— Your best source for quality Atlanta Braves news, rumors, analysis, stats and scores from the fan perspective. by: MLB: Braves As the #2 seed, the Braves will be playing in Atlanta, though their opponent has yet to be decided. The Braves might see some reinforcements in the rotation shortly with Cole Hamels expected to make his Braves’ debut on Wednesday, per O’Brien (via Twitter). On paper, L.A. is favored to reach its third World Series in four years. 4h, Recapping Game 1 of the ALCS, which the Rays hung on to win thanks to Blake Snell and Randy Arozarena, by: We notice you're running ad-blocking software. He posted a 3.16 ERA/4.24 FIP across 68 1/3 innings in 51 appearances and 4 starts in 2019. Plus: Dodgers-Braves NLCS Preview. His contributions amount to 2.9 rWAR, the fourth-highest mark among pitchers in the majors. To say the least, the two-time All-Star has gone through an up-and-down career. The playoffs begin on Tuesday, September 29. Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Mark Bradley Blog, Braves Just Need to Stay the Course to Beat Dodgers in NLCS. 3h, 2020 NLCS. Instead, though, because of various arm problems, Hamels only made one start (on Sept. 16) and threw 3 1/3 innings in a Braves uniform under his current deal. Jake Mailhot Elsewhere in the National League, Dodgers are the team to beat, while the Padres are the team to watch. Adam Duvall's 16th home run. In 11 starts this season, Fried went 7-0 with a sterling 2.25 ERA/3.10 FIP across 56 innings. Get the latest Atlanta Braves news, photos, rankings, lists and more on Bleacher Report The Cubs took home their third division title in five seasons behind stellar years from Yu Darvish and Kyle Hendricks, but it was a difficult season for many of their core offensive players. The Atlanta Braves are Flexing Their Farm Muscles This Season, Last Word On Sports: Last Word On Baseball, NL Championship Series Preview: Atlanta Braves vs. Los Angeles Dodgers, Braves-Dodgers NLCS: Atlanta more confident, talented than in 2018, MLB playoff picks: Back Fried to deal Dodgers 1st postseason loss. Neither the Dodgers or the Braves have the obvious advantage in the NLCS. The Dodgers are the heavy favorite, but this is October and anything can happen. He returned to San Francisco thereafter and turned back into a useful bench piece last season, but his year was cut short because of Tommy John surgery. He didn’t get into a game in his most recent return to the roster, however, and Newcomb will now be required to spend 10 days at the alternate site unless he’s recalled to replace a teammate who is being placed on the injured list. Scouting reports at BA, FanGraphs and MLB.com all credit De La Cruz with a mid-90s heater that can reach the upper 90s and, per BA, has occasionally scratched triple digits. Atlanta Braves Pablo Sandoval Transactions, By Connor Byrne | September 24, 2020 at 2:43pm CDT. — Shane Bieber put up a potentially MVP season to get the Indians back to the playoffs. Last Word On Sports: Last Word On Baseball While Newcomb would technically have the service time needed to qualify as a Super Two player, that status also requires a player to have spent 86 days on the active roster or injured list in a conventional season. The 26-year-old owns a 2.25 ERA/3.09 FIP with 8.04 K/9, 3.05 BB/9 and a 53 percent groundball rate in 56 innings. Perfect primer for game 1 of Braves-Dodgers tonight. up for a free trial of our ad-free Erlin’s tenure in Atlanta was short, in the grand scheme of things. The Braves’ Long-Term Pitching Investment Is Gett... MLB DFS: Top DraftKings, FanDuel daily Fantasy baseball picks, strategy, stacks for Oct. 12, 2020 - CBSSports.com. Braves: Previewing the NLCS Braves The way it was always supposed to end up, the second-seeded Braves will face the top-seeded Dodgers in this year's NLCS -- a rematch of 2018's Division 2020 MLB Postseason, Atlanta Braves, Braves Preview, Dodgers,... by: Fansided: Tomahawk Take He followed a respectable rookie showing in 2017 with 164 frames of 3.90 ERA ball and nearly a strikeout per inning in 2018. The Angels will reboot after firing their GM earlier today, while the Rangers and Mariners continue their rebuilds. He was their best starter by a wide margin this season, emerging from a muddled and hectic rotation to establish himself as an ace and Cy Young candidate. Manager Dusty Baker will lead his fifth different team to the postseason, this one joining the Brewers as one of two under-.500 teams to reach the postseason. Baseball BBQ With Newcomb headed back to the team’s alternate site now, it’s fair to question whether he’ll pitch for the team again in 2020. The Braves announced this afternoon that they’ve released left-hander Robbie Erlin, who’d been designated for assignment over the weekend. The Associated Press 2h. by: Tom Verducci It doesn’t appear as though De La Cruz will start a game anytime soon, so he could just be bullpen depth for the time being. There's more to Atlanta's balanced and steady attack than Freddie Freeman, but everything centers on the franchise cornerstone. As such, there’s no guarantee that De La Cruz will get into a game before he’s sent back out, but Atlanta fans could still get a glimpse of the future in the coming days if he’s called upon. FanGraphs There’d be little harm in doing so, and Newcomb will have a minor league option remaining even after being optioned in 2020. Acuna wanted to be in the lineup today, so the injury clearly isn’t all that limiting, but the Braves wanted to be cautious with their superstar, per MLB.com’s Mark Bowman (via Twitter). 3h. It was a short and bizarre season, but the playoffs – while expanded – aren’t going to be all that different from most years. The Braves will select Pablo Sandoval’s contract to the active roster today, manager Brian Snitker told MLB.com’s Mark Bowman and other reporters.  Sandoval is slated to play third base in Atlanta’s starting lineup today. Not so fast, though. 2020 60-Game Schedule. Dodgers vs. Braves: NLCS Game 1 live stream, pred... How the Braves built arguably baseball's best offense around Freddie Freeman. The Yankees settle for second place and the Blue Jays arrive to the postseason a little earlier than expected as the AL’s #8 seed. Atlanta Braves Chicago Cubs Chicago White Sox Cincinnati Reds Cleveland Indians Houston Astros Los Angeles Dodgers Miami Marlins Milwaukee Brewers Minnesota Twins New York Yankees Oakland Athletics San Diego Padres St. Louis Cardinals Tampa Bay Rays Toronto Blue Jays, By TC Zencka | September 27, 2020 at 5:05pm CDT. Hamels will not be available for the postseason, Jeff Schultz of The Athletic tweets. Atlanta Braves Sean Newcomb Touki Toussaint, By TC Zencka | September 12, 2020 at 11:44am CDT. The impending activation of Hamels and Fried should be a welcome breath of fresh air for a Braves club that has continually struggled to piece together its starting staff in the wake of myriad injuries and unexpectedly poor performances. Atlanta Braves Cole Hamels Jasseel De La Cruz Max Fried Touki Toussaint, By Connor Byrne | September 14, 2020 at 5:25pm CDT. The Tigers debuted a number of players they hope will be a part of their next competitive team, while the Royals said goodbye to a franchise icon in Alex Gordon’s final season. The Ringer — Austin Riley has been slowed by a quad injury in recent days, so the Braves could be turning to Sandoval for some additional third base depth beyond Adeiny Hechavarria.  Johan Camargo and Charlie Culberson were both available at Atlanta’s alternate training site, though the fact that Sandoval got the nod might be indicative of how far Camargo and Culberson have fallen down the depth chart. The Giants re-signed Sandoval in January, but the 34-year-old switch-hitter could only muster a .220/.278/.268 line with one home run in 90 plate appearances this season before they cut the cord on him. The Twins lost in extras today, but they nonetheless secured their second consecutive AL Central title. 5h. It took until Wednesday for Fried to allow a home run, when the Marlins teed off on him for two in an inning of work, though he has been brilliant for the most part. Ryan Fagan Prior to his poor results from 2019-20, Erlin had compiled a lifetime 4.40 ERA and 3.58 FIP in 257 2/3 MLB frames. Clint Manry Ep. Braves-Dodgers NLCS Game 1 start time set by: The Associated Press — Atlanta Journal-Constitution 11h Game 1 of the National League Championship Series between the Braves and Dodgers will begin at 8 p.m. and will be televised by FOX, Major League Baseball announced Friday night. 12 prospect at each of Baseball America, FanGraphs and MLB.com on their respective midseason updates, the 23-year-old De La Cruz will be the latest promising Braves … While Josh Donaldson cant be considered a total impediment to Riley at third base given Donaldsons multiple injuri… by: 3h. Your nickname on Sportspyder. It’s impossible to simply ignore his recent results, but perhaps a club with some other ideas for his pitch selection might have ideas about how to help him return to form. Now that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is in the majors, Austin Riley is arguably the games best third base prospect, though the Braves have been experimenting with Riley as a left fielder at Triple-A Gwinnett, The Athletics David OBrien writes (subscription required). by: That would allow his heater to play up and perhaps allow De La Cruz to focus on the better of his two offspeed offerings, which is currently his slider. He was hugely important to the Giants from 2008-14, a span in which they won three World Series titles, but floundered after signing a five-year, $95MM contract with the Red Sox before 2015. Yardbarker "The Cincinnati Reds’ loss to the Atlanta Braves in the NL Wild Card series was memorable for all the wrong reasons. The Atlanta Braves Secret Weapon in the Bullpen –... How the Braves can beat the Dodgers in the NLCS. Cory McCartney The Braves lead the NL East by three games, but even if they hang on, they’ll enter the playoffs dealing with questions in their rotation beyond newfound ace Max Fried and standout rookie Ian Anderson. — Hamels, 36, is set to enter free agency off the worst season of his career during the upcoming winter. Perhaps even more important than Acuña, Atlanta really needs a healthy Fried in order to make a deep run this postseason. SportSpyder Pro service. The veteran southpaw is now free to sign with any club. While Hamels is a 10-time 30-game starter, an eight-time 200-inning hurler and someone who has logged a 3.43 ERA/3.68 FIP in the majors, a high-paying deal figures to be out of the question in the wake of what has been a nightmarish year from a health standpoint.