Lots of great Braves news yesterday, y’all.
They beat down the Angels, scoring seven two-out runs in one inning. Jurickson Profar returned from PED purgatory (and hit a home run). Ronald Acuña Jr. will start the All-Star game at Truist Park.
Then there’s … the other thing.
Quick links: The Hawks, a top contender? | Tech’s new hire | Running the Peachtree
ET TU, SCHWELLY?
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Spencer Schwellenbach has a fracture in his right elbow.
No one really knows how it got there, and the optimistic version of the prognosis calls for him to sit until September — leaving the Braves rotation, the only consistent part of a team that’s currently seven games under .500, officially in tatters.
🤔 So what do they do now?
Make a couple moves before the trade deadline, try to salvage things? Call up some pitching prospects and roll with it? Or, heaven forfend, sell off instead?
I found myself wholly unequipped to answer those questions, so I asked two much smarter colleagues to chime in.
Here’s (an abridged version of) what they said.
Rod Beard, senior sports editor: “The Braves are stretched thin in trying to piece together a rotation, and whether it’s Didier Fuentes or any of the other prospects in the minors, they’re going to have to use Popsicle sticks and glue to keep this together. Making a trade to improve the roster isn’t advisable, as this season is likely too far gone to salvage. They’re about four weeks from the trade deadline, and there’s no point in looking to upgrade. That doesn’t mean to break things down to the studs, but they have some decisions to make.
“They can take a look at some of the young pitchers in the farm system, but if they continue to get shelled, is that hurting their development? There’s a fine line there. It’s possible that (Chris) Sale could return at some point, but by then, Atlanta may be completely out of the wild-card chase.
“Whatever happens, there’s no need to jeopardize the future to try to salvage a season that has given enough indications about which direction it’s going to go.”
Credit: Mike Stewart/AP
Credit: Mike Stewart/AP
Gabe Burns, super reporter: “They’d insisted they wouldn’t be sellers, but circumstances change. However, they don’t have much to sell. Marcell Ozuna’s value has tanked with his recent play. Maybe Raisel Iglesias or Pierce Johnson are pieces to move. But they’re going to think adding before subtracting.
“The need for another starter is urgent, and that’s on top of desiring offense and bullpen help. This team might have too many needs to realistically address at one trade deadline. And if the Braves fall further back in the standings, they might need to be honest with themselves and realizing adding might not be the best avenue.
“The Braves started buying in July ’21 despite their middling status, but they cited two key factors in that decision: They held a positive run differential, indicating they were better than they’d played, and the National League East was still within reach. The (2025) Braves do have a positive run differential, though we can acknowledge this team hasn’t even performed up to the level of the first-half 2021 Braves.
“The Braves have pulled off impressive division rallies before, including erasing a 10-game deficit just a couple years ago, but that simply seems extremely unlikely at this juncture. The wild-card race is crowded, too, and the NL is the deepest it’s been in several years.”
🤔 Whatcha think, folks? Shoot me an email with your most devious plans.
(LONG) WEEKEND WATCH PARTY
Sports Daily is taking July Fourth off … so figured we’d go ahead and offer up a taste of what’s on tap for the three-day, four-night weekend.
And don’t forget about the AJC Peachtree Road Race!
⚾ The Braves: After tonight’s series finale with the Angels (7:15 p.m. on FanDuel), the Braves host a weekend series with the Orioles. Old friend Charlie Morton is slated to start Friday’s game — which culminates with July Fourth fireworks.
🏀 The Dream: Fresh off its confidence-building win over the Liberty, Atlanta hosts Seattle tonight in College Park (7:30 p.m. on Peachtree TV). Will Rhyne Howard play? Unclear. The star forward was deemed day-to-day after sustaining an “upper-body injury” against New York.
🏆 The Club World Cup returns to Mercedes-Benz Stadium for one last match Saturday. European big shots Paris-Saint Germain and Bayern Munich square off at noon on TNT.
⚽ Atlanta United: The Five Stripes head to the nation’s capital for a clash with D.C. United on Saturday (7:30 p.m. on Apple TV). Good news: Both teams have been dreadful this season.
MORE HAWKS LOVE
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
I’m going to keep reveling in the Hawks’ offseason — and stealing from my co-workers — by sharing this lovely little morsel from Mr. Beard’s latest column:
“The Las Vegas odds at BetMGM have the Hawks ranked fourth (+850) to win the East, behind the Cavaliers, Knicks and Magic, and ahead of the 76ers, Celtics and Pistons.”
Depending where you look, the odds were roughly twice as long a week ago. Feels pretty good!
RE: JEFF ULBRICH
Yesterday I asked how y’all are feeling about Jeff Ulbrich’s return as Falcons defensive coordinator.
This response from reader Dennis sums up the mood pretty well: “I’m cautiously optimistic. The draft looks good, but we’ve seen it before. The Falcons have a way of messing up these things; there must be something in the water in Flowery Branch.”
Tough but fair.
ALSO INTERESTING
🐝 Georgia Tech basketball hired an executive away from the Utah Jazz, presumably to fill its “executive director of basketball operations and player management” role.
🎶 Georgia wants to host a concert at Sanford Stadium next April. The featured act? Who knows!
⛳ Johns Creek golfer Ava Merrill won the Georgia Women’s Amateur Championship with a record low score. But she’s most excited about the parking spot.
PHOTO OF THE DAY
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
He’s goofing around here. But as columnist Ken Sugiura writes, Braves coach Eddie Perez stands stock still when the national anthem plays before games.
He’s a naturalized U.S. citizen — and takes it very seriously.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
He's so proud to be an American — so, so proud. And it's beautiful to see that as an immigrant — see an immigrant come here, work really hard, work through that American dream.
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of Sports Daily. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact me at tyler.estep@ajc.com.
Until next time.
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