The Atlanta Braves are looking to maintain the offensive momentum generated by their spectacular comeback in Friday night’s opener as they prepare to host the Minnesota Twins in Game 2 of their three-game series on Saturday, April 19, 2025. The Braves staged a thrilling rally in the eighth inning on Friday, plating five runs to secure a 6–4 victory over Minnesota. The win extended Atlanta’s winning streak over the Twins to nine games, a stretch that began on August 5, 2019.
“This felt more like the Braves tonight. It was a good win,” manager Brian Snitker said following the emotional triumph. “We were a little lethargic for a while, and it was good to see how guys kept fighting and had really good at-bats. They should be very encouraged by what happened.” More than just a comeback win, the performance could serve as a turning point for an offense that has struggled with inconsistency in the early weeks of the MLB season.
Veteran left-hander Chris Sale continues to search for the dominant form that earned him the 2024 National League Cy Young Award. Through his first four starts this season, Sale has failed to pitch more than five innings in any outing, raising concerns about his effectiveness and durability. “Frustrated would be a wild understatement,” Sale admitted. “I’m just bad. I’m trying to compete and trying to throw strikes, and it’s just not working. I don’t know if I’ve ever been this frustrated. I feel like I’m against the wall right now, and I’m getting nothing out of it.”
The Braves entered the series with a team batting average of .222, ranking 11th in the National League, a statistic that highlights their offensive struggles. Saturday’s matchup will feature Minnesota’s Simeon Woods Richardson (1–1, 4.30 ERA), a promising right-hander, against Atlanta’s Chris Sale (0–2, 6.63 ERA), a seasoned ace in need of a breakthrough. This pitching duel sets up a compelling narrative: a rising young arm versus a veteran trying to reignite his dominance.
As the Braves ride the wave of Friday’s comeback, Game 2 could be pivotal in setting the tone for the rest of the series—and perhaps for the Braves’ season. After a huge comeback win Friday night, the Braves will hope to finally find their footing this season behind last season’s Cy Young winner who has had some brutal luck to start the season. This feels like a huge opportunity for Atlanta to right the ship against a beatable team, coming off an emotional win.
Sale hasn’t quite looked himself this season, but has suffered from some brutal batted ball luck, as his ERA is almost exactly twice his xFIP and he currently has a .407 BABIP going against him on the season. His strikeout and walk rates per 9 innings are nearly identical to his numbers from last season, so it is reasonable to think that if he continues pitching as he has so far this season, then the results will fall closer into line with last season, or at least a very productive level.
The Braves would also surely like some additional depth from Sale, as he is currently averaging less than 5.0 innings per outing. Sale’s fastball velocity has been up and down a bit this season, but he was tossing it pretty hard in his last outing and his season average is right around where it was last season.
Simeon Woods Richardson will take the mound for the Twins, which should not exactly strike fear into the hearts of Braves batters, with no disrespect meant to Woods Richardson. The young 6’3 righty was once a highly rated prospect and completed his first real season in the majors last year to the tune of a 4.55 xFIP over 133.2 innings that was pretty in line with his other numbers. He pitches off of a low-90s four-seamer that has some fairly impressive rise, but hasn’t been especially effective in his career so far.
His secondary is clearly his slider that is average velocity but has disappointingly little vertical break, while he mixes in a changeup and curveball that are each also pretty unimpressive offerings. The Braves’ offense should be able to get to Woods Richardson, although a statement like that has been far from a given for this team for about a year now. Hopefully, they can carry the confidence from last night into today’s game and put up some early runs.
Game Info:
- Game Date/Time: Saturday, April 19, 2025, at 7:15 p.m. EDT
- Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA
- TV: FanDuel Sports South/Southeast
- Streaming: MLB.tv
- Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan
As the series unfolds, the stakes are high for both teams. The Twins, carrying a 7-13 record into the game, are looking to bounce back after a disappointing start to the season. They are hoping to replicate last season's turnaround when they started similarly but went on a winning streak that turned their fortunes around. The Braves, on the other hand, are eager to build on their recent success and capitalize on the momentum from their comeback win.
In pursuit of that outcome, the Twin lineup will face Chris Sale. A year after his decisive bounce-back to a 6-win Cy Young season, Sale has gotten off to a rough start in his age-36 campaign, posting a 6.63 ERA through four starts but is running a 3.66 FIP and inducing plenty of off-speed chase. This will be his 32nd career start against Minnesota, and the Braves will be looking to exploit any weaknesses they can find in his performance.
With both teams eager to secure a win, fans can expect an exciting showdown at Truist Park. Will the Braves continue their winning streak against the Twins, or will Minnesota find a way to turn their season around? Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure: the action is heating up in Atlanta.
