MLB Rumors: Adam Duvall injury, Oli Marmol’s hot seat, Braves takeaways
By Mark Powell
MLB Rumors: What went wrong with the Braves this weekend?
The Atlanta Braves received a bit of a wake-up call from the San Diego Padres over the weekend — a National League pennant must be earned, not taken. The Pads made the NLCS last season and are even stronger this year, with Xander Bogaerts in tow and Fernando Tatis Jr. on his way back from injury/suspension.
The Braves young pitching, which they must rely on early this season as they wait on Max Fried and Kyle Wright to return from injury, struggled against a veteran Padres lineup. Dylan Dodd and Jared Shuster both lost their matchups against San Diego.
The lineup has suffered its bumps and bruises as well. Michael Harris II is on the IL, as is Travis d’Arnaud. Until the Braves can get more out of their bottom-third, they may struggle to consistently put runs on the board. San Diego shut down the Atlanta lineup in the final three games of the series, as the Braves failed to score more than four runs in any of their three losses.
Thankfully for Atlanta, their homestand continues against a much more manageable opponent in the Cincinnati Reds to start the week. This early in the season, however, nothing is guaranteed.