Everything to know about FOX Saturday Baseball: Braves-Mets, Cards-Brewers, Reds-Giants

The Mets, meanwhile, are hoping for another solid start from the rookie Scott, who allowed two runs over five innings in his MLB debut last Saturday against the Rays. Though several key members of Atlanta’s star-studded lineup are slumping to begin the year, the Braves will still pose a much greater challenge as Scott starts at Citi Field for the first time in his career.

Cardinals at Brewers (7 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app)

Probable starters: Kyle Gibson (St. Louis, 3.68 ERA) vs. Freddy Peralta (Milwaukee, 3.49 ERA)

Coming into the season, the defending NL Central champion Brewers were expected to take a step back after losing their manager, Craig Counsell, to the rival Chicago Cubs and trading their ace, Corbin Burnes, to the Baltimore Orioles. The Cardinals, who won the Central two years ago, were expected to bounce back from a rough 2023 with a retooled pitching staff and veteran stars Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado still in the fold.

So far this year, the opposite has happened in both cases. Milwaukee is neck-and-neck with the Cubs atop the division, while St. Louis is back in the cellar and several games below .500. The Cardinals’ pitching has not been terrible, as they are in the middle of the pack in team ERA, but their offense has imploded amid the decline of seven-time All-Star Goldschmidt and eight-time All-Star Arenado. St. Louis ranks near the bottom of the league in both team batting average and OPS entering Friday.

That offense endured another big blow on Tuesday as Willson Contreras, a three-time All-Star and brother of Brewers breakout star William Contreras, suffered a fracture in his left forearm when Mets DH J.D. Martinez’s bat struck the catcher’s arm mid-swing. Willson Contreras, who was leading St. Louis with a .950 OPS, will miss the next several weeks.

Reds at Giants (7 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app)

Probable starters: Nick Lodolo (Cincinnati, 2.79 ERA) vs. Mason Black (San Francisco, 10.38 ERA)

The Reds and Giants entered the season with visions of playoff bids, but both teams have work to do — and key injuries to overcome. Three core members of the Giants’ starting rotation are currently on the injured list, with 2023 NL Cy Young winner Blake Snell limited to 11.2 (terrible) innings and Alex Cobb and Robbie Ray yet to throw a pitch this season.

As for the Reds, Elly De La Cruz appears to be taking a leap in his sophomore season, but injuries abound elsewhere. Promising infielder Matt McLain will miss the majority of the season following a shoulder injury in spring training, first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand is on the IL with a broken wrist after hitting .190 to start the year, and outfielder TJ Friedl just returned from a broken wrist. Free-agent addition Jeimer Candelario has also underwhelmed, hitting just .206 with a .657 OPS. Both Cincinnati and San Francisco enter this matchup with winning percentages below .500.

Now, check out some pregame reading courtesy of FOXSports.com!

MLB Roundtable: When should the Braves and Mets start worrying about their slumping sluggers? Should the Cardinals revisit Arenado trade talks? Are the Brewers for real? Can the Reds and/or Giants rebound for a playoff run? Deesha Thosar and Rowan Kavner answer five burning questions.

Could Aaron Judge actually contend for another MVP this year? The Yankees captain got off to an ice-cold start, but he’s heating up as he attempts to keep pace with teammate Juan Soto. Kavner looks at whether Judge still has a shot at American League MVP (and whether Soto is his biggest obstacle) as part of his weekly buy-sell column on 10 of the hottest MLB trends.

Will Shohei Ohtani post the best DH season — ever? The other guy to win AL MVP in recent years was supposed to press pause on making history in his first season with the Dodgers as he abstains from pitching while he recovers from a torn UCL suffered late last year. But Ohtani’s performance at the plate is so good that he might still rewrite the record books, which our research crew takes a look at in a deep dive on the top 10 MLB designated hitter seasons of all time. Ohtani is already on the list once and is on pace to top himself.

The Dodgers, of course, aren’t just succeeding because of Ohtani: L.A. made a statement this past weekend with a dominant sweep of the Braves, as its stacked lineup lived up to its billing. And there are even more reasons for the rest of the National League to be scared by the big blue behemoth, Kavner writes.

Houston’s similarly loaded roster is struggling: The Astros seemed like a sure bet to roll to another division title and deep playoff run this year. Instead, they’re last in the AL West in one of the most shocking storylines of the season. Is it time for Houston to start thinking about trading some of its veteran stars? General manager Dana Brown says no, but Thosar calls that into question in the latest edition of “Deesha’s Dugout.”

A new shortstop golden age? Ben Verlander asserts this is one of the best shortstop talent pools MLB has ever seen, and ranks his current top five at the position.

Power Rankings: Can the Phillies stay in front of the Braves in the NL East? Verlander makes the case in his latest power rankings.

Want more betting angles? Ohtani is surging up MLB home run title and NL MVP leaderboards, while there is a new front-runner for AL Cy Young. Plus, be sure to check out the latest World Series odds here, and stop by our betting hub for all the latest MLB odds!

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