Happy Jackie Robinson Day, y’all.
It’s the 78th anniversary of the man born in Cairo, Georgia, breaking baseball’s color barrier, and MLB will pay tribute in all its usual ways.
Including the fitting-but-fairly-confusing tradition of every single player wearing No. 42.
Quick links: Braves bash Jays | Ozuna, Acuña updates | Announcer gets number, catches flak
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Let’s go ahead and wrap up that series win in Toronto, fellas.
📺 How to watch: 7:07 p.m. on FanDuel Sports Network.
⚾ The starters: Spencer Schwellenbach (1-0, 0.45 ERA) vs. Kevin Gausman (1-1, 2.33 ERA)
🧐 Catching up: Gausman pitched for the Braves in parts of the 2018 and 2019 seasons, putting up a cumulative 4.77 ERA. He’s pitched better since his departure, making two All-Star teams and finishing as high as third in American League Cy Young voting.
WILIN’ OUT
We’ll get to last night’s on-field action in a moment. But first: a bit of a TV-related tempest.
📺 The short version: Braves dugout reporter Wiley Ballard, who’s 30ish years old, interviewed two female fans on air during the game. He joked back and forth with the guys in the booth — and ended up getting one of the women’s phone numbers.
You can watch the whole thing here.
📺 The response: Again, all this happened *on air.* While Ballard was working.
Leading a handful of journalists (and other women) to point out the backlash a female broadcaster would face if she did the same thing.
Which is probably true!
But I want to hear what y’all think — especially the women out there. Did this cross a line, or all in good fun? Give me a shout.
BASH BROTHERS
Starter Grant Holmes pitched into the eighth inning of last night’s 8-4 Braves win in Toronto. Which was nice.
More encouraging? The offense exists!
💪 Austin Riley is now officially on a tear. His two-homer, five-RBI performance on Monday capped off a 10-game stretch with 17 total hits, 10 RBIs and seven runs scored.
(He, of course, missed plenty of opportunities to make that RBI total even grander. But we’re focusing on the positive here.)
💪 Sean Murphy continues to benefit from his astigmatism glasses. His first-inning homer made four *in 22 at-bats* since joining the big league club.
How come my contacts don’t do that?
INJURY UPDATES
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
🤞 Ronald Acuña Jr: The rehabbing MVP went to L.A. on Monday for a fresh look at his surgically repaired left knee. The doctor who did the surgery put him through a battery of tests to determine if he’s ready for the final steps of his recovery.
No word on the results yet — but beat reporter Justin Toscano will have the news as soon as it drops.
🤞 Marcell Ozuna: Designated hitter/walk machine Marcell Ozuna missed last night’s game — and didn’t make the Toronto trip at all. He got an MRI on his hip, which showed inflammation.
Manager Brian Snitker said Ozuna will continue getting treatment and “kind of take it as a day-to-day thing.”
RIVAL WATCH
The Braves are 5-11. How’s everyone else in the National League East doing?
🚽 The Mets (11-5) beat the Twins with help from Luisangel Acuña. Ronald’s younger brother reached base three times, stole a base and scored two runs.
🔔 The Phillies (9-7) lost to the Giants last night, in part because of a strike call so bad that LASIK.com called out the umpire. Bryce Harper also helped out with a gender reveal.
🎣 The Marlins (8-7) are actually playing pretty well, but the focus remains on if and when they’ll trade ace Sandy Alcantara.
🪰 The Nationals (6-10) got the Paul Skenes treatment on Monday, falling 10-3 to the Pirates.
Bonus link: Yankees slugger Aaron Judge was named captain of Team USA for next year’s World Baseball Classic.
DON’T FORGET
Wednesday (tomorrow!) is Spencer Strider Debut Day — and a businessperson’s special. First pitch: 1:07 p.m.
Plan accordingly. And get ready for a slightly-earlier-than-usual edition of the Braves Report.
Thanks for reading Braves Report. Tell a friend — and maybe give the AJC’s Sports Daily newsletter a shot, too.
Until next time.
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