Braves Report: Hamstring halts Strider’s comeback

Four wins in a row, folks.

Whaddya say we make it five tonight, even without Spencer Strider?

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

The Cards are back for another crack at “not giving up five runs in the eighth inning.”

📺 How to watch: First pitch at 7:15 p.m. on FanDuel Sports Network.

It’s also Chipper Jones 2000 All-Star game bobblehead night at Truist Park!

⚾ The pitching matchup: No official announcement on Atlanta’s starter, for unpleasant reasons we’ll discuss momentarily. But it may be righty Nathan Wiles, a 26-year-old who got called up today after pitching pretty well in Triple-A.

St. Louis sends Andre Pallante (2-1, 3.22 ERA) to the mound.
Several current Braves have hit him well in limited at-bats, including third baseman Austin Riley (3-for-3 with a homer).

STRIDER BACK ON THE SHELF

Spencer Strider was originally scheduled to make the second start of his glorious return today.

Instead, he’s on the 15-day injured list with a right hamstring strain. Manager Brian Snitker said he hurt it … playing catch.

Just normal, get-your-arm-loose-the-day-before-a-start catch. Which seems pretty unfair after a yearlong journey back from elbow surgery!

😩 More Snitker: “They’ll treat him up, and I think they’ll just have to play it by ear as we go forward. Hopefully, this was just a weird thing that heals up really (well). With these injuries, you never know how long it’s going to take.”

EVERY DAY THEY’RE HUSTLING

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

OK, maybe not every day (ahem).

But Monday night’s win was all about hustle.

Riley legging out an single sparked the difference-making eighth-inning rally. The big man’s got wheels!

😤 Said Riley, with a smile: “I’m so fast, I’m so fast. I slimmed down a little bit (in the offseason). More so for defense, but it’s working on the basepaths.”

We won’t talk about his belly flop into home, pictured above.

THE BESPECTACLED SPECTACLE

Catcher Sean Murphy iced things twice on Monday: first with a three-run homer to cap off that eighth-inning outburst, then with a heads-up defensive play to end the game.

😃 The homer was Murphy’s fifth in his first 11 games this season — a mark only William Contreras and Dale Murphy have matched in franchise backstop history.

Murphy missed two months after tearing an oblique muscle early last season and struggled mightily after he came back. The recovery from this year’s cracked rib has been a bit kinder to him.

😃 Said Snitker: “He told us before we activated him, ‘This is not going to be like last year. It’s a different injury. I’m a different guy.’”

And let’s not forget: The guy was an All-Star in 2023, hitting 21 homers in 108 games.

YOU ALRIGHT, RAISEL?

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

Murphy’s snag-and-tag of Nolan Arenado’s check-swing hit got closer Raisel Iglesias out of a jam — but only after he gave up three runs.

😬 He’s now surrendered four home runs on the season, which matches his mark for the entirety of 2024.

Cause for concern? Sure. But don’t expect Iglesias to lose his gig anytime soon.

Vaguely related: Former Braves closer Craig Kimbrel moved on up to Triple-A. His next appearance will be his first with Gwinnett in about 14 years and seven months!

BURGER DRAMA

It’s the second homestand of the season — and famed Dunwoody burger joint NFA Burger has already pulled out of Truist Park’s new “Outfield Market.”

🤤 The good news: Grindhouse, another Atlanta-area staple, already swooped in to replace them.

LIKE IT, LOVE IT

Major League Baseball announced today that country music star Tim McGraw will hold a concert prior to the Speedway Classic. Also known as “the Braves’ Aug. 2 showdown with Cincinnati at Tennessee’s Bristol Motor Speedway.”

McGraw’s dad, Tug, pitched for the Mets and Phillies … but we’re willing to overlook that.

Who’s up for a road trip?