The Braves left this one with the same sour feeling they’ve been carrying through a rough stretch, but the rotation at least gave them something to point to.
Hurston Waldrep was tagged for a three-run homer before he could even record an out in the first inning, which made it look like the kind of night that has been too familiar for Atlanta’s starters lately. But the Braves answered immediately, sending 10 batters to the plate in the bottom of the inning and putting up five runs. For a lineup that has been dead last offensively since June began, that was a welcome jolt.
The problem was that the offense never built on it. Atlanta didn’t score again, and over the final eight innings it managed only three hits.
Waldrep, though, found his footing after the rough opening and turned in a solid first start of the season. He finished with 5.1 innings, three runs allowed and five strikeouts, and he handed the game over with the Braves ahead.
That lead didn’t last. Atlanta’s usually dependable bullpen unraveled in a disastrous seventh inning, when the Cardinals scored seven times and effectively ended the game in a half-hour burst.
The loss adds another ugly chapter to a summer slide that has the Braves losing ground in the NL East. Still, there were two encouraging signs for a rotation that has needed them badly.
Reynaldo Lopez delivered the best outing Atlanta has seen from him since 2024 on Saturday, working five innings on 69 pitches, striking out six and allowing just one run. His fastball lived in the mid-90s and reached 97 at times, a look much closer to the version that made him an All-Star a couple of years ago with a sub-2.00 ERA. Compared with what the Braves have been getting from Bryce Elder, Grant Holmes and JR Ritchie, that was a major step forward.
Waldrep’s night also mattered, even with the early damage. It would have been easy for the outing to spiral, but he settled in, worked efficiently through 5.1 innings and flashed several plus offerings. As always with Waldrep, the key is control, and only issuing one walk was a very encouraging sign.
The Braves still have obvious holes. The offense needs another bat or two, the rotation could use help, and even the bullpen could use some attention at the trade deadline. Atlanta is expected to be aggressive in the coming month, but a lot of the fix has to come from within.
That’s why starts like Lopez’s and Waldrep’s matter. The Braves haven’t traded for a starter since the deal for Kevin Gausman in 2018, and while one impact arm would make sense, counting on multiple additions is probably too much to ask. If Atlanta is going to stabilize the second half, performances like these may have to be part of the answer.
In Other News...
Braves Just Made Another Telling Move As Offensive Frustration Grows
As the Braves keep searching for a steadier offensive mix amid injuries and uneven production, they made another low-risk depth move by adding Andrew McCutchen on a minor league deal after his release from the Rangers. The veteran outfielder and designated hitter is a familiar name with a long track record, and Atlanta is evidently willing to see whether there is still something useful left in the bat as the lineup tries to settle down.
McCutchens arrival came alongside a separate roster shuffle that also brought INF Jim Jarvis back into the picture and sent INF Rowdy Tellez off the active roster. It is the kind of transaction that says plenty about where the Braves are right now: still looking for answers, still testing options, and still trying to find a combination that can ease the frustration building around the offense. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Find One Reason For Hope In Another Costly Loss
The Braves latest trip through a rough stretch ended with an 11-5 loss to the Cardinals, their 14th defeat in 19 games, and the familiar problem areas showed up again. The bullpen was stretched thin before the game even began, with Raisel Iglesias and Dylan Dodd having pitched the previous two nights and Robert Suarez still sidelined until after the All-Star break, leaving Atlanta to piece together innings in a hurry.
Hurston Waldrep provided the one encouraging note from the night. In his second big league appearance and first start of the season, he was tagged early but settled in enough to give the Braves something to build on, even if the outing still came with an early mistake that changed the tone. For a club searching for any sign of stability, Waldreps ability to recover may have mattered more than the final score, even as the larger issues kept piling up around him. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Bullpen Shakeup Raises Another Big Question About Late Innings
The Braves kept tinkering with their bullpen mix Wednesday, activating left-hander Danny Young from the 60-day injured list and bringing back right-hander Anthony Molina as they continue to sort through the late-inning picture. Youngs return gives Atlanta another left-handed option after a long rehab stretch, while Molina is back for another look as the club tries to find steadier coverage out of the pen.
The moves came with a cost, as Ian Hamilton was designated for assignment after a rough run of recent outings, and this is his second such move of the season. Atlanta also had to clear another roster spot for Molina, a reminder that every bullpen adjustment now seems to carry a second question about who gets squeezed out next. [Read more 🡒]