Braves' opponent: Tampa Bay Rays
Keep an eye on: Steven Souza. The name might ring a bell from his 21 games up last season up with the Washington Nationals, who traded him in the three-team 11-player deal headlined by Wil Myers. Now in his rookie season with the Rays, Souza is leading the Rays in both home runs (six) and stolen bases (five, tied with Desmond Jennings.) You might have heard of the only other players currently leading their teams in homers and steals: Justin Upton, Mike Trout and Paul Goldschmidt.
Who's hot: The Rays pitching staff has posted a collective 2.84 ERA in its last 26 games (73 earned runs in 231 innings) and allowed two or fewer runs in six of the past 10 games.
Who's not: Evan Longoria had been 4-for-27 (.148) in seven games before going 2-for-6 Sunday against the Twins, driving in three runs in the Rays' 11-3 win.
Braves connection: He's not a former Brave, but he knows Atlanta pretty well. Beckham is the former shortstop standout from Griffin High who was chosen No. 1 overall by the Rays in 2008. He has hit four home runs in 31 games in his first full season up with the Rays. Beckham got a five-game taste in September 2013 before a torn anterior cruciate ligament cost him the 2014 season.
In the news: Outfielder Desmond Jennings has been on the disabled list since April 26 with knee bursitis. He's begun running again and doing some hitting but will need a minor league rehabilitation stint before he's able to return.
About the Author
