Atlanta Braves news and links: Jimmy Carter steals the show at the Ted

BRAVES NEWS

Blue Jays power their way to 5-0 victory over Braves

This was another case of the Toronto Blue Jays showing off their impressive offensive firepower, and this was also another case of the Braves doing the exact opposite in that regard. The Braves failed to get a runner past second base for the entire night, so there was really no chance that the Braves were going to win tonight. Instead, they just put another bit of credit towards their down payment on the potential #1 pick in next year's MLB Draft. Meanwhile, the Braves-related highlight of the night was President Jimmy Carter making it onto Kiss Cam, so there's that.

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Wisler shows resilience after rough inning

Matt Wisler got roughed up during the fourth inning of the game against the Blue Jays. The positive about this was the fact that Wisler didn't go into full-on implosion mode like he did in previous appearances. Instead, Wisler buckled down and was able to get things back under control, even if the game was basically lost since the Braves' offense is the Braves' offense, so no recovery was in sight. Still, Wisler's performance definitely impressed the manager.

"For me, it's night and day, the way he's been able to go about it ever since he pitched those two innings out of the bullpen in Washington [D.C.]," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "In his past couple starts, he's been aggressive. Now when we get ahead in the count, we've got to make pitches and expand [the strike zone] a little bit in those counts. This is just part of the learning process you go through with a young pitcher."

Banuelos is out for the rest of the season due to surgery

When news came out last month that Manny Banuelos had bone spurs in his elbow, it was initially a relief for him and the Braves since it wasn't anything that was even more serious than that. It's still a relief, but Banuelos recently had surgery to remove the spur, and as a result, he'll miss the rest of the season. He'll more-than-likely be ready for Spring Training next year, so there's that.

Grilli plans to return for next season

Despite the fact that Jason Grilli will be 39 next season and is coming off a torn Achilles, the closer still plans to return for next season. Grilli was actually having a pretty solid season as the Braves' closer (2.94 ERA, 2.14 FIP, 3.12 xFIP, 24 saves), so he's still got something left in the tank. The question now is how much will be left after healing from such a notoriously tough injury to recover from?

"I’m going to be 39 this offseason. Some people may count me out; some people may say I’m still too old," he said. "But as long as there is opportunity I think someone will find a spot for me knowing that (in) my history I’ve proven time and time again something like this won’t set me back."

The best tools in the Braves' farm, according to Talking Chop

This morning, our Minor League team came out of temporary (and well-deserved) hibernation by releasing a two-part feature on the best tools that are currently in our farm system. If you want to check out the position players, click here. If you want to see the pitchers, click here. Go ahead and click them both -- It's well worth your time!

MLB NEWS

Pirates lose Jung-Ho Kang for 6-8 months due to takeout slide

Pirates infielder Jung-Ho Kang has been ever-present for the Pittsburgh Pirates this season. He's been hitting .287/.355/.461 with 15 HRs, 129 wRC+, and 4.0 fWAR for the Buccos. So naturally, the Pirates are probably going to miss him big-time since he'll be out for the next 6-8 months due to knee injury. He sustained that injury after Chris Coghlan took him out on a slide that was nowhere near second base. For the Pirates, it has to be extremely frustrating to lose one of their best players because one of the other team's players did something dumb like this -- Especially in the midst of a potential postseason run.

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