BRAVES NEWS
Atlanta rallies late but can’t sweep Washington
Needless to say, the fact that the Braves were even in position to sweep the Nationals after losing Freddie Freeman is a testament to the fact that this team is not going to just roll over and die. That was especially true on Sunday when — despite being completely shut down by Stephen Strasburg — the Braves still managed to put together a late rally down 3-0. They cut the lead down to one run in the eighth inning, but were unable to push across the tying run and the Nats escaped the ignominy of being swept.
Adams is looking forward to big opportunity with Braves
Matt Adams made his Braves debut on Sunday and although the team signed James Loney, it’s clear that Adams is going to be the team’s starting first baseman while Freddie Freeman is on the shelf. After spending parts of this season playing left field (?!) for the Cardinals, it’s clear that Adams is glad to have a shot to play at his normal position for the Braves.
"I'm not trying to come in here and be Freddie," Adams said. "That's not who I am. I've just got to be myself and go out there and play. I'm just excited to get the opportunity and I'm going to try to run with it."
Adams was hitting .292 with one homer and seven RBIs with St. Louis. His only homer came at Atlanta's SunTrust Park on May 6 against Julio Teheran. The park's short right-field fence, 325 feet at the foul pole, is attractive to left-handed hitters like Adams.
"I've got to do a good job of just staying gap to gap and not trying to get too pull-happy," he said. "Just stick with my game the way I've been doing and I think things will fall in place."
Meanwhile, if you want to read Minor League Ball’s take on Juan Yepez as he departs for the St. Louis organization then this is the link for you. If you want Ivan’s take on how Adams can/will fit in with the Braves, then you can check out this link as well.
Braves plan to go shopping for free agent pitching
Although the Braves did sign Bartolo Colon and R.A. Dickey and traded for Jaime Garcia, it’s clear that they’re very temporary solutions for the Braves as far as starting pitching is concerned. As such, Jon Heyman of FanRag is reporting that the Braves could be active in the free agent market next offseason. Patrick Karraker of MLB Daily Dish gave a brief rundown of what the starting pitching free agent market could look like by the time winter rolls along.
Notable pitchers who could potentially be available as free agents this winter include Jake Arrieta, Alex Cobb, Johnny Cueto, Yu Darvish, Marco Estrada, Jeremy Hellickson, Lance Lynn, Chris Tillman and Jason Vargas. Obviously, the Braves could also opt to retain any or all of Colon, Dickey, and Garcia, but the veteran starters all currently have earned run averages exceeding 4.00.
Gwinnett Braves will change nickname for 2018 season
The G-Braves will have an entirely new look next season, with the biggest change being that they’ll no longer be known as the G-Braves. That’s because the organization has announced that the team will be undergoing a rebrand and the fans will help determine the new nickname as well. I’d say that this is interesting because it could actually mark a trend of the Braves actually giving their minor league teams different names other than “Braves.” That’s just speculation on my part, though.
MLB NEWS
Milwaukee accuses Chicago of shenanigans following Saturday rainout
The Brewers and Cubs split their weekend series, but that was because they only played two games instead of three. Saturday’s game was called due to the threat of rain, but the weather was dry enough to where you could argue that the game could have been completed. This led the Brewers to accuse the Cubs of basically ducking them for a day. This quote from Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell says it all.
#Brewers manager Craig Counsell on Cubs postponing game Saturday:"First time our players were treated for sunburn after rainout."
— Tom (@Haudricourt) May 21, 2017
White Sox win Robert sweepstakes
The Chicago White Sox made a huge splash over the weekend when the team dipped their toes into the international market to sign Cuban outfield prospect Luis Robert. The deal will reportedly cost them $25 million, but our friends at South Side Sox think that he could end up being worth every penny.
...It made sense for the White Sox to go all out for a five-tool 19-year-old outfielder, even if costs them more than $50 million to close the deal, because there was no more sensible way to spend that kind of money over the next two years. Robert can be penciled in as aggressively as No. 2 on the team’s prospect list after hitting .401/.426/.897 for Ciego de Avila in the Cuban National Series in 2016.