In a case of déjà vu, the Atlanta Braves and the St. Louis Cardinals are gearing up to face each other in their second doubleheader clash in just three weeks. The first encounter, back on June 26 in St. Louis, ended with both teams splitting the wins. However, the threat of rain looms once again, raising concerns about whether the games will proceed as planned in the Atlanta area on Saturday.

The Braves, following their All-Star Break, find themselves grappling with the workload of their rotation. To address this issue, the team has decided to rest Chris Sale and Reynaldo Lopez for their first series after the break. Furthermore, due to the rainout and subsequent doubleheader, the Braves have a chance to be more strategic with their pitching rotation. Spencer Schwellenbach's start has been pushed back two days to Sunday's series finale, while Bryce Elder has been called up to start one of the games, affording Max Fried an extended break. Although this decision helps manage the rotation's innings, starting Elder instead of Fried may not have the same impact on the team's win expectancy, especially considering Elder will face the formidable Sonny Gray.

The first game of the doubleheader will feature veteran pitchers Charlie Morton for the Braves and Kyle Gibson for the Cardinals. Morton, at age 40, has been performing solidly this season with a 97 ERA-, 105 FIP-, and 99 xFIP-. Despite alternating between good and bad starts, Morton has struggled against left-handed batters, which could pose a challenge as the Cardinals tend to stack their lineup with lefty bats against right-handed starters. On the other side, Kyle Gibson, age 36, has also had a decent season with improving peripherals as the year progressed. However, he has recently encountered a rough patch, giving up 15 runs in his last four starts. While Gibson struggled in his previous start against the Braves, they will need more lefty bats in their lineup to fully exploit his platoon splits.

The second game looks to be more unevenly matched. Braves' pitcher Bryce Elder, known as the designated "break in case of doubleheader" option, has shown promise but still has room for improvement. In a previous doubleheader against the Cardinals, Elder had a respectable outing with a 4/0 K/BB ratio in six innings, but the Braves ultimately lost the game. However, he struggled in his subsequent start against the Diamondbacks. Unfortunately for the Braves, they will be facing the formidable Sonny Gray, who has been exceptional this season. Although Gray has encountered some recent struggles, allowing 14 runs in his last 16 1/3 innings, his overall performance has been excellent.

The Braves have had mixed results against the Cardinals' pitchers in past matchups. Gibson and Morton faced each other twice during the 2022 season, splitting the wins, while Gray last encountered the Braves in June last year, resulting in a close Braves victory.

As the Braves and Cardinals prepare for their doubleheader rematch, both teams will be looking to secure crucial wins while contending with the unpredictable element of rain. The Braves will need to find a way to overcome the Cardinals' lefty bats against Morton, while Elder will face the challenge of taming the red-hot Sonny Gray. Only time will tell which team will come out on top in this highly anticipated doubleheader showdown.