BIG AL's BURNING-HOT BASEBALL ELITE INFO!

At 1:35 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the New York Yankees.  After getting blown out in the first game of this series on Friday night, the Yankees came back yesterday and did a little thumping of their own, beating the Braves 8-3 to set up this rubber game.  But this is the fifth series in a row that New York has played against a team which is well over the .500 mark.  And so far it has lost three of the first four series, so it's not like the Yanks are out of the woods just yet.  This afternoon they have to face one of the best LHPs in the league in Max Fried.  The 30-year-old is 6-3 with a 3.11 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 14 starts covering 84 innings.  And Fried has two complete games and one shutout to his credit already. The Yankees will counter with Nestor Cortes.  Despite a solid 3.36 ERA in a league-leading 16 starts, Cortes' record is just 4-5 coming into this afternoon's match-up with the Braves.  This will be Cortes' first career appearance vs. Atlanta.  Fried, on the other hand, is 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in two career starts vs. the Yanks.  Take the Braves.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.