Braves will travel to Houston Sunday

The Atlanta Braves went through a final workout at Truist Park Saturday in preparation for their upcoming matchup against the Miami Marlins in the National League Division Series. Atlanta will travel to Houston on Sunday and will hold another team workout at Minute Maid Park on Monday. Brian Snitker confirmed that all 40 players in Atlanta’s playoff pool will be on the trip to Houston and that the active roster and taxi squad will work out separately just like the regular season.

“We take all 40,” Snitker said when asked about his traveling roster. “They will all be there. When we get there it will be a taxi squad situation with separate workouts and the whole thing.”

Snitker however wasn’t ready to divulge any of the discussions on who might be included on the Braves’ roster for the best-of-five Division Series. Atlanta carried 15 position players and just 13 pitchers for their two-game sweep of the Reds in the Wild Card round. It would seem likely that they will add at least one more multi-inning option and perhaps two for the upcoming series.

“We haven’t had a roster discussion yet,” Snitker said. “They are all in line and doing things but we haven’t officially done anything yet as far as setting it. I guess that will be in the next couple days.”

Snitker wouldn’t confirm but the assumption is that Max Fried will start Game 1 on Tuesday and be followed by Ian Anderson and Kyle Wright. Wright was scheduled to start Game 3 against Cincinnati on Friday but instead worked a simulated game. With no off days during the Division Series, the Braves will have to figure out how they are going to handle Game 4 and 5 if they are needed.

“I think the bullpen depth helps us be equipped,” Snitker said of the five games in five days schedule. “We are not going to throw guys five days in a row. That is going to be the challenge where the lack of off days that you normally have. I think the bullpen is going to be a challenge, just trying to spread it out and keep the guys available.”

Snitker did add that some of his relievers would have been available to pitch three straight days against the Reds so they won’t be afraid to do that in the longer series.

“They would have been available to do that for this first series,” Snitker said. “That is something that more a reality now. I think realistically a guy could go four out of five. You probably wouldn’t like to do that but we might have to.”

Snitker also discussed the possibility of bringing the Game 1 starter back on short rest in Game 5. He said that it was something that they would consider but it would depend on how things go in the series.

“I think that is definitely a possibility, but that is something you see what that first game was like and then how the next subsequent days go probably.”