they look to secure a sweep of the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.

Maybe Alex Verdugo is hurt? Maybe he needs to watch tape on not goofing up routine plays, despite being a fine enough defender for the arc of his career? I don’t know. But uh… Eddie Rosario is there. In theory, and maybe in practice.

The Colorado lineup is pretty similar to the one that Bryce Elder had to deal with during Monday’s win, which in and of itself is kind of a sad comment on how the Rockies don’t really even have platoon-type guys they can deploy in effective fashion.

Sean Bouchard gets the start over Mickey Moniak in right field, maybe because Moniak has had a pretty disastrous series on all sides of the ball. Other than that, it’s the same lineup Bryce Elder faced, so hopefully Chris Sale can exorcise his BABIP demons from earlier in the season in this, one of the most BABIP-iest of parks.

The Braves have never faced Chase Dollander, given that it’s just his fifth career start, with the other four coming earlier this year. A smattering of the guys in Colorado’s lineup have gotten some hacks in against Sale. In total, we’re talking an aggregate 15 PAs, with a somewhat amusing .176 wOBA and .430 xwOBA. That big discrepancy is driven by Brenton Doyle and Michael Toglia barreling balls against Sale last September in Atlanta, with Michael Harris II and Ramon Laureano flagging them down for outs.