Two of the hottest offenses in MLB will square off in Atlanta this week

I sorted this table by fWAR which shows the Cubs leading all of MLB heading into this week’s series with the Braves. However, if you sort by different categories the Cubs generally rank between first and fifth with the Braves right in the same mix. For example, by wRC+ the top three teams are the Dodgers, Braves and Cubs. By OBP the top teams are the Cubs, Dodgers, Pirates and Braves. This should be a great matchup.

While season-long numbers are preferable for larger sample sizes and and stability, who’s hot at a given moment could impact a specific series outcome more. To that end, I’ve run tables for each teams batters over the last two weeks. I’ve limited it to players with at least 20 plate appearances during that time. First up, the Cubs:

A few things jump out immediately. First of all, Michael Conforto is on quite the hot streak, and I imagine Craig Counsell will try to ride that hot streak as long as he can, especially given the struggles of his other designated hitter against righties, Moisés Ballesteros. However, looking more closely at Ballesteros’ numbers, he really looks like he’s gotten unlucky during this two-week stretch. He’s still striking out less than 18 percent of the time and walking at a decent clip. An .032 BABIP might be the worst BABIP I’ve ever seen in a stretch of 45 plate appearances. Combine it with the fact that he’s had a 33.3 percent hard hit rate during that stretch with a healthy 15.2 percent barrel rate, and that seems like a slump Ballesteros should break out of any moment.

Additionally, both Seiya Suzuki and Michael Busch seem to have broken out of their early season slumps and have been on a a bit of a tear. Busch is slashing .295/.448/.500 with a wRC+ of 172 and a home run over his last 58 plate appearances. Seiya is slashing .275/.388/.550 with a wRC+ of 154 with three home runs over his last 49 plate appearances. The good news is that aside from a .400 BABIP and .500 ISO from Conforto and a slightly overheated .387 BABIP from Busch, the only thing that looks unsustainable in this table is the bad luck some hitters have been experiencing.

Turning to the Braves offense:

A big note at the top, the Braves’ best player, outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. is currently on the injured list with a strained hamstring, so the Cubs won’t have to deal with Acuña at the top of the lineup. They will have to deal with a red-hot Matt Olson and Cubs killer extraordinaire Ozzie Albies, however. Olson has six home runs in his last 52 plate appearances and is slashing .295/.385/.773 during that stretch. Albies has three home runs and a .283/.358/.543 slashline over the last two weeks. Finally, keep an eye on last year’s Rookie of the Year, Drake Baldwin. He’s also got three home runs to go with a .261/.370/.478 slashline in his last 54 plate appearances.

At the bottom of this chart, Mike Yastrzemski, Austin Riley and Michael Harris II are having the opposite experience of Ballesteros, riding relatively hot BABIPs for each of them to lackluster production. Yastrzemski is on the strong side of a platoon and unlikely to play when Shōta Imanaga takes the mound on Wednesday, however, Riley and Harris II are regulars who should be in the lineup for all three games against the Cubs.

This battle of offensive titans in the National League will be one to keep an eye on early this week. Here’s hoping the Cubs bats can stay hot in Atlanta