The Braves already got Tuesday’s news cycle started, and here are some other things for MLBTR readers to keep an eye out for today:
1. Devers nearing milestone:
Red Sox star Rafael Devers is nearing a noteworthy milestone as he sits at 199 career home runs. His next homer will make him the 11th player in Red Sox history to hit 200 homers for the club, and his relative youth at just 27 years old also means that, assuming he hits the milestone before season’s end, he’ll be just the 27th player in MLB history to reach 200 home runs before his 28th birthday. Devers’ march toward 200 homers comes in the midst of a banner year. Through 111 games this season, he’s posted an excellent .298/.377/.591 slash line with 33 doubles, 27 homers, and a career-high five triples in just 488 trips to the plate. That slugging percentage would be the highest of Devers’ career if he can maintain it over the rest of the season.
2. Series Preview: Phillies @ Braves
Despite holding the top two positions in the NL East, it’s been a rough second half for both the Phillies and Braves. Philadelphia has gone just 11-17 since the All-Star break, thanks largely the NL’s worst bullpen performance and a lineup and rotation that have been roughly middle of the pack during that time. Meanwhile, only the Marlins, Rockies and Nationals have seen their rotations yield runs at a higher rate than the Braves in the second half. That shaky performance comes in spite of Chris Sale’s resurgent campaign, which has put him firmly into the conversation for the Cy Young Award.
With just percentage points separating Philadelphia, Milwaukee, and Los Angeles as they fight for the top two seeds in the NL (and the accompanying bye through the Wild Card Series) and the Braves clinging to a 1.5-game lead over the Mets for the final NL Wild Card spot, the Phillies are now headed to Atlanta for a three-game set. The series will kick off at 7:20pm local time this evening with a pitchers’ duel between Phillies ace Zack Wheeler (2.72 ERA) and breakout Braves righty Reynaldo Lopez (2.06 ERA), the latter of whom is making his first start in three weeks following an IL stint for forearm inflammation. Tomorrow will see Aaron Nola (3.45 ERA) square off against Max Fried (3.62 ERA) in a matchup between decorated hurlers. The series will conclude with Braves rookie Spencer Schwellenbach (4.04 ERA) on the mound against an as-of-yet unnamed Phillies starter.
3. MLBTR Chat today:
It’s been a busy few days around the league on the injury front, particularly in the NL where the Braves, Reds, and Diamondbacks have all lost key members of their respective cores to the injured list. If you have any questions about your favorite team’s playoff aspirations and/or their upcoming offseason, MLBTR’s Steve Adams is holding a live chat with readers at 1pm CT today. You can click here to ask a question in advance, join in live once the chat begins, or read the transcript once the chat is complete.
Sad fact about the Braves is that, they only played one game with their Opening Day lineup and that game is the Opening Day. Injuries is such a cruel reality in any professional sport.
Its insane they are still in the wild card hunt at this point in the season, holding on to the 3rd spot for now, despite the abundance of injuries.
Don’t forget Matt Olson is in a mega slump also. That’s another major loss from last year
Every team has significant injuries every year. They still have star players. Let’s not over dramatize how poor their roster is. They are under performing.
Show me a team in the playoff race with this many key injuries. Baltimore and LAD have had quite a few, but not to the magnitude of the Braves. Missing their ace in Strider, last year’s MVP in Acuña, several months without core guys like Ozzie, Murphy, and Harris, not to mention several stretches without their best arms like Fried, Minter, etc. And now Riley. I’ve followed baseball for 30+ years, and I can’t remember a lineup this depleted due to injury, and still competitive. But you are right, most of their healthy players haven’t played to their potential, outside of Ozuna. Has been a tough year. I feel like a Mets fan watching my team struggle to keep their head above water.
Met – Really not fair (or wise) to downplay teams that have been decimated by injuries.
Yes all teams have injuries, but not to the same degree.
That’s like comparing someone who has cancer to someone who has the flu.
The Mets are missing their ace all year. Missed most of their key bullpen all year. Alvarez was out for months. Marte has been gone for months. Scott gone for a month. Martinez missed the first month. Diaz missing multiple a couple times. Every team in baseball can say this every year. Injuries happen too every team every year. The Braves have injury prone players. They still have vastly underperformed. They still have the best pitching in baseball. There’s no excuses. They should still have a better offense then most teams.
The Braves haven’t been decimated by injuries. They have the best pitching staff in baseball. Have a lineup that should still produce but is underperforming. It’s on the fans thinking that they need the best player in the game at every position or the season is lost.
There’s already talk of a new stadium for Atlanta.
Crazy.
@California 16
Good. Champions should not play in a 4th rate stadium for rookie level ball.
Its just that the stadium opened 5 years ago, so seems early for there to already be planning to replace it within another 5 years.
They have a new stadium, they dont need a stadium
That’s why its crazy that they are replacing it within 5 years.
@Braveraider
The stadium isn’t a world class stadium. They need to start building the stadiums like they used to in the early 1900s. I miss Crosley Field, Connie Mack Stadium, Polo Grounds and Ebbets Field. Today’s fields seem like cookie cutter fields with makeup on.
I miss the good ol days of baseball when the leftfield wall was someone’s house and there was just a random hill somewhere in the outfield
@SweetBabyRayKingsThickThighs
Yes, sir!
Sweet – I miss the 1860’s when outfielders could catch a ball after one bounce and the hitter would be out.
Imagine how many more putouts Tyler O’Neill would have!!!
Devers is such a stud. I don’t know if you can call him underrated but he certainly doesn’t get the attention he deserves for a HOF trajectory, and a career .866 OPS.
good to know I guess
The Red Sox don’t get much press. Small market team up in New England. Hard to pronounce names like Yastrzemski. Bunch of last place finishes. Totally understandable.
People like to talk negatively about his defense, but man it has improved significantly since he entered the league. They also expect him to be some vocal leader in the club house because of his contract. He’s never been that, and that’s ok. He seems to have a great work ethic and is a great player.
He seems built for Fenway, he can pull the ball down Pesky’s Pole or use and abuse the green monster.
I think he’s tried to do too much due to having another top tier hitter around him in the lineup. In 2023 he had Verdugo, Turner, Yoshida typically around him. This year it’s mostly O’Neil, Wong, Refsnyder. Imagine pairing him with a RH power bat, or if Casas can get back to his early season form.
Ortiz had Manny for a while, let’s find a Manny to pair with Devers. Casas might fit that bill, I guess
Slider – He doesn’t get the attention he deserves here because he doesn’t “fit” the model that people here demand.
But go to any Sox game and without question he’s the most popular and respected player among Sox fans. They don’t harp on the defense and lack of speed because they know the hitting is highly elite.
Very good player, but won’t make the HOF. Hell have to hit like Ortiz the rest of his career to make it. He’s half way through – only 1,000 hits and 200 HRs, no Gold Gloves, three All-Star selections.
Bucket – He’s only 27 and has thus far avoided major injuries, he should be able to reach enough milestones for HOF.
Gold Gloves aren’t a requirement …. Vladdy, McGriff, Simmons etc ….
It must burn the Red Sox watching Sale pitch Cy Young worthy while paying him to do it with the Braves as the player they traded for is on the IL.
The Sale trade needed to happen. If he was on the Sox, he would have gotten hurt already. No question. Prime example is that comebacker from a few weeks ago, he fielded it cleanly on the Braves. In Boston, he would have broken another finger or something.
The return was questionable, why get another middle I fielder, but you can’t argue with the fact that a trade needed to happen.
Imagine he’s in Boston and like the past what five years he gets hurt and then the entire extension is a waste. This way they at least have a chance to recoup value.
I am quite glad he’s having success for the Braves! I am also quite glad that I’m not sitting here waiting for Sale (or Eovaldi) to randomly get hurt yet again and ruin the teams playoff chances.
Can’t ruin playoff chances if you don’t have a chance at the playoffs, smart!
Trade Sale for a middle infielder, then trade one of your top prospects, who is also a middle infielder, for a pitcher with an ERA close to 9 in the minors. Breslow is making Bloom look not-all-that-rotten.
Rumors – When you consider all aspects of that trade ….. not just the $17M that John Henry is paying for Sale to pitch for the Braves, but the $20M team option for next season …. and the fact 2B has been a black hole all season ….. and the fact Sale was “replaced” by giving $39M to Giolito …. so far it’s one of the worst trades in MLB history.
If Devers could only pitch late or close out games…..
They had Dom. They should have moved The Dominator to the pen.
olm – There would STILL be some who would rag on him, just like those who still rag on Yoshida.
He would if he were a Dodger or Yankee.
It crazy hockey players hardly ever get hurt.
On his current pace, Devers will be the first player since the advent of OPS+ and WAR to have a 160 OPS+ or higher and not reach 5.0 bWAR. Only 4 players have ever had a 160 OPS+ and not reached 6.0 WAR.
Why? He is literally the worst fielding 3B in baseball. fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?lg=all&sea…
How much is his defense hurting his team? Jose Ramirez has a 21% lower OPS+ and an 11% higher WAR. Matt Chapman has a 36% lower OPS+ and a 25% higher WAR. Remember, WAR is about wins. Ramirez contributes 11% more to team wins and Chapman 25% more while neither is close to the hitter Devers is.
You have to wonder when he will move to DH or 1B. With Yoshida stuck at DH since he is a worse OF than Devers is a 3B and Casas back at 1B, you have to wonder what the Red Sox are going to do moving forward.
With 3.9 WAR/162, Devers is not a HOF player as a 3B today. HOF 3B average 5.1 WAR/162. He has significant work to do to get to that level.
Devers is an elite bat and the very worst fielding 3B in baseball.
Pads fans- I’d recommend actually watching Devers play 3B instead of just spewing the same BS about him being a bad fielder.
Is he going to win a platinum glove? No. But he’s leagues better than he was and this slander is unacceptable.
Yes, by whatever DRS he’s the worst (out of 24 qualified fielders for the table, so there are at least 6 teams whose everyday 3B is not represented there). But he’s middle of the road by UZR. That’s the funny thing about statistics, you can make them say pretty much whatever you want. Can’t just ignore the big picture and only focus on stats that support your argument.
I would recommend that you actually pay attention to reality. Devers sucks. He is absolutely the worst defensive 3B in MLB. He has improved, from the worst to an incrementally better worst. He is the worst at DRS and OAA. Of that there is no doubt and watching him, which I have caught about a dozen Red Sox games this season, only verifies. Truth cannot be slander.
UZR is based on an arbitrary “zone” so has always been useless. Other than Fangraphs, no one else uses it or even lists it.
The big picture is that long term Devers is a DH.
Looks like someone doesn’t understand how the metrics work.
Devers is the worst qualified one by UZR. Yet there is someone who does not qualify by the innings limit (about half the innings of Devers) who is worse by UZR.
If Devers long term is the DH, why did they sign him to a massive deal? Oh that’s right, because he’s the long term solution at 3B. The sooner you accept it, the better off you’ll be.
I see someone doesn’t understand that defense matters, that it takes 3 years to quantify defense using any of the major metrics, and that Devers is the worst defensive 3B in baseball by the two metrics that do matter, DRS and OAA.
They signed Devers to a long term deal for 2 reasons. #1, they BLEW IT on extending other homegrown guys like Boegarts. #2, he can REALLY hit, Guess what the job of a DH is to do? That’s right, HIT.
Try again. If you keep trying, eventually you will get SOMETHING correct.
I love it when fans don’t understand analytics, so they try to dismiss it. Little do they know, the teams take it VERY seriously. That is why the fastest growing segment of any teams hiring and spending is in the analytics department.
Bottom line is that Devers sucks at 3B. You got to be exceedingly stupid to even try to deny that. He WILL play at DH or 1B soon, and the Red Sox are kind of in a bind in that regard. One of Casas or Yoshida will have to go away to make room.
Devers has no shot at the HOF as of today. None. Zero. Zilch. do you know why? Because today’s voters take things like WAR and a career -60 DRS/-31 OAA into account. Unlike you, they know a thing or two about what makes a player a great one.