Battery Power - August 28: Cardinals 6, Braves 3Your one stop shop for everything Atlanta Braveshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52890/favicon-32x32..png2022-08-28T23:42:36-04:00http://www.batterypower.com/rss/stream/230896672022-08-28T23:42:36-04:002022-08-28T23:42:36-04:00Braves drop another wild one to Cardinals, 6-3
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<p><em>Jake Odorizzi threw 5.2 no-hit innings before giving up a pair of runs, and Dansby Swanson’s three-run homer was the offensive highlight in another tough loss to St. Louis.</em></p> <p id="NlB3rj">Sunday night was yet another Braves-Cardinals matchup for the books, just as we all expected.</p>
<p id="7JQ8nW">In his third straight start impacted by a rain delay—watch out, Josh Donaldson, we might have a new bringer of rain—Jake Odorizzi posted 5.2 innings of no-hit baseball against a potent Cardinals lineup, and despite giving up a pair of runs after the ice had been broken, his start combined with a Dansby Swanson three-run homer looked to give the Braves a fighting chance at a series win. However, St. Louis prevailed after roughing up AJ Minter for four runs in his third appearance in this series.</p>
<p id="UfAO7R">With the loss, the Braves sit at 79-50 on the year and 3 games back of the Mets, who also lost on Sunday. The Cardinals move to 74-54.</p>
<p id="ywecPj">After Adam Wainwright and Odorizzi traded one-two-three frames in the first, the Braves went on to lead off the second, third, fourth, and fifth innings with singles but were unable to score in any of them. The best chance came when Austin Riley advanced to third on an Eddie Rosario single to shallow right field with two outs in the fourth, but Vaughn Grissom grounded out to Wainwright to silence the threat.</p>
<p id="vFDesW">Odorizzi, meanwhile, only allowed one baserunner into the sixth inning, and it was via a walk to Dylan Carlson with two outs in the second. After the walk, Odorizzi retired 12 straight Cardinals, striking out four of them and only taking two as far as a three-ball count—one being Nolan Gorman, whom Odorizzi struck out after a 10-pitch battle of an at-bat that featured only fastballs.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jake Odorizzi struck out Nolan Gorman on 10 straight 4-seam fastballs to keep his no-hitter intact <a href="https://t.co/rc2s7QoODA">pic.twitter.com/rc2s7QoODA</a></p>— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) <a href="https://twitter.com/TalkinBaseball_/status/1564066652441829376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 29, 2022</a>
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<p id="6zcQLo">The no-hitter and scoreless tie were ultimately broken with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, when Lars Nootbaar hit a solo shot that only just cleared the very corner of the left field fence.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Lars Nootbaar ends the no-hit bid and gives the <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Cardinals</a> the lead!<br><br>(MLB x <a href="https://twitter.com/Woodbridge_Wine?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Woodbridge_Wine</a>) <a href="https://t.co/xwe5GiJQz7">pic.twitter.com/xwe5GiJQz7</a></p>— MLB (@MLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1564071210048176129?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 29, 2022</a>
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<p id="Hpkl52">After the homer, Odorizzi gave up three straight singles, the last to Nolan Arenado to score Brendan Donovan and double the St. Louis lead. Brian Snitker then replaced Odorizzi with Dylan Lee, and he got pinch hitter Albert Pujols to pop out to Matt Olson.</p>
<p id="PFXebn">By this point, the Atlanta lineup did have multiple balls hit over 100 MPH that ended in outs, so there was reason to hope that it was only a matter of time before they broke through the St. Louis devil magic. And sure enough, after runners on the corners forced Wainwright out of the game with two outs in the seventh inning, Dansby Swanson hit a two-strike, three-run homer off a 100.1 MPH Ryan Helsley pitch to give the Braves a 3-2 advantage.</p>
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<p lang="da" dir="ltr">DANSBY! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForTheA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ForTheA</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/LieutenantDans7?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LieutenantDans7</a> <a href="https://t.co/XfZPuEPEr2">pic.twitter.com/XfZPuEPEr2</a></p>— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) <a href="https://twitter.com/Braves/status/1564076906030534657?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 29, 2022</a>
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<p id="nMDe41">Collin McHugh entered in relief of Lee in the bottom of the frame after a walk to Paul DeJong and got Yadier Molina to ground into a double play to preserve the Atlanta lead. </p>
<p id="qdURQt">Helsley struck out the side in the top of the eighth, and Minter came in the game only to have Tommy Edman send his first pitch over the center field wall to tie the score back up at 3 runs each. Minter then walked Nootbaar, and Donovan laid down a bunt that Riley couldn’t quite field. While it looked like Minter might get out of the inning with the tie intact after back-to-back strikeouts of Paul Goldschmidt and Arenado, Tyler O’Neill, who had replaced Pujols after his pinch-hit pop out, blasted a three-run homer to center and gave the Cardinals a 6-3 lead.</p>
<p id="L91kW5">Jay Jackson made his season debut and struck out Carlson to end the eighth, and Michael Harris II did lace a two-out double in the ninth, but it was too little, too late.</p>
<p id="4Lz8cQ">Atlanta has an off day on Monday before returning to Truist Park for a six-game homestand against the Rockies and Marlins. Max Fried is slated to face Jose Urena on Tuesday in the Colorado series opener.</p>
https://www.batterypower.com/2022/8/28/23326420/braves-drop-sunday-night-series-finale-cardinalsElaine Day2022-08-28T18:58:56-04:002022-08-28T18:58:56-04:00Ozzie Albies expected to begin rehab assignment next week
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<p>Albies has been on the injured list since June 14 due to a fractured foot. </p> <p id="8fPOlU">The <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Atlanta Braves</a> are close to getting one of their key players back from injury. Brian Snitker told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Justin Toscano Sunday that Ozzie Albies <a href="https://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-braves/ronald-acuna-says-he-has-had-some-pretty-intense-knee-pain-last-few-days/CEYX6TSVORFFVBUQLGRVGV666M/">could begin a rehab assignment by the middle of next week</a>. Albies suffered a fractured left foot during an at-bat on June 13. He was placed on the 60-day injured list the next day and underwent surgery two days later. </p>
<p id="bP3FpG">Albies has steadily been progressing through baseball activities over the last few weeks and traveled with the team on their current road trip. He has been working out on the field and taking batting practice. Albies was hitting .244/.289/.405 with eight home runs and an 89 wRC+ in 263 plate appearances at the time of the injury. </p>
<p id="ZAcIvo">Albies will be the latest Braves player to begin a rehab assignment. Infielder Orlando Arcia, catcher Chadwick Tromp, joined pitchers Darren O’Day and Mike Soroka in the last couple of days at Gwinnett. Major League rosters will expand to 28 on September 1 and teams will be allowed to add one pitcher and one position player. </p>
https://www.batterypower.com/2022/8/28/23326158/ozzie-albies-injury-rehab-assignment-atlanta-bravesKris Willis2022-08-28T18:16:26-04:002022-08-28T18:16:26-04:00Ronald Acuna Jr. out of lineup again Sunday with knee soreness, hopes to return Tuesday
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<figcaption>Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Atlanta logically continues to practice caution with Acuna Jr. as the 2022 season progresses. </p> <p id="kO6cKc">As the Braves look to close out their series with a win against the Cardinals on Sunday Night Baseball, outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. will be out of the starting lineup for a second straight game. Similar to previous times this season when he has been out of the lineup for a day or two, Atlanta and Acuna Jr. are managing his return to full form coming off his torn ACL injury in July of 2021. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Acuña said he felt knee pain in recent days, mostly running. He was assured it's normal in the year after surgery, but said he's just not familiar with these issues because he's never been through it. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Braves?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Braves</a> giving him a few days with off day Monday. He's available off bench.</p>— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) <a href="https://twitter.com/DOBrienATL/status/1564003497816760321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 28, 2022</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Acuña expects to be back in the lineup on Tuesday. The Braves decided it would be best to take advantage of him getting three straight days (last two games of STL series and tomorrow's offday) of rest. Acuña says the knee bothers him more running than hitting.</p>— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) <a href="https://twitter.com/mlbbowman/status/1564001653640105985?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 28, 2022</a>
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<p id="Tlyc9S">While any news of leg injuries for Acuna Jr. is likely concerning to see coming off his season-ending injury in 2021, it seems that this is merely Atlanta remaining cautious with his playing time. Acuna Jr. mentioned that he has noticed pain in his knee more in recent days, especially when running. Thankfully, he was told this was common in returning to normal playing time after an ACL injury. There seems to be optimism that he will return to the lineup on Tuesday as the Braves face the Rockies in Atlanta. </p>
<p id="Fc1rQY">There is plenty of logic in the Braves remaining cautious with Acuna Jr. Though Atlanta has the chance to pull to within 1 <sup>1</sup>⁄<sub>2</sub> games of the <a href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/">Mets</a> for the NL East division lead with a win on Sunday night, Acuna Jr.’s health remains a top priority. While winning the division is certainly significant, having Acuna Jr. as healthy and fresh as possible for the postseason, and thus allowing for the Braves to be at their best, is even more important. </p>
<p id="XQObei">Fortunately, Acuna Jr. has looked more like his old self in recent weeks than he did for most of June and July. From June 15th to July 31st, Acuna Jr. produced a .222/.305/.289 batting line at the plate, along with a .594 OPS and 70 wRC+ mark (151 plate appearances). Since August 1st, Acuna Jr. has produced a .319/.410/.451 batting line at the plate, along with an .861 OPS and 141 wRC+ mark (105 plate appearances.) </p>
<p id="DJPTrg">Not only has Acuna Jr. played more frequently in August, his offensive production has significantly improved. Hopefully that trend will continue once he returns to the lineup over the next few days. </p>
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https://www.batterypower.com/2022/8/28/23326085/ronald-acuna-jr-out-of-lineup-again-sunday-with-knee-soreness-hopes-to-return-tuesdayShawn Coleman2022-08-28T18:15:00-04:002022-08-28T18:15:00-04:00Braves vs. Cardinals game thread
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<p>Jake Odorizzi vs. Adam Wainwright</p> <p id="YC1eAk">The <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Atlanta Braves</a> will try to end their road trip on a good note Sunday when they wrap up a three-game series against the <a href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">St. Louis Cardinals</a>. Atlanta took the opener Friday night and then carried a 5-4 lead into the ninth Saturday before the Cardinals battled back to win 6-5. Jake Odorizzi will get the start Sunday for Atlanta while the Cardinals will go with veteran right-hander Adam Wainwright. </p>
<p id="iPKIo1">Ronald Acuña Jr. is out of the Braves’ lineup for the second straight game. Dansby Swanson will stick in the leadoff spot. Travis d’Arnaud is back behind the plate and will hit cleanup while William Contreras slots in as the DH and will bat fifth. Eddie Rosario gets the start in left field and will hit sixth. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sunday Night Baseball. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForTheA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ForTheA</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZC3l4UEMSB">pic.twitter.com/ZC3l4UEMSB</a></p>— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) <a href="https://twitter.com/Braves/status/1563965143071047680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 28, 2022</a>
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<p id="wqukBz">For the Cardinals, Lars Nootbar will leadoff and play right field. Brandon Donovan will be the DH and bat second. Yadier Molina will be behind the plate and hit eighth. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Rubber match lineups for Sunday Night Baseball <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/STLCards?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#STLCards</a> <a href="https://t.co/hs63LIyIks">pic.twitter.com/hs63LIyIks</a></p>— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) <a href="https://twitter.com/katiejwoo/status/1563982527286726662?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 28, 2022</a>
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<p id="JzjBAt">Sunday’s game has a scheduled start time of 7:08 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESPN. </p>
https://www.batterypower.com/2022/8/28/23325622/braves-vs-cardinals-lineups-game-threadKris Willis2022-08-28T16:00:00-04:002022-08-28T16:00:00-04:00What to watch for in Sunday night’s Braves-Cardinals game
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<p>Sit on the Wainwright curve; St. Louis success threatened</p> <p id="NbMtmR">After a rare bullpen meltdown loss last night, the Braves will try to take the series in an unfavorable matchup on Sunday night. Some brief notes...</p>
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<p id="bs5B4I"><strong>Sit on Wainwright’s curveball?</strong></p>
<p id="4KdNOC">Adam Wainwright is carrying on a long tradition of seemingly-ageless hurlers; the righty has 2.3 fWAR so far in his age-40 season, and has compiled 3 fWAR/200 from his age-36 season onward.</p>
<p id="xBQ6sl">Probably the most obvious reason for his success has been a curveball that’s been his most effective offering for the last decade. Overall, Wainwright hasn’t really done much other than lean on his curveball again and again, and the curveball has delivered above-average pitching in spades. It’s extreme two-plane movement profile is tough for hitters that have become more and more inured to harder, tauter breaking pitches. </p>
<p id="8jzbyX">In 2021, when Wainwright threw together 3.8 fWAR at age 39, he threw his curve around a third of the time. It was his most popular pitch for most of last season, before leaning a bit more heavily on his sinker towards the end. This year, he started out throwing both his sinker and curve about a fourth (or 30 percent) of the time, until his last few starts, where the curve (and cutter) have leapfrogged the sinker. </p>
<p id="wdKM96">While a no-brainer of an adjustment in some ways given the relative quality of the curve compared to the not-good-at-all sinker and four-seamer, Wainwright hasn’t necessarily benefited directly, as the August xFIP of 4.31 is his highest in a month so far (and much higher than his seasonal 3.91 mark). Still, unless he’s immediately going to change course, it behooves the Braves to hunt that curveball. It’s coming frequently, and it has the ability to completely carve up hitters when it surprises them. The rest of his arsenal isn’t anywhere near as concerning. We’ll see what the Braves do, but letting him bamboozle them with curves would be a bad strategy to bring into this game.</p>
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<p id="mVq24i"><strong>St. Louis success</strong></p>
<p id="e38LV7">Since the Braves’ great run started in 2018, they’ve had an inordinate amount of success against the Cardinals, which is pretty impressive given that they’re fifth and seventh, respectively, in overall MLB wins in that span. The Braves haven’t lost a <em>regular season</em> series to St. Louis since September 2018; they haven’t lost a series in St. Louis since 2017, under the prior regime and with a half-baked roster.</p>
<p id="wILONc">A matchup between Jake Odorizzi and Adam Wainwright is going to pose a tough test in this regard. The Cardinals are certainly favored, and it’s unclear whether the Braves will even have A.J. Minter, Raisel Iglesias, and Kenley Jansen available given the events that transpired earlier in the series. That’s why beating up on Wainwright’s curveball could be such a big deal — it might be real tough to lock down a close game or hold on to a mid-size lead if Odorizzi is going to be forced to navigate the middle innings with his limited arsenal. Can the Braves find a way anyway? We’ll see.</p>
https://www.batterypower.com/2022/8/28/23325747/what-to-watch-for-in-sunday-nights-braves-cardinals-game-adam-wainwright-st-louis-successIvan the Great2022-08-28T13:00:00-04:002022-08-28T13:00:00-04:00Jake Odorizzi, Braves look to secure series win in St. Louis
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<p>Atlanta will be looking to bounce back from a tough loss Saturday night. </p> <p id="Ji5PLp">After a tough loss Saturday night, the <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Atlanta Braves</a> will try to bounce back and secure a series win Sunday when they wrap up a three-game series against the <a href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">St. Louis Cardinals</a>. Atlanta took the opener Friday 11-4 and carried a 5-4 lead into the ninth Saturday before Kenley Jansen suffered his fifth blown save of the season in a 6-5 loss. Atlanta is 4-1 on its current six-game road trip and haven’t lost a series since early August in New York. </p>
<p id="2QAZMB">Jake Odorizzi will make his fifth start in a Braves uniform and will be looking to build off of a good outing in his last start. Odorizzi allowed one run and struck out seven in six innings Monday in Pittsburgh. The seven strikeouts were one below his season-high of eight and it was his longest outing since joining the Braves at the trade deadline. </p>
<p id="X98I35">The Cardinals will counter with veteran right-hander Adam Wainwright who has put together another excellent season. Wainwright allowed five hits and four walks, but just two runs over six innings in his last start against the <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a>. He has allowed two runs or less in five of his last six starts and has allowed a total of three runs in his last 22 innings. </p>
<p id="A9GhfQ">Ronald Acuña Jr. was out of the lineup on Saturday due to some knee soreness, but he is expected to return for Sunday’s game. Atlanta’s catching combo of Travis d’Arnaud and William Contreras has wreaked havoc in the first two games of the series. d’Arnaud has four hits over the first two games including a three-run home run in Saturday’s loss. Contreras has started both games at DH and has five hits including a pair of doubles. </p>
<p id="RRa2uT">Eddie Rosario entered Saturday’s game late as a pinch-hitter and stayed in the game in left field. A sore hamstring had limited Rosario to DH duty of late and that was his first appearance in the outfield since August 15. Rosario is 4-for-24 at the plate with three walks and 12 strikeouts over his last eight games. </p>
<p id="qmN8Zo">Sunday’s game is scheduled to get underway at 7:08 p.m. ET and will be featured on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. </p>
<h3 id="JXQXYE"><strong>Game Info</strong></h3>
<p id="aCFiV8"><strong>Game Date/Time:</strong> Sunday, August 28, 7:08 p.m. ET</p>
<p id="ExZg40"><strong>Location:</strong> Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri</p>
<p id="8WYjMu"><strong>TV:</strong> ESPN</p>
<p id="FZEeE7"><strong>Radio:</strong> 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan</p>
https://www.batterypower.com/2022/8/28/23325607/braves-vs-cardinals-preview-time-tv-streaming-radio-jake-odorizzi-adam-wainwrightKris Willis