A frustrating homestand came to a frustrating end for the Atlanta Braves Wednesday as they endured a long rain delay before Game 2 of their doubleheader against the San Diego Padres suspended due to rain. No word yet on when that game will be resumed and the possibility exists that it might take place in San Diego. For now though, that is the least of the Braves concerns.
Atlanta dropped Game 1 of Wednesday’s doubleheader to the Padres 3-2 to fall to 46-48 on the season. They will enter play Thursday 4.5 games behind the New York Mets in the NL East standings. They have four games coming up against the Philadelphia Phillies starting Thursday and will then move on to New York to face the Mets five times starting with a doubleheader on Monday.
With the trade deadline just eight days away, Alex Anthopoulos and the rest of the Braves front office will have to decide whether to further add to a roster that has been depleted by injury or sell and get a jump on retooling for 2022. My guess is that they will do everything they can to stay in the race for as long as they can, but given their recent struggles, they could be looking at an insurmountable task by the middle of next week or sooner.
Simply put, there is no margin for error left.
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Shane Greene allowed a two-run home run to Fernando Tatis Jr. in the fifth inning of the Braves’ Game 1 loss in Wednesday’s doubleheader. To say the 2021 season has been a struggle for Greene would be an understatement. He has allowed 15 earned runs in just 13 innings since joining Atlanta’s bullpen and has allowed six runs and three homers in his past five appearances.
A couple of roster notes, the Braves activated catcher Alex Jackson from the 60-day injured list Wednesday and optioned him to Gwinnett. The team also announced that Jonathan Lucroy cleared waivers and was outrighted back to Gwinnett as well. The Braves lost right-hander Ty Tice who was claimed off of waivers by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired outfielder Billy McKinney from the New York Mets Wednesday in exchange for minor league outfielder Carlos Rincon. McKinney had been designated for assignment earlier this week.
The Philadelphia Phillies are reportedly in the exploring additions to their rotation and bullpen in advance of the trade deadline. The problem they will most likely find is that half the league is also looking for the same thing.
The Houston Astros are reportedly looking for help in center field and are seeking bullpen upgrades. Houston has been linked to Miami’s Starling Marte and also reportedly checked in on Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds.
The Kansas City Royals acquired reliever Joel Payamps from the Blue Jays in exchange for cash considerations and optioned him to Triple-A. Payamps was designated for assignment last weekend despite posting a 2.70 ERA in 30 innings.
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A tough season in Minnesota gets tougher as they announced that outfielder Alex Kirilloff will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right wrist. Kirilloff was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday.
The Baltimore Orioles placed Keegan Akin and Anthony Santander on the COVID-19 injured list. Akin had been the Orioles’ scheduled starter for Wednesday’s game.