Weekend Reflections: Hurston Waldrep proves he should stick in bigs with Braves

Instead, Waldrep performed about as well as Strider has lately. The Reds got only three hits against Waldrep (all singles), with two walks, over 5⅓ innings. Eli White’s four RBIs on two homers were enough for the Braves to earn only their fourth victory in the past 13 games.

It seems the Braves were reluctant to bring up Waldrep. They now should be convinced he should stay. Waldrep wasn’t ready to help them when he debuted last year (seven innings, 13 runs allowed). One solid start doesn’t mean Waldrep is ready now but, under the circumstances, he should get some room to show what he can do.

One thing the Braves can get out of this lost season is figuring out which of their young arms they can count on for next year. Didier Fuentes, 20, got a shot earlier this season. He wasn’t up to the job. Waldrep, 23, was next in line. The Braves recently promoted JR Ritchie, 22, to Triple-A Gwinnett.

Adding one of those pitchers to end of the 2026 rotation would be a win for the Braves. As things stand now, the projected starters next year are Strider, Chris Sale, Spencer Schwellenbach, AJ Smith-Shawver, and Reynaldo Lopez or Grant Holmes. Smith-Shawver had Tommy John elbow surgery in June, Holmes (elbow) is on the injured list, and Lopez (shoulder) might be showing strain after converting from reliever to starter.

That leaves two uncertain rotation spots for the Braves to start 2026. Filling them with organizational depth is preferable to splurging on pricey free agents. The lineup and bullpen need more immediate help than the rotation.

This was a fluky year for injuries to Braves starting pitchers. All five pitchers who started the season in the rotation are on the 60-day IL. The Braves are 29-26 in games started by their top five pitchers (including Strider, not Holmes). They are 18-37 in games started by others.

One of those wins came with Waldrep pitching. He should get more chances to show he can help the Braves.

Austin Riley injured again

No way the baseball gods were going to let the Braves enjoy some good news without sprinkling in some bad.

Third baseman Austin Riley suffered an abdominal injury while diving to make a tag soon after the game resumed Sunday. Braves manager Brian Snitker said the team would wait a couple of days before deciding whether to put Riley on the IL.

The best approach is to let Riley come back to play this season, if he can. Finishing with good health and good results is a worthy goal for Riley. He has produced a .738 on-base plus slugging this season. His .783 OPS last season was his lowest since becoming an MLB regular in 2021.

Injuries to core muscles have become a recurring issue for Riley. He went on the IL with a lower abdominal injury July 12 and returned to the lineup after the All-Star break. He was 4-for-39 since then (. 103) with a .451 OPS.

In May 2024, Riley sat out for two weeks because of an oblique injury. He scuffled at the plate when he returned. Once he got going, a fractured hand put him on the IL for the final 38 games.

Now Riley has suffered his second abdominal injury this year. Throw it on top of the deep pile of bad injury news for the Braves.

Atlanta Dream unfazed by injuries

The Dream are third in the WNBA standings after beating the Mystics on Sunday for their fifth victory in six games. The Dream (18-11) beat first-place Minnesota during that stretch. They defeated fourth-place Phoenix twice by a total margin of 34 points. Those teams ultimately wore down against the Dream’s relentless style of play.

It happened to the Mystics late in the third quarter. The game changed when Dream forward Naz Hillmon collected three offensive rebounds in a row before Allisha Gray scored on a drive. The Mystics, a good rebounding team, lost by a 33-19 margin on the boards.

The Dream did that without two of their top three rebounders, Brittney Griner (neck) and Rhyne Howard (knee).

Howard, an All-Star, was averaging 16.5 points when she got hurt July 11. The Dream rank sixth among WNBA teams in scoring since then, while winning six of nine games.

The Dream made the playoffs the past two seasons. They qualified with losing records in both years, and they were eliminated from the playoffs with two decisive road defeats. But the Dream have a different feeling this year.

They’ve got Griner and Brionna Jones (23 points versus Mystics). Gray is having a career-best season. Bench players have found their niches. The Dream bought in to first-year coach Karl Smesko’s plan and are getting results.

Atlanta United won’t touch Leagues Cup

Leagues Cup competition offered Atlanta United a break from the MLS schedule. It was a chance for renewal. It won’t be happening for the Five Stripes because of the same old issues.

Another second-half lull doomed the Five Stripes in a 3-2 loss to Pumas on Saturday. That result ensured they won’t advance. Atlanta United’s inability to finish good chances buried them in the 3-1 Cup loss to Necaxa on Wednesday. That’s another theme of the season.

According to Transfermarkt, the market value of Atlanta United’s players is about $71 million, compared with $54 million for Pumas and $49 million for Necaxa. It might be time to redo those calculations. The Five Stripes paid more than $30 million in transfer fees this year for Emmanuel Latte Lath and Miguel Almirón. They’ve produced only 10 goals combined.

Manager Ronny Deila got a red card while confronting game official Keylor Herrera after the loss to Pumas (Herrera’s performance was not good). If the card isn’t rescinded, then Deila will miss the Cup match against Atlas on Wednesday. Atlanta United’s back line is depleted — centerback Juan Berrocal apparently still hasn’t secured a work visa since arriving on loan July 25.

It’s just as well. Neither Deila nor Berrocal can help United (4-7-11) turn its MLS season around. The Five Stripes are 14 points out of the final playoff spot with 10 matches to go. They are on track to break the franchise record (40) for fewest points in a 34-game season a year after they tied it.

All that money can’t buy results.