Folks: We’ve got at least 16½ innings of Braves baseball on tap today, weather permitting.
Feels like the perfect time for a pep talk (and, unrelatedly, a survey of your stupidest middle-age injuries ... but we’ll get to that later).
DEEP BREATHS, Y’ALL
Credit: AP Photo/Noah K. Murray
Credit: AP Photo/Noah K. Murray
Spencer Strider’s on the shelf again. Ronald Acuña Jr.’s still out. Michael Harris II’s back is tight.
It’d be real easy to curl up in a wet blanket of past disappointments and wait for the worst right about now.
But instead, we’re opting for optimism around these parts.
Why?
Well, according to our old pal Hamlet, “there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”
Annnnd also because of these four things.
1️⃣ Drake Baldwin. The reigning NL Rookie of the Year announced his Tuesday night return with a 473-foot homer. Columnist Ken Sugiura makes good points, too:
“Think back to May 19. Drake Baldwin was put on the IL with an oblique strain. How were the Braves ever going to withstand the loss of arguably their best player? They were 32-16 then. Before Tuesday’s game, they were 46-25, somehow moving an additional five games above .500 despite getting peanuts from the catcher position. Baldwin’s subs hit .110 and scored one run.
“The Braves managed what was probably the biggest bump of the season thus far without issue. They’ll be fine.”
2️⃣ That bullpen, baby. For this one, we turn to beat writer Chad Bishop:
“As long as the Braves can muster a quality start, and can scratch across a few runs, wins will continue to mount this summer.
“Are the first two parts of that equation big ifs? Well, of course. But the Braves’ bullpen has been so dominant, and relatively healthy (Tyler Kinley’s current IL stint is not thought to be long term), that having any size lead after five innings has virtually equated to automatic wins. There are not too many teams in baseball, if any, that can say that.”
3️⃣ Arms aplenty. Along those lines: The starting pitching actually isn’t in a terrible place.
You probably wouldn’t feel great about rolling out, say, Chris Sale, Martín Pérez and Bryce Elder to start a playoff series. But it’s June — and youngsters like JR Ritchie and Hurston Waldrep have proved capable of keeping the Braves in a ballgame when called upon.
AJ Smith-Shawver could return around the All-Star break, and Spencer Schwellenbach after that (maybe?).
Could be worse.
4️⃣ A big ol’ lead. Lest we forget, a seven-game lead in the division is pretty good for mid-June. While the second-place Phillies have been chugging along for a while now, the Bravos have bought themselves beaucoup breathing room.
From one of Mr. Sugiura’s recent columns:
“Compare their situation to a year ago, when Sale injured his rib cage and went on the IL at about this point of the season. It felt like that injury, along with Schwellenbach’s elbow fracture shortly after, sealed the Braves’ fate before the All-Star break. There was just too much ground to make up and not enough healthy arms to make it happen.”
The calendar all also leaves general manager Alex Anthopoulos the time and flexibility (prospects! unspent Profar bucks!) to do pretty much anything he deems fit in the coming weeks.
Trade deadline hits on Aug. 3.
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WHAT’S THE DUMBEST WAY YOU’VE EVER HURT YOURSELF?
Credit: Hyosub Shin/Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com
Credit: Hyosub Shin/Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com
Cape Verde, an island nation with a population roughly half the size of Fulton County’s, got Atlanta’s World Cup action off to an emotional start on Monday.
The star? A 40-year-old goalkeeper known as Vozinha, who held the big bad Spaniards scoreless with a series of saves that left my own 39-year-old back hurting.
Which, along with the imminent arrival of Father’s Day, got me thinking:
- What is the dumbest way you, a grown man, have ever hurt yourself?
I’m not interested in, like, car crashes or your CrossFit hernia. I’m talking about shredding your Achilles at a trampoline park. Scorching the little hair you have left with a charcoal grill. Slipping a disc while trying to dunk a basketball (which you couldn’t even do when you were much younger, Jonathan).
Women are also welcome, of course … but sense seems to be a tad more common on that end of the things.
📬 Submit your most boneheaded boo-boos here, or shoot an email to tyler.estep@ajc.com. Make me laugh and you may get a shoutout in our experimental Monday edition.
❤️ Also: Do read my colleague Gavin Godfrey’s first-person piece from Monday’s match. It’s a delight.
BULLDOG > POLAR BEAR
While the Georgia baseball crew keeps battling in Omaha, their counterparts in women’s track and field have already pulled off another national title — and the most impressive performance came in a prelim.
That’s when 20-year-old sprinter Adaejah Hodge posted a 10.63 in the 100-meter dash, a mark good enough to best the collegiate record previously held by Sha’Carri Richardson (heard of her?).
Turns out Hodge is also faster than many other things.
Meep meep.
Credit: Rahul Deshpande
Credit: Rahul Deshpande
FALCONS ROOKIE VIBE CHECK
James Pearce Jr. showed up (but won’t participate in team stuff). Michael Penix Jr. saw plenty of snaps (but not in 11-on-11s).
And the rookies?
Those updates are my favorite part of beat writer Daniel Flick’s dispatch from the first day of Falcons minicamp — and I’ve decided to bless you with a few of his observations, paywall free.
- Cornerback Avieon Terrell, “worked only in individual periods the first two weeks of OTAs” but “has been part of the third-team defense early in his introduction to 7-on-7 and 11-on-11.”
- Receiver Zachariah Branch, meanwhile, “has made several explosive plays and drawn praise from teammates. He dropped a pass Tuesday and immediately did pushups — it was perhaps his first real miscue in a media viewing portion yet.” Branch was also first in the punt return rotation.
- And linebacker Harold Perkins? He’s “been the most pleasant surprise. To open 7-on-7s Tuesday, he took first-team snaps as an off-ball linebacker, aligning over the center’s shoulder in a traditional ‘mug’ look.” He’s otherwise settled into a second-team spot behind Divine Deablo and Christian Harris.
🤷 Lots more details in the link, and plenty to come throughout minicamp and beyond (training camp schedule just dropped). An AJC subscription might not be the worst idea ... and there’s a pretty strong summer flash sale on right now.
OTHER INTERESTING THINGS TO KNOW
🇩🇪 Since last week, our German soccer friend Freddy has toured the Saints practice facility, stayed at a hotel suite comped by JJ Watt and hung out in a space capsule that just recently circled the moon. And been to a World Cup match. Among other things.
“This is the American dream,” he posted last night. Which … not really. But good for him.
🗣️ Quote of the week comes from Holy Innocents’ grad Caleb Wilson, a top prospect in next week’s NBA draft. The AJC’s Lauren Williams asked him about his draft night duds:
- “I’m just coming in like Batman. So I’ll just be in like a black suit, and I’ll probably have a white undershirt, but I’m just gonna keep it simple.”
📝 Frankly tired of reading, hearing and thinking about Brendan Sorsby or anything remotely having to do with him. But did find it interesting that the NFL and NBA players unions have offered their support to the current version of Congress’ college sports legislation.
🏀 Bracketologist Joe Lunardi’s way-way-way-way too early predictions for next year’s men’s NCAA Tournament suggest a mighty fast turnaround (and a No. 8 seed) for Georgia Tech — plus an Athens-related absence. Odd!
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Credit: AP Photo/Vera Nieuwenhuis
Credit: AP Photo/Vera Nieuwenhuis
All on the line again tonight, fellas. (Watch at 7 p.m. on ESPN.)
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of the Win Column. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact me at tyler.estep@ajc.com.
Until next time.
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