For once, the Braves had an injury scare that didn’t result in one of their stars heading to the IL. Rejoice!
The Atlanta Braves are now heading up to Minnesota hot off the heels of what turned out to be a pretty productive homestand. They picked up a crucial series win against the Phillies and then followed that up by taking two out of three against a Washington Nationals team that had been giving them fits all season.
That’s not to say that the Nats stopped giving the Braves fits — yeah, Atlanta won the series but Washington certainly fought them nearly every step of the way. Both of Atlanta’s wins in this series were of the “they eked by” variety and the loss that prevented the sweep contained a lot of the bad themes that have popped up for the Braves in this season. With that being said, the Braves still have to be feeling pretty good as they embark on this week-long road trip that will eventually set up the final month of the season.
The injury bug spares the Braves for once
The scariest part about Sunday’s loss was that the Braves suffered not one, but two injury scares. Michael Harris II got hit by a pitch on his left hand/wrist area and considering how things have gone for Atlanta on the injury front, it was easy to suspect that we were about to get some very bad news after the game. On top of that, Marcell Ozuna fouled a ball off his shin and was doubled over in pain for a bit. Both players stayed in the game after their respective incidents but Harris eventually exited and Brian Snitker was quoted by Mark Bowman as being “concerned” that Harris came out of the game.
Fortunately, the Braves got some good post-game injury news for the first time in what feels like the entire season. Michael Harris II’s X-rays came out negative for a fracture and now he’s day-to-day. Meanwhile, Marcell Ozuna finished his at-bat and while he had to ice his leg up a bit more than usual, he said that he’s okay and that he expects to play tomorrow at Target Field. So for once, the Braves had an injury scare that didn’t result in an IL trip. Even though they took the loss on Sunday, the post-game news is a lower-case ‘w’ that the Braves have needed for a while now. Harris and Ozuna might be banged up by they aren’t down for the count and hopefully this is an omen that Atlanta’s injury luck might be starting to change.
The replacement players continue to get it done
Yeah, yeah, yeah — I know Whit Merrifield had a nightmarish day at second base earlier but let’s not let that spoil what he’s been doing for the Braves since he got here. Since joining the Braves (and heading into Sunday’s game) Merrifield has been hitting .278/.402/.417 with a .364 wOBA and 134 wRC+. Meanwhile, Ramón Laureano has hit to the tune of .309/.339/.555 with .381 wOBA and 145 wRC+ and Gio Urshela has reached base in five of the six games that he’s played in so far.
So far, the guys who have come in here as replacements for the injured stars have been getting the job done and performing very admirably in their respective roles. They’ve even brought the defense as well (again, let’s not talk about Sunday for Merrifield), so they’re just getting it done in all facets as well. There’s no telling how long this is going to last but at the same time, it’s not too shocking that these guys are performing well in Atlanta’s uniform. It might be cliché to say this but there’s something to be said about the culture of this ballclub/clubhouse. They might be running out of men to be the next man to step up but at the same time, that “next man up” mentality has truly been carrying this lineup at this point.
The Braves absolutely have to keep games low-scoring
Sunday’s game also followed a familiar script in terms of how losses have gone for the Braves this year. It’s very simple: If the Braves give up four runs or more, the game is probably over at that point. That might sound a bit too pessimistic or like I’m over-exaggerating but the Braves are now 8-49 in games where the opposition scores four or more runs. Conversely, they are 62-11 in games where they hold their opponents to three runs or less.
So yeah, the Braves have essentially developed both a win and loss condition this season. If the pitching staff is on their game (and as you can see by the record, it usually is), the lineup will usually figure out a way to scrape up enough offense to pull off the win. If the pitching staff even has a decent-sized stumble or it turns into a high-scoring affair, the ‘L’ is likely going to follow. While Atlanta’s offense has certainly been showing more signs of life recently, this homestand was a prime example of how things are going to go for this team here in 2024. They can outpitch anybody in baseball but they likely aren’t going to outhit anybody.
That’s just a fact of baseball life for the Braves right now but once again, it’s one that they’ve adapted to pretty well. It could also make them very dangerous if they get into the Postseason since pitching can carry you deep into October. We learned that lesson in 2021 and we may get a chance to see it happen in 2024 as well.