The Braves head to Pittsburgh trying to put Monday night behind them after a 7-6, 10-inning loss to the Mets at Truist Park that stung in more ways than one.
Atlanta had a chance to win the series and carry some much-needed momentum into this road trip, but instead the night unraveled in the ninth. The Braves were up 3-2, a spot they had converted every time before this season when leading after eight - they had been 44-0 in those games - before the Mets tied it, Atlanta answered in the bottom half, and New York finally finished the job in extras.
That setback came after the Braves had dropped six of their previous seven series, which made this one feel like it could have been a reset point. Now the focus shifts to finishing a 13-game stretch on a better note against a Pirates club that has been hard to dismiss, followed by a Cardinals team waiting later in the week.
The opener Tuesday night brings an interesting matchup on the mound: Hurston Waldrep against Paul Skenes at 6:40 p.m. Waldrep’s start could carry extra weight as he tries to make his case to stay in the rotation.
Across from him, Skenes has been in a rough stretch of his own. Over his last six starts, he has a 5.12 ERA, and his four-seam fastball has not averaged more than 96.5 mph in any of his last three outings.
Pittsburgh has lost each of Skenes’ last nine starts, which gives Atlanta a real opening in Game 1 at PNC Park.
Wednesday’s game is set to feature Grant Holmes against Jared Jones, also at 6:40 p.m. Then the series wraps Thursday at 12:35 p.m. with Bryce Elder facing Mitch Keller. Elder’s last turn through the rotation was skipped after he allowed 29 earned runs over his last 30 innings, so his start adds another layer to Atlanta’s week.
At the plate, Michael Harris II arrives in Pittsburgh with momentum after driving in eight runs over the Braves’ four-game set against the Mets. He’s also coming off what looked like an All-Star snub.
Atlanta’s offense, which had been quiet for much of June, has started to wake up. Drake Baldwin has looked more comfortable since coming off the injured list, and the Braves have leaned on rookie Jim Jarvis at shortstop while Ha-Seong Kim works back from a finger injury.
For the Pirates, the name to know right now is Esmerlyn Valdez. The 22-year-old outfielder has forced his way into the lineup, putting up a 1.021 OPS over 71 at-bats since his mid-May call-up.
Even more impressive, most of that damage has come since June 24, when he has hit .432 with four home runs in 49 plate appearances. With rookie Konnor Griffin back on the injured list with a finger injury, Pittsburgh is looking for Valdez, along with Brandon Lowe and Bryan Reynolds, to keep the offense moving.
The Braves and Gray Media will simulcast 25 games for free, over-the-air to fans across Braves Country through local television stations, reaching 26 markets throughout the Southeast. Fans can check local Gray Media station listings for broadcast times, channel information and other details.
In Other News...
Braves Quietly Got Back A Bullpen Arm They May Desperately Need
For most of the season, Atlantas bullpen has looked like one of the clubs quiet advantages, but the last stretch has brought a little more unease. Raisel Iglesias has blown a save, Dylan Lee has had shaky outings and Didier Fuentes is nearing the break, which has made the relief picture feel less settled than it did a few weeks ago.
Into that mix comes Danny Young, the left-hander the Braves have quietly gotten back after his injury layoff. His early work this season has been encouraging enough to give Atlanta another option for mid-to-high-leverage spots against left-handed hitters, and perhaps a way to ease the load on some of the other arms that have been asked to carry more lately. The bigger question is how quickly the Braves lean into that role, and whether Young can turn a useful return into something more than just a temporary fix. [Read more 🡒]
Walt Weiss Decisions Just Cost The Braves A Game They Had Won
The Braves had enough offense to put themselves in position to win, but the game slipped into the kind of extra-inning mess that usually leaves a manager under the microscope. Atlanta scored six runs and still could not finish off the Mets, with the lineups missed chances and a thin bench leaving the club in a difficult spot once the game stretched beyond regulation.
Walt Weiss choices only made the margin for error smaller. The Braves were already navigating a less-than-ideal setup in extras, and the way the bullpen and lineup were handled became a major part of why a game that looked won turned into a loss, even before the final inning had fully played out. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Cant Afford Another Quiet Deadline From Alex Anthopoulos
With the trade deadline approaching, the Braves look like a club that cannot simply sit back and hope the rotation and outfield sort themselves out. ESPNs latest best-fit rundown had Atlanta attached to 17 of the top 25 deadline candidates, which is a pretty clear sign that the market sees a team with real needs and a front office that should be active. Starting pitching remains the obvious priority, and the list of names floating around ranges from Tarik Skubal and Joe Ryan to Sonny Gray, Reid Detmers, Casey Mize, Jose Soriano and Freddy Peralta.
The outfield search is a little murkier, with Taylor Ward looking like the most realistic target if Atlanta wants to add a bat without emptying the system. Shortstop is another area worth watching, but the price tag on the top names would be steep enough to make any deal complicated fast. For Alex Anthopoulos, the pressure is less about making a splash than avoiding another deadline that leaves the roster looking almost exactly the same when the dust settles. [Read more 🡒]