Giants vs. Braves, 5/23

The Giants will try to get a series split. Seems... unlikely, but then again, the Giants are running out their best starter to face the formidable Braves lineup:

CF — Ronald Acuna Jr.
SS — Dansby Swanson
1B — Freddie Freeman
3B — Josh Donaldson
LF — Austin Riley
2B — Ozzie Albies
RF — Charlie Culberson
C — Tyler Flowers
SP — Kevin Gausman

The big news of the day, though, isn’t Madison Bumgarner’s performance potentially setting up where he’ll be traded (the Braves might really like to acquire him if he does well against their offense), it’s that the Mets claimed Aaron Altherr, the OF the Giants had tried to sneak through waivers.

Let’s mourn for Aaron Altherr. The Mets are the Mets, and as much as Rajai Davis can get off the couch and be a late-inning hero for them against the Nationals bullpen as he did last night, Altherr might find the next couple of months hectic and just way too Metsy.

On the other hand, he has a chance to hurt his former team, and that seems like enough revenge juice to get him through whatever Metsiness he’ll encounter.

Kevin Gausman has a career high 9.4 strikeouts per nine through his first nine starts (48 IP) of this season. He’s yet to allow a home run this month and just five all season long. The Giants don’t really have home run hitters in their lineup anyway, and the few they do have would probably see a potential home run robbed by Ronald Acuna Jr. or the ballpark itself anyway.

2B — Joe Panik
CF — Steven Duggar
C — Buster Posey
1B — Brandon Belt
3B — Evan Longoria
RF — Kevin Pillar
LF — Mac Williamson
SS — Donovan Solano
SP — Madison Bumgarner

Does anybody remember the old radio jingle for Solano Mall? It was literally

Solano Maaaaaaaall
Solano Mallllll
So-lan-o Mall.
We’ve got it all.

I’m not sure what year this was, but that was the best they could do then, just as Donovan Solano is the best the Giants can do right now.