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Whenever we here about games being postponed these days, we immediately fear the worst. This is understandable since both the Cardinals and Marlins have had COVID-19 outbreaks that have wreaked havoc on baseball’s schedule and put teams and fans on edge with the possibility of the season getting cancelled looming.
Fortunately for the Braves, the postponement of their first game against the Phillies was due to inclement weather and nothing to do with the virus...well, at least not directly.
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 7, 2020
We can expect rain delays to be handled like this a lot this season. Despite the fact that it seemed like the weather was supposed to clear up by 9 PM or so, the league is adamant about limiting the amount of time that players are confined in locker rooms where social distancing is difficult. Other than short delays, it seems likely that it will be a league-wide practice to be quick to pull the plug and pivot to doubleheaders with seven innings for each game.
More Braves News
The Opener wouldn’t be a bad option for the Braves
The use of an opener has not reached widespread use in baseball mainly because to pull it off, a team needs both a good as well as a deep bullpen in addition to having some deficiencies in their rotation that require drastic measures. Well, as our own Demetrius Bell writes, if the Braves decided to go that route...they would actually be pretty well-equipped to do it.
The Braves got a bit of bad injury news, which they obviously don’t need more of, before Friday’s game was postponed. While it is unclear exactly WHAT happened, reliever Chris Martin will be out for a bit after undergoing a procedure to deal with an esophageal constriction. The Braves also made a waiver claim for a lefty reliever who has meh for most of his career.
An Interview with Braves 2019 Draft Pick Michael Harris
I know that a lot of you have missed our minor league recaps this season and frankly, we have to. However, we are still going to do our best to help you all get your fix. For example, Gaurav sat down with 2019 draftee Michael Harris to catch up with him about his offseason and what he is working on at the alternate training site.
Braves diamonds in the rough: The 2018 MLB draft class
I want all of you to love something as much as Wayne Cavadi loves DII sports, particularly baseball. Wayne concluded his series on the Braves’ recent forays into DII via the draft with a look at the 2018 draft class.
MLB News
Cardinals game postponed due to additional positive COVID-19 test results
Remember when I said that usually when we find out about game postponements these days, we immediately pivot to the pandemic? Yeah, things like this are why our brains do that. The Cardinals had another positive test result and, given the outbreak on their team, their series against the Cubs has now been postponed.
Josh Donaldson (calf strain) placed on 10-day IL
Old friend Josh Donaldson is regressing a bit in regards some injury woes that bothered him when he was a Blue Jay as he was placed on the IL with an issue with his calf. Donaldson is probably still awesome, but this is a reminder that nothing is guaranteed especially when a player’s best years are behind him.