Travis d'Arnaud Checks Into Lineup to Catch Chris Sale on Saturday Versus Athletics

The key to victories for the Atlanta Braves recently has been lockdown pitching and they're hoping to get more of it from Chris Sale this afternoon

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale (left) and catcher Travis d'Arnaud (16) make their way in from the bullpen to play the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Braves are looking for better results in the month of June.

Despite winning last night’s series opener over the Oakland Athletics, the month of May was still a losing one for the Braves, finishing 13-14 in the month. It’s the first losing calendar month for the Braves since May of 2022, when they went 13-15. Atlanta scored two runs or less in ten of their games in the month of May, not winning a single game where the opponent scored three or more runs, going 0-14 in those contests. 

Atlanta’s looking to get June started off on a better foot, however, with their Co-Pitcher of the Month winner Chris Sale (8-1, 2.12) on the mound opposite Aaron Brooks (0-2, 3.63).

(FYI: This is a different Aaron Brooks from the quarterback that played for the Raiders, but wouldn’t that be wild?) 

Lineups for the Atlanta Braves and Oakland Athletics on Saturday, June 1st 

Here's how Atlanta will line up for the contest:

CF Michael Harris II
3B Austin Riley
DH Marcell Ozuna
1B Matt Olson
2B Ozzie Albies
C Travis d’Arnaud
RF Adam Duvall
LF Jarred Kelenic
SS Orlando Arcia

Sale’s coming off of one of the best months of his career, going 5-0 with a 0.56 ERA in the month of May to earn co-Pitcher of the Month honors from the Braves, an honor he shared with fellow lefty Max Fried. Sale’s undoubtedly anticipating this Oakland matchup with vengeance on his mind - his last start against the Athletics was in 2019 and he took the loss despite pitching six innings of one-run ball as his Boston Red Sox was held scoreless on their seven hits.  

Here's the Athletics lineup:

3B Abraham Toro
LF Miguel Andujar
DH Brent Rooker
C Shea Langeliers
RF Daz Cameron
CF JJ Bleday
2B Zack Gelof
1B Aledmys Díaz
SS Max Schuemann

Brooks has made just three starts on the 2024 season after being called up from Triple-A Las Vegas in mid-May. He’s never faced the Braves as a starter and no Atlanta hitter has an official at-bat off of him. 

How to Watch the Atlanta Braves and Oakland Athletics on Saturday, June 1st 

This afternoon’s middle game of the series is scheduled for a 4:10 PM ET first pitch. It’s being broadcast on Bally Sports South and NBC-Southern California, with those out-of-market getting the game on MLB.tv. 

If you’d rather just listen, the Athletics radio broadcast is available on Bloomberg 960 AM/103.7 HD2, while the Atlanta Braves Radio Network has the standard broadcast on 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan and affiliates across Braves Country. The Braves also have a Spanish-language broadcast today on La Mejor 1600/1460/1130 AM.