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The Braves snapped an ugly skid at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, earning their first win in Los Angeles in eight tries. Now they have a chance to take the series against a Dodgers team that suddenly looks vulnerable.

L.A.’s offense has cooled off considerably, and a taxed bullpen isn’t helping matters. Meanwhile, Atlanta continues to look like one of the most complete teams in baseball, having dropped just one series all season.

My Braves vs. Dodgers predictions and MLB picks expect Atlanta to keep the pressure on with another road win on Sunday, May 10..

Who will win Braves vs Dodgers today: Braves moneyline (+115)

The Dodgers’ bullpen is running on fumes. L.A. starters haven’t completed five innings in each of the last three games, and twice failed to escape the second inning. That has forced 14 relievers to throw a combined 266 pitches over the last three days, prompting manager Dave Roberts to admit fresh arms may be needed for Sunday.

That’s a dangerous setup against an Atlanta lineup that appears to have rediscovered its rhythm. After a brief offensive dip following their Colorado series, the Braves erupted for seven runs on Saturday and continue to rank among MLB’s best offenses, sitting first in slugging and second in batting average.

With the Dodgers burning through relievers and Atlanta heating back up offensively, the matchup strongly favors the Braves to take the series finale.

COVERS INTEL: With four batters in the middle of the lineup (Drake Baldwin, Ozzie Albies, Matt Olson and Michael Harris) posting OPS over.850, the Braves are in the top five in MLB in barrel percentage and average exit velocity. 

Braves vs Dodgers Over/Under pick: Under 9.5 (-133)

The Dodgers have played two games under .500 over the last 20. An offensive funk has been the big culprit. The Dodgers scored five or more runs 15 times in their first 29 games but just twice in the last 10. L.A. has fallen from scoring 5.6 runs per game to 3.7 over the last 10. 

The Braves will start Bryce Elder and his 2.02 ERA. His success has come from avoiding solid contact. His barrel rate, hard hit percentage, average exit velocity and sweet spot percentage are all significantly down. The Dodgers start Justin Wrobleski, who has a 1.25 ERA and no homers allowed this season. 

Braves vs Dodgers odds

• Moneyline: Braves +122 | Dodgers -127
• Run line: Braves +1.5 (-170) | Dodgers -1.5 (+163)
• Over/Under: Over 9 | Under 9 

Braves vs Dodgers trend

The Atlanta Braves have hit the Moneyline in 33 of their last 50 away games (+18.05 Units / 30% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Braves vs. Dodgers.

How to watch Braves vs Dodgers and game info

Braves vs Dodgers latest injuries

Braves vs Dodgers weather

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Rangers 6, Cubs 0

• Isn’t it nice when the team plays well?
• When the Rangers win comfortably, and don’t embarrass themselves?
• The Cubs, you have to think, are mad at themselves after this. 0 for 13 with runners in scoring position, 11 runners left on base. That has to hurt.
• Of course, the Cubs were just 4 for 19 without runners in scoring position. Its not like they were rapping out a bunch of hits with no one on base.
• Jack Leiter kept the Cubs off the board in his 4.2 innings, but it was a struggle. Out of 97 pitches, 43 were balls, including 17 of 35 fastballs he threw. Not being able to throw your fastball consistently for strikes is going to make for a long evening for a pitcher.
• Or a short evening.
• Leiter had multiple runners on base in each of the first three innings. The third inning traffic jam wasn’t entirely his fault, as, after a leadoff Michael Conforto walk, he induced what appeared to be a double play ball from Alex Bregman. A Josh Jung error, though, meant that instead of two outs and the bases empty there were no outs and runners on the corners. Leiter struck out Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki, walked Michael Busch to load the bases, then got Carson Kelly to hit a harmless fly ball to get out of the inning.
• Leiter needed 29 pitches in the inning, though, putting him at 70 pitches through three innings, which meant it was going to be a relatively short night for him. Had he been able to retire one more batter, he would have been in line for the win, but a full count walk to Suzuki with two outs in the fifth meant no W for Jack.
• I hate to read too much into a specific outing or trying to get into players’ heads, but this does seem like the type of game where Leiter would have come unraveled in the past, would have had a disaster inning and put the Rangers in a hole. Is it unreasonable to see this as an instance of growth?
• Its a cliche that quality pitchers learn to have success — or at least to not have disasters — when they don’t have their A game on the mound.
• Texas got 13 outs from the combo of Jalen Beeks, Cole Winn and Gavin Collyer, with Collyer pitching the final two innings of the game.
• Collyer is now at 11 appearances and 9.2 innings in his major league career without giving up a run. Interestingly, he’s not blowing batters away — his 21.1% K rate is slightly below the major league average, and his 10.5% walk rate is a tad about 25% higher than the major league average. But he’s allowed just four hits so far, by virtue of hitters not being able to square him up thusfar — his 17.4% hard hit rate is, to borrow one of Chris Woodward’s favorite words, elite.
• The result is that, despite a 3.65 FIP, Collyer’s xERA is just 2.48. Its a very small sample size, of course, but Collyer’s performance has to make you encouraged so far, especially given he’s one of the few pitchers in the Rangers pen with velocity.
• Shoutout to Justin Foscue, who got the start at first base in place of the struggling Jake Burger, who is getting a couple of days off for a re-set. Foscue picked up his first major league home run in the fifth inning, making it a 5-0 game.
• Foscue’s struggles in the bigs have been well documented, so it has to feel good for him to have gotten to trot around the bases in a major league stadium for the first time.
• The first four batters in the Rangers’ lineup went 0 for 11 with a walk. The rest of the lineup went 9 for 19 with three walks.
• The Josh Jung Renaissance continues, with Jung giving the Rangers the lead in the second inning with a leadoff homer, ultimately going 3 for 4 on the day, raising his slash line to .319/.372/.519 on the season.
• Jung was 0 for 17 in the month of March. Since April 1, he’s slashed .364/.420/.593 — and perhaps most impressively, has struck out just 16 times in 131 plate appearances in that stretch, against 10 walks.
• Josh Jung has never had a K rate below 25% in a season in the majors. So far in 2026, he’s got a 15.5% K rate.
• Joc Pederson continues to show signs of life, with a single, a double and a walk.
• Alejandro Osuna had a pair of hits, with his plate appearance in the second inning being especially impressive. With Evan Carter and Joc Pederson on the corners, Osuna battled Cabrera, ultimately working the count full and, in the seventh pitch of the at bat, flaring a ball the other way for an RBI single to make it a 2-0 game.
• Jack Leiter hit 98.2 mph with his fastball, averaging 96.9 mph. Jalen Beeks reached 94.2 mph with his fastball. Cole Winn’s fastball touched 95.7 mph. Gavin Collyer maxed out at 99.4 mph with his fastball.
• Ezequiel Duran had a 109.0 mph ground out. Justin Foscue’s homer was 106.2 mph. Alejandro Osuna had a 104.5 mph ground out and a 104.2 mph single. Kyle Higashioka had a 104.3 mph single. Josh Jung had a 103.0 mph single and a 101.8 mph homer. Evan Carter had a 102.5 mph groundout.
• Let’s win Sunday, win the series, and start a winning streak.

Mookie Betts singled and walked in his second and likely final rehab game for Triple-A Oklahoma City, and played six innings at shortstop. He advanced from first to third base twice after reaching base on Saturday.

In two games with Oklahoma City, Betts had two singles and a walk in his six trips to the plate.

“He’s going to play tonight, then he’ll be off for travel, and join us Monday,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Saturday. “That’s the plan as it is right now.”

Betts has been out the last five weeks with a strained oblique.

Per the Comets, Betts is the third former MVP winner to play with Oklahoma City on a rehab assignment in its modern era (1998-present), along with Cody Bellinger (five games from May 21-27, 2021) and Clayton Kershaw (eight total starts, in 2017, 2019, 2021, 2024, and2025).

Brusdar Graterol’s wild ride continued in his third rehab appearance for Oklahoma City. He got two outs in the fifth inning, but also allowed a run on two walks, a balk, and a triple.

Player of the day

Kendall George continued doing Kendall George things in Tulsa’s win. He singled, stole second base, and scored on a throwing error in the third inning. George singled in the eighth, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by the catcher, then scored on another fielding error.

After George’s two hits on Saturday, his 12th multi-hit game this season, he’s hitting .336/.425/.388 this season. With two steals against Arkansas — he was also picked off once — George has 18 steals on the season to lead the Texas League.

At this point last season, when George finished with 100 steals in 111 games, he had 11 stolen bases for Great Lakes.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

Jack Suwinski continued his extra-base-hit barrage in the Comets’ win over the Salt Lake Bees (Angels). He tied the game twice, first with an RBI single in the third inning, then with a two-run home run in the decisive four-run seventh.

Suwinski’s home run was his ninth of the season, and his 13th extra-base hit (eight doubles, five home runs) in his last 14 games, during which he’s hitting .407/.500/.833 with 17 runs batted in and 16 runs scored.

One night after hitting his first two home runs since getting traded to the Dodgers, Tyler Fitzgerald stole two bases on Saturday, a night in which he walked twice and singled. Fitzgerald started at third base in this one, his fourth start at the hot corner in seven games with Oklahoma City, in addition to two games at second base and one start at shortstop.

Saturday was a bullpen game, and after some rough middle innings, Keynan Middleton cleaned things up with 1 2/3 scoreless innings in the sixth and seventh, with four strikeouts, to earn the win. Carlos Duran got the final four outs with two strikeouts of his own for the save.

Double-A Tulsa

Two runs in the eighth inning lifted the Drillers over the Arkansas Travelers (Mariners). Tulsa took advantage of a whopping seven errors by Arkansas.

George scored two of Tulsa’s four runs. Another came on a solo home run by Zyhir Hope, his sixth of the season and part of a two-hit game.

Adam Serwinowski limited the damage to only one run allowed in his 3 2/3 innings, but wildness remains a problem. He walked four and the only run scored against him came home on a wild pitch. After getting acquired at last year’s trade deadline, Serwinowski had a 9.5-percent walk rate between High-A Great Lakes (six starts) and Double-A Tulsa (one start). This year for the Drillers, Serwinowski has a 15.1-percent walk rate through seven starts, with 19 walks in his 24 2/3 innings to go with his 30 strikeouts.

The back end of Tulsa’s bullpen was stingy, with three strikeouts for Lucas Wepf in his two scoreless innings. Kelvin Ramirez struck out a batter and retired all six batters he faced to finish out the win.

High-A Great Lakes

The Loons and the Lake County Captains (Guardians) were rained out on Saturday, which leads to a potential interesting schedule quirk. They will not attempt to play a doubleheader on Sunday in Eastlake, Ohio, but rather will make up the game later this season when the two teams meet at Great Lakes, in Midland, Michigan, at a date to be determined.

Great Lakes will host Lake County from June 16-21. The first three of those games are considered first-half games, so presumably the makeup game will be from June 16-18 if needed for playoff positioning. The two teams meet again in Lake County from September 1-6, the final week of the season.

Class-A Ontario

After giving up the lead with three runs in the bottom of the sixth, the Tower Buzzers scored four in the top of the seventh in a win over the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.

Ching-Hsien Ko homered twice as the designated hitter and drove in three runs in his four-hit night.

Third baseman Chase Harlan drove in five with his two doubles and a single, and also walked. Second baseman Joendry Vargas also had three hits, including two triples. Left fielder AJ Soldra also joined the three-hit brigade, with a double.

Hyun-Seok Jang struck out a season-high six but also walked four in his 4 1/3 innings, one more free pass than he issued in his first four starts and 16 2/3 innings combined. Jang allowed three runs, two of them earned, on five hits.

Transactions

Triple-A: Left-hander Charlie Barnes, claimed off waivers from the Chicago Cubs on Saturday, was assigned to Oklahoma City.

High-A: After first baseman Cameron Decker and infielder Jordan Thompson were placed on the injured list on Friday, infielder Jose Hernandez was promoted to Great Lakes. Hernandez with Ontario played mostly first base, plus one game each at third base and in right field.

Class-A: Outfielders Brendan Tunink and Landyn Vidourek were activated off the injured list. Tunink (hamstring strain) hadn’t played for Ontario since April 14, and Vidourek was out since April 18.

Saturday scores

• Oklahoma City 7, Salt Lake 4
• Tulsa 4, Arkansas 2
• Great Lakes at Lake County, postponed
• Ontario 10, Rancho Cucamonga 8

Sunday schedule

• 10 a.m.: Great Lakes (Brooks Auger) at Lake County (Melkis Hernandez)
• 11:35 a.m.: Tulsa (TBA) at Arkansas (Adam Leverett)
• 12:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Logan Allen) vs. Salt Lake (Caden Dana)
• 2 p.m.: Ontario (TBA) at Rancho Cucamonga (Talon Haley)

The Mariners lost a bummer of a game in Chicago yesterday but still have a chance at a series win tomorrow at 11:10 am PST.

Happy Sunday everybody!

In Mariners news…

• The Mariners announced yesterday that Bryce Miller will be making his season debut on Wednesday in Houston. Manager Dan Wilson said that with Miller’s return, the club will run a six-man rotation for the remainder of the road trip and decide how to proceed when the team gets back to Seattle.
• Big shoutout to the Chicago White Sox who made the super classy move of going well out of their way to honor the great Rick Rizzs during his last visit to the Southside.

Around the league…

• The great Bobby Cox, who managed the Braves during their juggernaut era of the ‘90’s, sadly passed away yesterday at the age of 84 years old. The tragic news was met with a massive outpouring of respect and grief from a litany of Braves legends, both past and present.
• The Cleveland Guardians acquired defensive catching specialist Patrick Bailey from the San Francisco Giants for left-handed pitching prospect Matt Wilkinson and the 29th overall draft pick in the upcoming draft. Bailey has been a “change of scenery” candidate since his debut, and the difference in offensive environment in Cleveland has the potential to unlock some extra production.
• Minnesota Twins placed pitcher Taj Bradley on the 15-Day IL with inflammation in his right pec, an injury that’s probably pretty miserable if you have any musculature in your chest, which I do not.
• Baltimore Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday will be getting reps at third base during his upcoming injury rehab assignment, a move that manager Craig Albernaz says could add some necessary positional flexibility to the Orioles roster.
• The Houston Astros filled the roster that was vacated when they placed starter Hunter Brown on the 60-day IL with recently released Mariners outfielder Rhylan Thomas.
• (CW: Domestic Abuse) The writers at [eyeblack] obtained a recording of a call between Olivia Feinstead, one of the women who accused Mike Clevinger of domestic abuse, and MLB’s Department of Investigations. In the call, Feinstead strongly opposes that the evidence provided by herself and other accusers did not qualify as substantial evidence. Also learned by [eyeblack] was that the league did not interview all of the accusers and witnesses provided. If true, this all paints an upsetting picture of gross incompetence by the investigators tasked with evaluating all available evidence to determine disciplinary action.

Nick’s pick…

• Growler Guys, the delightful Lake City tap room that has hosted a number of Lookout Landing community events, was struck by tragedy yesterday. The owners have announced that they will be closed for the remainder of the rest of the weekend and are asking for privacy at this time.

Team News

That’s more like it for Merrill Kelly in Diamondbacks’ win vs. Mets

“You guys have seen me long enough to know that if I’m commanding the ball, I’ve got a pretty good chance,” Kelly said. “If I’m not, it’s going to be a long day for me. … I’ve been putting myself in bad counts, putting people on with free passes and then getting hurt after that. So I was able to limit a little bit of the damage.” https://arizonasports.com/mlb/arizona-diamondbacks/merrill-kelly-mets

After ‘getting F’s the whole time’ in ’26, Kelly turns in A-plus outing
“It’s a little bittersweet,” Kelly said. “You almost feel like the kid who finally passed the test. You know, you feel like the kid who’s been getting F’s the whole time and finally got an A. But like I said, it feels a lot better walking off the mound knowing that you gave your team a chance to win. And that’s the big takeaway from today.” https://www.mlb.com/dbacks/news/merrill-kelly-goes-7-innings-dominates-mets-in-d-backs-win

Merrill Kelly’s Start vs Mets Was Huge Sigh of Relief for the D-backshttps://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/onsi/merrill-kelly-start-mets-huge-sigh-relief-d-backs

Diamondbacks End Losing Streak With Tight Win Over Metshttps://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/onsi/diamondbacks-end-losing-streak-tight-win-mets

Diamondbacks flamethrower Justin Martinez begins throwing bullpenshttps://arizonasports.com/mlb/arizona-diamondbacks/justin-martinez-bullpens

Other Baseball

Bobby Cox, Hall of Fame manager and Braves icon, passes away at 84
https://www.mlb.com/news/bobby-cox-dies

Freddie Freeman, coaches remember late manager Bobby Coxhttps://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/48726457/baseball-remembers-late-manager-bobby-cox-lost-great-one

Remembering Bobby Cox, iconic manager of the Atlanta Braveshttps://www.batterypower.com/atlanta-braves-history/131373/remembering-bobby-cox-iconic-manager-of-the-atlanta-braves-toronto-blue-jays-obituary

Guardians acquire Gold Glove catcher Bailey from Giantshttps://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/48721649/guardians-acquire-gold-glove-catcher-bailey-giants

Orioles To Give Jackson Holliday Reps At Third Base During Rehabhttps://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/05/orioles-to-give-jackson-holliday-reps-at-third-base-during-rehab.html

Witt hits inside-the-park HR … on a ground ball
https://www.mlb.com/news/bobby-witt-jr-hits-speedy-inside-the-park-homer

Crew capitalizes on Yankees’ blunder for first walk-off win of ’26
https://www.mlb.com/news/william-contreras-walk-off-sac-fly-lifts-brewers

Pirates erupt for season-high 20 hits to back Ashcraft’s gem in rout of Giantshttps://www.mlb.com/pirates/news/pirates-tally-20-hits-to-back-braxton-ashcraft-s-gem

Here are MLB’s top Mother’s Day moments
https://www.mlb.com/news/best-baseball-mothers-day-moments

Anything Goes

This day in history:

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/may-10

This day in baseball:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/May_10

The Earth used to be purple.

Green is seen as a symbol of life, but scientists claim that the earliest life on Earth might have been purple. Currently, chlorophyll molecules create the greenish hue of organisms. However, scientists theorize that ancient microbes may have used a different molecule to harness sun rays, giving organisms a violet hue instead.

Small breeds of dogs live longer than larger breeds.

Smaller breeds have a life expectancy of 12-14 years. Larger dogs, on the other hand, have a life expectancy of around 8-10 years. For giant breeds, they can live as short as 5 years up to 8 years.

Avocados never ripen while they are still attached to the tree.

Avocados do not ripes despite physically maturing mainly due to the inhibitor located in the fruit stem. This makes it a convenient storage system for farmers

The San Diego Padres faced a catching void after Luis Campusano suffered a broken toe. The front office sidestepped pressure from the Friar Faithful to promote Ethan Salas to the majors by calling up Rodolfo Duran instead. And for the moment, the Padres will let Salas stay and develop in the minors. 

It was the right move.

Salas needs some seasoning

Yes, his call-up could be on the horizon. But the organizational mindset appears to have changed toward Salas. It makes sense to keep him at the team’s Double-A affiliate, San Antonio, and let Salas develop his skills without pressure from above.

A very different approach to the standard in today’s baseball, where teams bring up top prospects and let them develop at the big league level. One problem with that equation for the Friars is that their prized prospect has not played much in his minor league career.

Salas nearly missed the entire 2025 season (played 10 games) due to a lower back stress reaction. Team doctors believe injuries of this nature are common for young catchers who are handling a professional baseball workload for the first time. The lost season hindered his growth, leaving him behind front-office expected development projections.

He has put together quite a body of work in the first month of the 2026 season. Salas is hitting .322/.398/.567 with five home runs, 17 RBI, and a .965 OPS in 26 games. The 19-year-old backstop is a slick defender who is figuring it out in the batter’s box.

Despite the early-season success, the club feels staying in the minors is the best course for long-term success in the majors. However, a hot bat could expedite his target date. 

Padres sticking with the veterans

The Padres’ front office is operating with a newfound sense of urgency following last postseason’s early exit in the Wildcard round against the Chicago Cubs. The 2026 roster is veteran-heavy, featuring 15 players aged 30 and older. In fact, the Friars are the fourth-oldest team in the majors, with an average age of 30 years and six months. 

This group seems to be fighting for one another every night, despite the disappointing results of late. Yes, the first six weeks of the season have felt like a roller-coaster ride. But team chemistry should be left untouched.

Granted, roster moves might come later if the Padres fall into an extended descent. Salas could be called up at that time. The hope is for him to contribute and help the team win games. If he is ready to make his major league debut, it could happen after the All-Star break. 

Do not read much into the Padres not calling up Salas from the minors. It does not change their opinion of him or what type of player they believe he will become.

In hindsight, the Friars thought it was the right move to leave Salas in San Antonio. Time will tell if that decision pays off.

For the second day in a row, the Yankees played a somewhat frustrating game in Milwaukee. They did better offensively on Saturday, but the three runs didn’t end up being enough, as the Brewers rallied twice before walking it off in the 10th inning. With the Yankees facing a speed bump after a hot run in recent weeks, were any of their AL foes able to take advantage in Saturday’s action? Let’s see in today’s Rivalry Roundup.

Toronto Blue Jays (18-21) 14, Los Angeles Angels (15-25) 1

You might not have guessed that this game was still close when the Blue Jays came to bat in the fifth, but it was. However shortly later, it was no longer close and Toronto was on their way to a blowout win.

Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz wasn’t terrible at first, as he got through three innings scoreless and then managed to get out of a bases loaded, nobody out spot by allowing just one run. Things came unraveled in the fifth for him, though. The first six Toronto batters reached to start the fifth, with an error on Kochanowicz himself mixed in with the hits and walks. The sixth of those chased the pitcher from the game, but the Jays then tacked on a couple more runs. Brandon Valenzuela added a three-run homer, amid a four-hit day for him, as Toronto put up seven runs in the fifth to take full control of the game.

The Blue Jays ended up tacking on six more runs before the game was over, as they put up 20 hits on the day. With a score that lopsided, you might think the Angels had nothing in either the pitching or hitting department, but they did have their chances. The Angels recorded 10 hits themselves, but they left nine runners on base for the game.

Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox

No action between two of the Yankees’ other AL foes, as Rays-Red Sox was rained out, with a makeup date scheduled for July.

Other Games

• Minnesota Twins (17-23) 2, Cleveland Guardians (21-20) 1 – 11 innings: The Guardians allowed just two hits all game to the Twins, both to Byron Buxton. Unfortunately for them, both happened to be big ones. After Buxton led off the game with a home run, Minnesota did not record another hit until the top of the 11th inning. It just so happened that one was an RBI double that gave Minnesota the lead for good, as the Guardians only managed two hits themselves for the game.

• Texas Rangers (18-21) 6, Chicago Cubs (27-13) 0: The Rangers snapped the Cubs’ 10-game winning streak thanks to a combined shutout from their pitching staff. Jack Leiter kept Chicago off the board in his 4.2 innings, but was limited thanks to the five walks he issued. However, Texas’ bullpen kept up the pace to blank the Cubs. At the plate, Josh Jung led the Rangers, going 3-for-4 on the day.

• Kansas City Royals (19-21) 5, Detroit Tigers (18-22) 1: Bobby Witt Jr.’s inside-the-park homer set the tone for the Royals as they downed the Tigers. Kansas City only scored in two innings in the game, but they put up five runs across them, which ended up being plenty. Michael Wacha allowed just two hits in seven shutout innings to help KC to the win.

• Chicago White Sox (18-21) 6, Seattle Mariners (19-21) 1: The muddled mess that is the AL West continues to not get much clearer, and that continued as the Mariners fell to the White Sox on Saturday. Seattle mustered just one run on four hits of White Sox starter Anthony Kay and Chicago’s bullpen. Meanwhile, M’s starter Luis Castillo lasted just four innings himself, having allowed homers to Colton Montgomery and Miguel Vargas.

Saturday was a day filled with not just home runs, but prospect home runs. In total four games got played, with the Columbus doubleheader being rained out, and nine homers were hit by members of the Atlanta Braves farm system – including a pair of two-homer games by Logan Braunschweig and Colby Jones. We also saw another big day from Isaiah Drake, Tate Southisene getting back in the hit column, rehabbing Ha-Seong Kim being very productive, and a solid start out of Lucas Braun.

Gwinnett Stripers 11, Norfolk Tides 3

• Ha-Seong Kim, SS: 2-4, 2B, BB, R, .333/.412/.400
• Rowdy Tellez, 1B: 3-5, HR, 2B, R, 3 RBI, .235/.343/.522
• Brewer Hicklen, CF: 3-4, 3B, BB, 3 R, SB, .337/.423/.584
• Lucas Braun, SP: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 3.72 ERA

Box Score

Statcast

Lucas Braun turned in five solid innings of one-run baseball, allowing five hits and a walk while striking out six, to go with a game-high 10 whiffs. He was excellent in this one, prior to getting removed after the fifth with a pitch count of 82. Dylan Dodd came in and went the next inning and two thirds, and though he was mostly good – he did make a pair of mistakes that went for solo homers. Tayler Scott finished off the seventh inning with the final out, before Daysbel Hernandez and Joel Payamps pitched scoreless innings to finish this game off.

The Stripers offense was also quite the story, as six guys reached base multiple times in an 11-run effort. Rowdy Tellez was once again a star, as he went three for five with a double, homer, and three runs batted in. Brewer Hicklen went three for four with a walk, triple, steal, and scored three runs. Rehabbing Ha-Seong Kim played the full game at short, and was two for four with a walk, double, and run scored. Brett Wisley (2-5), Nacho Alvarez (3 walks), and Jair Camargo (2-4) were the other three Stripers to reach multiple times in a game where eight of the nine starters reached base safely.

Columbus Clingstones at Biloxi Shuckers – PPD, Rain – Game 1

Columbus Clingstones at Biloxi Shuckers – PPD, Rain – Game 2

Both ends of the doubleheader were rained out pretty early in the day. One of them is being rescheduled for tomorrow, while the other has yet to have a date set.

Rome Emperors 17, Asheville Tourists 13

• Logan Braunschweig, RF: 2-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, .301/.420/.470
• Isaiah Drake, LF: 3-4, HR, 2B, 2 BB, 3 R, 2 RBI, SB, .288/.355/.480
• Colby Jones, 3B: 2-3, 2 HR, 2 BB, 4 R, 2 RBI, .277/.452/.404
• Cam Caminti, SP: 3 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 5.34 ERA

Box Score

Cam Caminiti didn’t have his best day here, as he was charged with seven runs (four earned) in three innings. Caminiti allowed six hits and two walks, while striking out three and picking up seven whiffs. Caminiti was mostly throwing strikes, but his stuff proved quite hittable, including a pair of homers allowed. He was followed by Jacob Kroeger, who would allow five runs in just an inning and two thirds. Logan Samuels got charged with one additional run over his two and a third innings, while Drew Christo was responsible for two scoreless frames.

Despite a rough day from the Rome pitching staff, they were able to pick up the win thanks to a huge day from their offense. Both Logan Braunschweig and Colby Jones hit a pair of homers, while Isaiah Drake added one of his own for the second day in a row. Drake went three for four with the homer, double, two walks, a stolen base, and was responsible for three runs scored plus two batted in. Braunschweig got credited with four batted in, while Jones scored four during his two for three game that also included two walks. Those weren’t the only guys in the lineup with big days however, as John Gil was three for six with three runs scored, Dixon Williams was two for three with a double, two walks, two stolen bases, a run scored, and two batted in, and Eric Hartman went two for five with a walk, two runs, and one batted in.

Augusta GreenJackets 7, Charleston RiverDogs 6

• Tate Southisene, SS: 1-4, 2B, BB, 2 R, 2 SB, .265/.420/.470
• Alex Lodise, DH: 2-5, HR, R, 2 RBI, .254/.322/.410
• Luis Guanipa, CF: 3-4, HR, BB, R, RBI, 3 SB, .299/.336/.504
• Zach Royse, SP: 5 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 5.08 ERA

Box Score

Zach Royse had some ups and downs in this one. On one hand he allowed six runs on seven hits and three walks over his five innings of work. On the other hand he struck out five, and also recorded 15 whiffs in his 80 pitches. He was relieved by Mathieu Curtis, who pitched two and two thirds scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Adiel Melendez went the final inning and a third without giving up a run, and picked up the win as the Jackets came back from a 6-2 deficit and scored the winning run on a walk-off single in the ninth.

This was another game with prospect homers, as Luis Guanipa and Alex Lodise both went yard. Guanipa went three for four with the homer, a walk, and three stolen bases – with the homer being his career-high sixth of the season. Lodise was two for five and batted in a pair of runs. A day after his on base streak ended, Tate Southisene was back to getting on base frequently. Southisene doubled in four at bats, walked, stole two bases, and scored two runs. Those weren’t the only homers, as Cooper McMurray also added one. Nick Montgomery added a double and a walk in the win, while it was Junior Garcia who came through with the walk-off single, for his second hit of the night.

FCL Braves 4, FCL Rays 3

• Manuel Campos, SS: 1-3, BB, 2 R, 2 SB
• Gabriel Cesa, CF: 2-4, 2 RBI
• Gensi Angeles, SP: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

Box Score

Statcast

Gensi Angeles got the start, and pitched a very strong outing. Angeles was charged with just one unearned run on five hits and a pair of walks over five and two thirds innings. He struck out four batters, and picked up seven whiffs. While Angeles didn’t average 90 MPH with any pitch, he did pick up at least one whiff with four different pitches and had quality spin on them – and the curveball was responsible for three of his four strikeouts. Daniel Brooks followed for the next inning and a third, and was charged with a pair of runs. The final two innings came from Yander Pinero, who didn’t allow any further damage to come across.

Manuel Campos was the star on offense, as he was one for three with a walk, two stolen bases, and two runs scored. Campos also recorded one exit velocity of 105.3 MPH, the top mark in the game and another at 98.4 MPH. Gabriel Cesa went two for four and batted in a pair of runs, while a rehabbing Will Verdung was one for two with a pair of walks. Juan Espinal (2-4) and Johan Rodriguez (1-3, BB) also reached base multiple times.

This week, we lost two key figures on Atlanta Braves history. Ted Turner accumulated discounted media, bought the Atlanta Braves, and built and rode the cable television wave to a fortune and brought the America’s Team to millions across the country. Bobby Cox served forty plus years in baseball and helped build, nurture, and inspire the Atlanta Braves to fourteen straight division titles, one World Series Championship, gaining undying loyalty and a record-setting number of ejections. If you’re in a younger generation, you barely know them or just caught the tail end of the story. But we’re learning again about their greatness and some of the lost lore is starting to emerge.

They’re as Atlanta Brave as it gets. It makes me wonder how everybody thinks about when they think about the Braves. I remember this conversation with my mother from a few years during probably the last time we watched together.

Mother: Why are the Braves wearing orange?
Me: Mother, that’s the Mets. They’re the home team.
No it isn’t. The team wearing black is the Mets.
That’s not black. It’s a really dark navy that looks black.
It’s ugly.
Yeah I don’t like it either, but they’re short-sleeved and some pitchers like it.
Where’s Bobby Cox?
They have a new manager now.
Is his brother managing?
His brother?
Yeah, him and his brother used to set next to each other and his brother would just rock back and forth just nervous about everything. He looks just like him.

So to my mother, Bobby Cox and Leo Mazzone plus red, blue, and mostly white uniforms equaled Atlanta Braves. Which is fair, I think, if you folded laundry and talked on the phone while I had the Braves on. So who is Braves Baseball to you? If I picked three, it’s probably Bobby Cox, Andruw Jones, and John Smoltz.

Probably my favorite Bobby Cox memory was a game in 2003. The umpire told Kevin Grybowski to take off a gray bandage on his pitching hand. Not on the fingers, on the wrist because it could deceive the batter. This was after he had already thrown 15 pitches. Bobby Cox blew a gasket, pulled Grybowski off the mound, and got tossed. Lots of times his anger was theatrical, but it wasn’t that night. He tells the media afterward that “these hitters can come up to the plate with all this body armor on and the pitcher can’t even wear a bandaid.” He protected his player, got tossed, and Barry Bonds took a stray. That’s a Bobby Cox trifecta there.

I don’t have my three in any order and they’re not necessarily the most important to the 15-year run. But those are the ones I think when I think Braves. There are no wrong answers here or decade limitations. If Ronnie and Ozzie are the Atlanta Braves to you, then they are.