The Hawks fell behind big in last night’s play-in game in Orlando. Then they rallied back!
And collapsed again. Even before Trae Young earned an ejection.
They’ll have one more chance to make the big boy playoffs, which we’ll discuss momentarily.
But first: There’s a Braves Country national holiday that needs celebrating.
Quick links: Magic 120, Hawks 95 | Jays 6, Braves 3 | D-Led’s latest mock draft
BACK ON THE BUMP
Credit: Matthew Caldwell/Gwinnett Stripers
Credit: Matthew Caldwell/Gwinnett Stripers
It’s been 377 days since Spencer Strider threw a bona fide big league pitch.
That ends today, a little after 1:07 p.m. Eastern in Toronto.
And the Braves? Well, they sure could use the spark.
😖 You may remember that this team started the season 0-7. They’ve played better in the 10 games since — but have (quite literally) alternated wins and losses.
And Tuesday night’s affair with the Blue Jays continued the trend.
Another home run from Austin Riley put the Braves up early. Matt Olson and Ozzie Albies added their own solo shots later.
But Spencer Schwellenbach — the heretofore untouchable young starter — didn’t survive a disastrous fifth inning, surrendering five runs on a pair of homers.
- “I felt like I had some of my really good stuff. My fastball felt really good and the results just weren’t there.”
He’ll be fine. And in the grand scheme of things, inconsistent offensive production remains the Braves’ biggest problem — even with one generally reliable starter (Reynaldo Lopez) on the shelf and another (Chris Sale) struggling to find his footing.
😄 But there’s not much a fireballing strikeout artist with killer quads can’t help.
Lest we forget: This is the guy that went 19-5 (and struck out 281 batters in less than 187 innings) during his last full season.
A guy who inspires comments like this from Braves beat reporter Justin Toscano: “I used to cover Jacob deGrom at my last job. When he pitched, there was a certain aura in the park. People were locked in. Strider is the same way.”
A guy who’s methodical and philosophical and fresh off a yearlong rehab process he described as a “great” opportunity.
So welcome back, Spencer.
And good luck, everyone else.
Tune in to today’s game at 1:07 p.m. on FanDuel Sports Network, and follow Justin for up-to-the-minute updates.
If you’re so inclined, check out lifestyle columnist Nedra Rhone’s take on the whole “Braves TV reporter gets a woman’s number live on air” situation, too.
ONE MORE SHOT
Credit: John Raoux/AP
Credit: John Raoux/AP
About last night: The Magic ended the first quarter on an 18-2 run. Despite epically bad shooting throughout, the Hawks managed to get within six at the end of the third.
But by about the five-minute mark of the fourth quarter, they were down 20 again — and Trae Young was over it.
🏀 From AJC beat reporter Lauren Williams: “Young went for a layup and got hit in the mouth by (Orlando guard Anthony Black). After playing through the next defensive possession, Young drove to the basket and hit floater before he and Magic forward Paolo Banchero tangled up. Then Banchero pushed Young as he passed the ball to an official.
“Young picked up a technical foul after the possession, then did not give the ball back to referees. It earned him his second and an ejection.”
Atlanta’s on-court general apologized to his teammates for letting frustrations get the best of him.
🏀 Last chance: The Hawks host the winner of tonight’s Bulls-Heat game on Friday (time TBD). Win, and they get a playoff series against top-seeded Cleveland. Lose and they’re done.
TECH TACKLES THE PORTAL
Credit: Bob Andres/AJC
Credit: Bob Andres/AJC
The college football transfer portal window officially reopens today — and it’s probably gonna be a weird one (looking at you, Nico Iamaleava).
🔄 At Georgia Tech, at least three players have already announced their intentions to transfer. That includes a linebacker, a defensive back and a tight end who’s already changed schools once before.
🔄 Jackets coach Brent Key said Tuesday the existing team is most important, but he’s ready to add if and when appropriate: “If you think it starts up now, or starts up tomorrow, then somebody has got their head in the sand. This has been something that’s year-round. This is something that we’ve really started attacking a couple weeks ago.”
🔄 The offensive and defensive lines could be of particular interest to the North Avenue crew, per beat reporter Chad Bishop.
Meanwhile, in Athens: The Bulldogs already lost one player to the transfer portal this morning: running back Branson Robinson. The DawgNation crew will be all over any other additions (or subtractions).
MOCK DRAFT!
That’s right, baby. Our man D. Orlando Ledbetter is back with his latest NFL mock draft — and Bulldog fans are gonna like this one.
🤔 Can you guess who he has the Falcons selecting with the 15th pick? “The Falcons need to improve their pass rush and will do so by adding (this guy), who’s 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds. (This guy) had 4.5, 4.5 and five sacks in each of his three seasons at Georgia.”
Scroll to the bottom of that article to check out more of D. Led’s position-by-position rankings.
ALSO INTERESTING
😬 Atlanta United visits Philadelphia this weekend aiming for a worst-start-ever course correction. The locker room vibes: “We are too nice. We have to be more aggressive.”
💸 High school sports leaders are cracking down on coaches no-showing for mandatory rules clinics. (Which are online, y’all! Get it together.)
🥎 Kim Ng, who you may remember as the trailblazing former general manager of the Miami Marlins, landed a new gig as the commissioner of a professional softball league.
PHOTO OF THE DAY
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
Georgia baseball beat rival Georgia Tech 5-2 last night at Truist Park. A fourth-inning two-run homer from Bulldogs infielder Kolby Branch (seen celebrating above) broke the tie.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
I've never done it before and it's kind of sick to do it. I think it barely got over the wall, so that was cool. It counts the same way, but yeah, it was a cool moment.
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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