The Braves played a wonderfully weird baseball game on Saturday night. It was great, although the Braves despite a home game from Bryce Harper that may not have landed yet and a strong start from the Phillies’ Zack Wheeler, the Braves were able to keep things close by taking part in a two-run homer of Austin Riley and then things went downhill at the bottom of the ninth to win 6-5.
The Braves sat behind most of the evening, but that does not seem to phase this team much. After Riley’s two homers to get within a few runs, the Braves were able to score three in the eighth to snatch the lead.
That’s when things got weird. Mark Melancon had an inning adventure when he came up for the rescue, which included Snitker leaving him inexplicably in a base-laden situation against Bryse Harper when it became clear he did not have it last night. Harper got the flyball the Phillies needed, and despite a fantastic throw from Cristian Pache, the Phils tied the game.
Fortunately, it did not matter, although even though Brandon Workman is a new face in the Phillies bullpen, the plague that has occupied her still applies to him. The Braves almost got a walkoff gift from the umpires when a routine force-out was called safely on the plate, but that was sorted by the umps. Adam Duvall made sure to end things well with a walk-off single to push the Braves record to 16-11.
More Braves News
Ronald Acuña Jr. ranks no. 1 trading post in MLB, Ozzie Albies # 6
It is hardly a surprise that in terms of trading value Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies are extremely highly rated. They are both young, insanely good, and sign on to long-term team-friendly deals … all of which have significant value in the brand. In fact, Fangraphs ranks their top 50 player rankings in terms of trade value where Acuna came in at number one and Albies at sixth.
Retrospective of Braves View: Ryan Klesko
While we are often very focused on the present and future of the Braves here at Talking Chop, that does not mean that it is not fun to remember the past. Our very own Wayne Cavadi looked to the path that Ryan Klesko and that captain Caveman-esque-swing of his name as perspective, as well as his legacy as Atlanta Brave.
MLB News
Puppies change course, Bryant puts on IL
The Chicago Cubs seemed to insist they did NOT place Kris Bryant on the injured list due to a hand / wrist injury, with manager David Ross a bit optimistic that he would not miss a single game. Unfortunately for Chicago, it seems they did not like what they saw when they examined him and decided that an IL stint was probably the best course.
Strass to end hand surgery at the end of the season
The nervous problems of Stephen Strasburg with his hand have been a major topic of conversation for the defending champions Nationals, especially considering their cravings so far in 2020. After being diagnosed with carpal tunnel neuritis, the Nationals close Strasburg for the rest of the season off and going to have surgery to hopefully solve the problem.
