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The Atlanta Braves have been inconsistent for most of the season and have remained second in the NL East behind the Philadelphia Phillies all season. The team has also experienced many hurdles, including offensive slumps, untimely bullpen collapses, and many injuries.
However, the team has won nine of their last 13 outings and each series since the second week of August. With quality performances from Gio Urshela, Ramon Laureano, and Whit Merrifield, general manager Alex Anthopoulos has once again injected new life into a roster that desperately needed help at the trade deadline.
Those three players may not be the trio of Eddie Rosario, Joc Pederson, and Jorge Soler in 2021. However, according to Atlanta starting pitcher Charlie Morton, they still play an essential part in the team’s current playoff push.
“They are just good dudes and they are guys I have been a fan of from across the way. You hear they are coming in the clubhouse and you get excited about it.”
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) August 25, 2024
Charlie Morton on Merrifield, Laureano, Urshela, Jackson and Soler joining the @Braves clubhouse https://t.co/Ak23enlql3 pic.twitter.com/VpEHVIiu2m
“They are just good dudes, and they are guys I have been a fan of from across the way. You hear they are coming in the clubhouse, and you get excited about it.” Morton said.
With injuries to A.J. Minter, Austin Riley, Ozzy Albies, Spencer Strider, Ronald Acuña Jr., and numerous other players for short stints this season, it is a testament to Atlanta’s fortitude that they still have favorable playoff odds, given the circumstances.
Manager Brian Snitker knows that the team is playing good baseball right now, and he knows that the close games of late will not disappear anytime soon, as the regular season ends in a little over a month.
“Cautiously optimistic, I guess. It’s kinda what I envision for the rest of the way. Close games.” Snitker said.
When push comes to shove, the Braves have been finding ways to win recently. It may not look fancy or pretty, but the team is grinding and finding ways to win the series despite not having an elite regular season.
On August 27th, 2021, the team possessed a 69-59 record and was in the driver's seat of the NL East with a five-game division lead. Again, the record was not the greatest, but what mattered was that they were in a playoff spot and held it until October.
The story could be similar this season, as the club possesses a two-game lead and a 70-60 win/loss record in the final NL Wild Card spot with 32 games remaining.
If the team makes the playoffs and has dominant players like Austin Riley, Matt Olson, Chris Sale, Marcell, and Rasiel Iglesias in the fold – you can not write off Snitker’s team, no matter how ‘bad’ things may appear due to injuries.
More must-reads:
- Pirates' top pitching prospect to make long-awaited MLB debut
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- The 'Most multi-HR games by MLB team' quiz
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TODAY'S BEST
Cardinals Writer Makes Controversial JJ Wetherholt Assessment
The St. Louis Cardinals have seemingly waved the white flag on the season and the fan base is already preparing to riot for the call up and big league debut of top prospect JJ Wetherholt. Wetherholt is slashing .310/.403/.670 with nine home runs, a triple, and seven doubles in less than 30 games at the Triple-A level. Thomas Gauvain of Redbird Rants recently suggested that Wetherholt wasn't in the big leagues because he is blocked from receiving consistent playing time. Why hasn't JJ Wetherholt been called up yet? "Even with third baseman Nolan Arenado and second baseman Brendan Donovan on the IL, St. Louis Cardinals manager Oli Marmol is trying to squeeze in playing time for Masyn Winn, Nolan Gorman, and Thomas Saggese," Gauvain wrote. "Alec Burleson and Ivan Herrera are rotating between corner outfield duties and designated hitter appearances. There's not much time or space for Wetherholt on the major-league roster as things currently stand. "You don't promote a prospect of Wetherholt's caliber unless you intend on playing him every day. There's an argument that you make the roster work around JJ Wetherholt rather than the other way around, but the focus throughout the 2025 season in the majors has been to give young players full runway to prove their value or lack thereof. Bumping down Thomas Saggese, who is still only 23 and is 11 for his last 41, and Nolan Gorman, who has a .936 OPS over his last 11 games, for Wetherholt is a difficult argument to make." Every player listed who is supposedly blocking Wetherholt from receiving consistent playing time is under contract for next season, too. Would that mean the Cardinals would leave their top prospect in Triple-A next year? This doesn't make too much sense, as Wetherholt is the level of prospect that a team builds around. If he was the team's fifth or sixth ranked prospect, this argument would make sense. But he's the fifth or sixth ranked prospect in all of baseball. The star infielder has proved he can dominate at Triple-A. It's time for the Cardinals to bring him up to the big leagues to see what he can do. The rest of the roster can form around him.
Shaquille O'Neal makes peace with longtime enemy — mostly
Shaquille O'Neal and Dwight Howard patched things up Sunday after years of feuding. But even while describing their rapprochement, O'Neal couldn't keep from teasing his longtime nemesis. The "Big Aristotle" was at the BIG3 playoffs Sunday to watch Howard's L.A. Riot play the Chicago Triplets. In the middle of describing to Rachel Nichols how he and Howard had made peace, O'Neal broke off his explanation to make fun of Howard for missing a dunk. The two Hall of Fame centers had sparred for years, despite their common ground as former members of the Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers. Some of the tension seemed to be due to Howard adopting O'Neal's "Superman" nickname, though O'Neal claimed to Nichols that he was simply being tough on Howard to motivate him. That explanation doesn't account for the time O'Neal mocked Howard for playing basketball in the Taiwanese league or the decade-plus he's spent roasting Howard on his podcast, in public appearances and on "Inside the NBA." Still, it appears that the two have made peace. Despite O'Neal being left off the original list of presenters, he insisted that he'll be among a group of Hall of Famers inducting Howard Sept. 6, including Dominique Wilkins, Robert Parish, Dennis Rodman and Patrick Ewing. It means that two of the most dominant big men of their eras have finally buried the hatchet. It's added a new level of interest to the Hall of Fame ceremonies, and it should be a sweet moment between O'Neal and Howard. As long as Howard doesn't mention Superman.
Fever receive devastating injury news on Sophie Cunningham
Injuries continue to be the pitfall for the Indiana Fever this season. Per ESPN, Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has been ruled out for the rest of the season following a knee injury she suffered in Indiana's 99-93 win over the Connecticut Sun on Sunday. The injury comes with nine games left in the regular season for the Fever. At 19-16, Indiana has the third-best record in the Eastern Conference and is set to make a playoff push this summer. The Fever have been without second-year star Caitlin Clark since July 15, as the guard has been dealing with a groin injury. The team hopes she can return in the regular season, but Indiana could be significantly shorthanded on offense until her return. Cunningham has averaged 8.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 30 games played this season. She has been crucial as a rotational player, averaging 25.2 minutes for the Fever. The 29-year-old became an early darling of the WNBA this season for standing up for Clark both on and off the court. Cunningham recently signed a podcast deal with Colin Cowherd. The good news for Cunningham is that she is expected to make a full recovery. However, the injury will crush what could have been a special season for the Fever if and when Clark returns.
Kyle Shanahan reflects on Trey Lance's failed 49ers tenure
Before Los Angeles Chargers backup quarterback Trey Lance became one of the standout players of the ongoing preseason, he failed to cement himself as a long-term option for the San Francisco 49ers after they made him the third overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was part of the regime that brought Lance to San Francisco. On Tuesday, Shanahan reflected on Lance's failed 49ers tenure as Shanahan's club prepares to host the Chargers for this coming Saturday's preseason finale. "When I revisit that, we knew where our team was at and where it was going to be the next couple years, and we were committed to getting a rookie quarterback," Shanahan said about the 49ers' decision to draft Lance, as shared by Taylor Wirth of NBC Sports Bay Area. "We weren't sure that it would be forever, but we thought that was important, contractually, where our team was at, in order to keep a good team together." Lance spent the bulk of his rookie year as a backup, and he then suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2 of the 2022 campaign. Later that year, Brock Purdy became a rookie sensation en route to guiding the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game. In the summer of 2023, Lance fell to third on the 49ers depth chart beneath Purdy and Sam Darnold. San Francisco then traded Lance to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2024 fourth-round draft choice in late August 2023. In total, Lance made just four regular-season starts for the 49ers. More recently, he rushed for a touchdown and passed for 296 yards with two scores over the Chargers' first three preseason games. It seems he still has a fan in his former coach. "I'm pulling for Trey. I love Trey," Shanahan added about Lance. "One of the best people I've been around, and I really hope it works out for him." One may never know if Shanahan truly wanted to select Mac Jones over Lance in the spring of 2021. Jones is now on track to open the upcoming season as Purdy's primary backup, while Lance is trying to revive his career with the Chargers. It could be interesting to see if Shanahan and Lance get together for a chat after Saturday's matchup wraps up.
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