The Braves were idle on Monday after someone blessed the rains down in Atlanta, which now necessitates a doubleheader against the Padres on Wednesday. Kyle Muller and Yu Darvish will each push back an additional day, drawing their starts on Tuesday rather than Monday as planned. The Atlanta offense will undoubtedly have its hands full with the uber-talented Darvish, but Muller could present challenges for the Padres as well. His impressive arsenal plays well in nearly every matchup, with the only question being his command. The towering left-hander was outstanding during his previous stint with the big club, and will look to replicate those performances this time around.
Beyond the obvious question marks in the rotation, the Braves have to quickly figure out some answers in the relief corps. Brian Snitker has drawn seemingly endless criticism for his bullpen management this season, and while some may be warranted, his options are clearly limited. Every top reliever from last season is either playing elsewhere or performing significantly worse, with the possible exception of Will Smith, who has also been unnerving for much of the season. Adding two veteran bats was solid work from Anthopoulos, but adding to the bullpen may be just as important. It may preserve the sanity of the fan base and the employment of the manager.
Braves News
First game of Braves series against Padres gets rained out
The only thing that feels more inevitable than a Braves bullpen collapse is rain in the Atlanta forecast.
Braves recall Kyle Muller, Sean Newcomb, place Ender Inciarte on the injured list (UPDATED)
Kyle Muller is coming back to Atlanta along with Sean Newcomb, while Ender Inciarte is headed to the COVID list. The club did confirm that Inciarte had tested negative as of Monday morning.
Notes: Vogt thrilled in ATL; Minter optioned
Stephen Vogt is excited to be a member of the Braves, which sounds crazy at the moment before considering that he played for the Diamondbacks previously.
“As a kid who grew up in the ‘90s watching [the Braves] on TBS, getting to put this uniform on is very special for me,” Vogt said. “But more importantly, just to join a team that’s trying to win and a team that’s making a push right now is really exciting for me.”
MLB News
Deadline roundtable: Cubs control the market
What should we expect over the next two weeks?
Gallo to an NL contender? Big splash in NY?
AJ Preller is so much fun. He already has a great roster, but is reportedly considering the possibly of backing up the truck for Joey Gallo.
Rumors: Mets eyeing big Deadline splash
Who is on the Mets radar at the moment?