In baseball, you really can’t assume anything. Even the best teams occasionally fall short against the weakest, but following a series split with the Miami Marlins, it is difficult to escape feeling a little let down by the Atlanta Braves. Although the Marlins have a winning record in the second half of the season, a split feels like a lost chance after trading almost everyone of worth at the Trade Deadline.
The Braves trailed the Phillies by 5.0 games going into Sunday. Their defeat on Saturday kept them from getting within four points. The NL East competition is still ongoing as Atlanta and Philadelphia will play each other seven more times over the course of the next two months. Aside from the division race, the Wild Card standings are where this loss stings. The Atlanta Braves now lead the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres by just a half game for the first Wild Card slot. Although they are both within 2.5 games, the Mets and Cardinals are on the outside looking in. Every time you lose in the Wild Card race, someone is catching up. It’s that competitive.
Max Fried was also rusty.
While Max Fried’s comeback to the mound was not very impressive, it was encouraging to see him pitching. His throws had movement and velocity, even though he lacked command. Despite this, he only lasted 3 1/3 innings and walked five times, matching a career best. This was Fried’s second-shortest start of the year, and it ended a run of four starts in which he had pitched six innings or more. He seemed to have emerged from his start in good spirits, which is really important in the grand scheme of things.
Reynaldo Lopez will not throw in any of the Braves’ upcoming three games against the Brewers, despite the team’s decision not to place him on the Injured List. The three-game series against Atlanta will include Chris Sale, Charlie Morton, and Spencer Schwellenbach, so the earliest we will see Lopez is this weekend.
Shutout of the Home
The Braves were shut out at home in a regular season game for the first time since August 28, 2021, in Sunday’s 7-0 setback. It was the third-longest streak in the Modern Era, spanning 231 games. From 1999 to 2003, the Rockies went 336 games without a shutout at Coors Field. Between 1930 and 1933, the New York Yankees played 233 games at Yankee Stadium without a shoutout.
The Homer streak is broken
The Braves’ longest run of the season, a nine-game run with at least one home run, ended with Sunday’s defeat. In those nine games, Atlanta scored 23 home runs. With 138 home runs, the Braves are presently seventh in the big leagues.
Austin Riley continues to be attractive.
Three of Atlanta’s six hits on Sunday came from Austin Riley. It was his second three-hit game in the last six games and his sixth career overall. He had four hits in the game on Tuesday in Milwaukee, which was a season best. In his previous six games, Riley is 10-for-25 with two doubles, five RBI, and a home run.
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