The National Leagues two hottest teams are set to face off this weekend on the banks of the Ohio River. The white hot Atlanta Braves are on an eight game winning streak. The only hotter team in all of baseball is the Cincinnati Reds. They’re coming into to Great American Ballpark with an eleven game streak on the line. Something will have to give on Friday night as the Braves try to keep their smoldering June on track. Let’s take a look at the matchups and get everyone primed.

Friday, June 23rd

Let the kids play. AJ Smith-Shawver (1-0) will make his third start of the season in Cincinnati on Friday. He’s been nothing short of impressive in his first three outings and this newly energized Reds lineup will be another good test for the Braves 20 year old right hander. Through 13.1 IP, AJSS is carrying a sub one WHIP (0.975), an ERA just north of two (2.03) and 11 K’s. AJ gave up two long balls to the Rockies in his last outing and believe it or not, this Reds lineup does have some thump. Pair that will the hitter friendly nature of GABP and it will be imperative that he hits his spots and keeps the ball in the yard. The stuff is certainly there and the Braves are in a position to let him figure some things out on the clock. I’m personally really looking forward to this one.

Joey Votto is back in a Reds uniform for his farewell tour. I’m sure he’s thrilled with the current state of baseball in Cincy. This is a fun young team that Votto can influence a ton in his final year. Atlanta will get a look at Luke Weaver (1-2). Weaver hasn’t had much success in the first half of 2023. He has a 6.47 ERA over eleven starts. Opponents have a .918 OPS against Luke this year and he’s had an issue with the homerun. He has a 5.1% HR rate and we all know how the Braves like to produce offense. The Braves will also catch a glimpse of Elly De La Cruz. Cincinnati’s new young superstar has made dozens of headlines over the first several weeks of his career. He’s unbelievably fast and has flashed some power and bat to ball skills. Elly is a huge base stealing threat so it would be a good weekend to welcome Sean Murphy back into the lineup.

When: 6:40 PM ET

Where: Great American Ballpark – Cincinnati, OH

Watch: Bally Sports Southeast

Saturday, June 24th

Atlanta will give the nod to another young arm on Saturday night. This time, a lefty. Jared Shuster (4-2) will make his ninth start of 2023 for the Braves. He sports a 4.57 ERA and a 1.379 WHIP coming into the weekend. I never know how Shuster starts are going to go. Overall I just want to see less walks and more strikeouts. Over his last three starts (16 IP) he’s walked seven and recorded only three K’s. There are a lot of ways to get outs but Shuster is not someone that I have the most confidence in at this point in the season. You have to have some swing and miss. He hasn’t allowed a homerun in his past four starts. That’s great. He’ll need to keep that trend going on Saturday to pick up his fifth win of the season.

Graham Ashcraft (3-5) will take the ball for the Reds in game two. After a strong start to his sophomore season, things have gone a little sideways for the Alabama native. He’s given up 30 earned runs over his last five starts. Thirty. Ashcraft is walking over 10% of batters in 2023 and is giving up hard contact at a 40% clip. This could prove to be a poor recipe against a Braves lineup that can hit the ball hard and hurt you. Especially if you’re putting guys on base for free. I’m not a betting man, but I’d probably take the over on this one.

When: 4:10 PM ET

Where: Great American Ballpark – Cincinnati, OH

Watch: Bally Sports Southeast

Sunday, June 25th

Charlie Morton (6-6) will take the bump for the series finale in Ohio. You know what you’re getting here. He posted eight K’s and three walks in each of his last two starts. He did give up a long ball and three earned runs against Colorado but that’s no real cause for concern. Chuck has a 3.71 ERA and is just seven strikeouts shy of the 100 mark in 2023. He’s also only 10 K’s away from the 1800 mark in his career. Keep the ball on the ground. Be Ground Chuck and we will be just fine in this one.

Atlanta will see Ben Lively (4-4) before heading back home to Georgia. Lively has the most respectable numbers that the Braves will see this weekend. A 1.261 WHIP and 45 K’s through 46 IP tell the tale of a 4.11 ERA for Ben in 2023. He has also struggled with the homerun ball this season. Lively has given up seven in his last four starts for Cincinnati. He hasn’t had a scoreless outing since May 30th. The underlying stuff is decent but this is definitely another starter the Braves have an opportunity to chase early.

When: 1:40 PM ET

Where: Great American Ballpark – Cincinnati, OH

Watch: Bally Sports Southeast