Hey there,
The Braves had quite the response to finding out they might have lost Austin Riley, one of their best players, for the remainder of the regular season. They took two of three from the Phillies – for the third time this season.
Here are three thoughts on the team from this week:
Every series is most important series
The Braves have talked about how the Phillies series is as important as the rest of the series from here on out. And this time, it is not a sports cliché – it is true.
Here’s reliever Pierce Johnson explaining why.
“I mean, look, there isn’t a game that we can take off,” he said. “We have to go out there and you can’t take off a pitch, can’t take off an at-bat, can’t take off anything, really. Look, the Nationals had our number when they came in town last time, and they got some good starters right now, they got fast guys that create chaos on the base paths, so we can’t take them lightly. Miami did some damage against us at home, we gotta do well against them. Colorado took two of three against us. Baseball’s a game where anything can happen every day and you just have to show up, give your best and see where the cards fall at the end of the day.”
The Nationals, who are here this weekend, have won six of eight against the Braves this season. Atlanta lost to the Rockies on its last trip. The Marlins split a four-game series at Truist Park.
With 35 games to play, the Braves don’t have a ton of margin for error. They’re clinging to the National League’s third wild card spot.
“It was great to see how they rallied around this series,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said after his team beat the Phillies on Thursday. “We got another big series starting (Friday). They’re all big now, all the games are big. None are any more important than the others, because it’s just about winning games.”
Still, we must commend the Braves for their fight. They have lost six games in a row two different times since the All-Star break. This team could’ve lacked juice after hearing the Riley news.
Instead, the Braves punched back.
“Unfortunately, it’s next guy up,” Spencer Schwellenbach said. “That’s kind of how it’s been for us all year. But we’re gonna go play the same game every time out – regardless of who we’re playing, regardless of who we have on the field. That’s just kind of our mindset.”
Ozzie’s return coming next month
Understandably, many fans saw Austin Riley’s fractured hand as the fatal blow to the season.
Here’s an optimistic reminder for those of you who need some hope: The Braves expect to get help back in September, when Ozzie Albies should return to the lineup.
Albies is out of the hard cast and into a soft cast as he progresses through recovery after fracturing his left wrist. Snitker said Albies’ last X-rays showed that his wrist is healing well.
“It’ll be a boost when he comes back, whenever that is,” Snitker said. “Whenever he gets there, we’ll plug him in.”
Albies on Thursday said he’s operating on a timeline of six to eight weeks for recovery. He said the original plan was to begin doing baseball activities in early September.
If that happens, then a reasonable guess is that he suits up for the Braves again toward the middle of September – give or take.
Will Albies make all the difference? Probably not. But it does give the Braves another one of their regulars and should allow them to have a great top four in their lineup.
The Braves’ offensive issues existed when they were mostly healthy. But Albies will give them more power and another overall threat in a lineup that currently includes three players who were designated for assignment by other teams this season.
Minter’s impact
A.J. Minter on Wednesday underwent left hip surgery that officially ended his 2024 season. It’s a major bummer for Minter, the Braves and fans. Since 2017, Minter has played a large role in Atlanta’s success – particularly these last few seasons.
A peek behind the curtain at my job: When I’ve needed a big-picture view on the Braves, I’ve often gone to Minter for that. He is one of the guys that can speak for the clubhouse.
I noticed that in these interviews, he often mentioned the Braves’ high standards. Many times, he talked about how they had to honor the Hall of Famers who came before them. He’d mention carrying on their example. He always embraced the high expectations surrounding the team over the last couple years.
I say this to make this point: He’s probably a prime example of an ideal Brave. You can tell he truly cares about the organization that drafted him.
“He’s a perfect example of what the Braves are all about and the Braves Way and a Braves-type player, and all that kind of stuff,” Snitker said. “He’s all about the team. He’s gotten sent back (to Triple A) a couple times and worked his way back. It’s a hard loss because you can’t go out and find those guys.”
Fortunately for the Braves, the bullpen is a strength. They have guys who can do the job.
But no doubt, Minter is a brutal loss.
Minter is a free agent at season’s end. Has he thrown his final pitch for Atlanta? We’ll see.
Regardless, one aspect of his legacy will be being part of The Night Shift – the nickname for the Braves’ dominant bullpen that mowed down opponents in the 2021 postseason. Aaron Bummer, another reliever, said that bullpen’s popularity speaks to how important and beloved those relievers became during that run – because relievers, especially middle-relief arms, are often unsung heroes.
“People know who A.J. MInter is,” Bummer said. “It’s a pretty cool thing to sit there and be a reliever that can go out there and have made a name for himself as much as he has.”
Extra Innings
* Snitker on Thursday said Jorge Soler could be in Friday’s starting lineup for the series opener against the Nationals. Soler pinch-hit against the Phillies.
“I think if he comes in (Friday) feeling good, I’m hoping that that’s what we can do,” Snitker said of starting Soler against Washington.
* Travis d’Arnaud on Thursday hit in the batting cage. Throwing is the issue for him and his right hand/wrist that was hit by a pitch in Anaheim.
Snitker said d’Arnaud was “significantly better” on Thursday than on Wednesday. The manager said d’Arnaud could’ve caught Thursday if necessary.
* Adam Duvall on Thursday started for the first time since Aug. 12 at San Francisco. He homered. Of his 11 home runs this season, eight have come off left-handers.
Since the start of play on July 29, the Braves have only seen four left-handed starters. And with his struggles, Duvall didn’t start in two of those games.
So, it was nice for him to take advantage of facing Phillies lefty Cristopher Sánchez on Thursday.
“Take advantage. That’s a good word,” Duvall said Thursday. “You really gotta do that when you get in there – take advantage of the opportunity. And tonight, I did that.”
Pierce Johnson recently described Riley as the guy you’d want prospects to model themselves after. He said Matt Olson and Ronald Acuña Jr. are a couple others.
Add Duvall to that mix, Johnson said.
“Duvall is a crazy good talent, but just a genuine human, too,” Johnson said. “It really speaks to the culture of this clubhouse, speaks to (president of baseball operations and general manager) Alex (Anthopoulos) bringing him back. He’s had a phenomenal career, so it’s so cool to see him have some success and get us that win today.”
* If you are looking ahead to the next time Atlanta plays the Phillies, you’ll only have to wait a week. The Braves and Phillies meet in Philadelphia for four games from Thursday through Sunday next weekend. Sunday’s game will be ESPN Sunday Night Baseball.
Recently, Snitker said the Braves will stay on turn with their starting rotation. If that’s the case, then we know the Braves’ starters for that series.
They would be: Charlie Morton (Thursday), Reynaldo López (Friday), Max Fried (Saturday) and Schwellenbach (Sunday).
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