Braves-Rays: The Chop Drops Into The Trop

Sometimes you’re the windshield, sometimes you’re the bug. So was the case this past weekend in Atlanta.

Coming off a frustrating series which resulted in a San Francisco sweep, the (still) first-place Braves will attempt to regain momentum as they face the wildly inconsistent Tampa Bay Rays. Tampa’s record currently sits at 15-17, which is buoyed by a recent eight-game winning streak.

The Braves will send Sean Newcomb to the mound to get them back in the win column. Newk has been on a bit of a hot streak recently, going 2-0 with a 2.37 ERA (2.74 FIP) over his last 5 starts. He has largely kept the walks in check over that time frame, only surrendering 11 free passes through 30 innings.…