Is it poor form to complain about not sweeping a series?
Kind of.
But perhaps not when the opponent was epically bad and your starting pitcher posts a historic performance — and when you need all the momentum you can get before the boys from Queens come to town.
THE SERIES AHEAD
A big home series against the division-leading Mets starts tomorrow. (Can you call it a big one when you’re 13 games back in mid-June?)
📺 How to watch: All three games (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) start at 7:15 p.m. on FanDuel Sports.
- More details about a pair of high-interest bobblehead giveaways at bottom of the newsletter.
⚾ The pitching matchups: In chronological order …
- Spencer Schwellenbach (5-4, 3.11) vs. David Peterson (5-2, 2.49)
- Chris Sale (4-4, 2.79) vs. Paul Blackburn (0-0, 6.75)
- Spencer Strider (1-5, 4:35) vs. Clay Holmes (7-3, 2.87)
📝 The scouting report: The Braves moved Sale back from his Sunday start just so he could give it a go in this series, which is somehow the first time Atlanta and New York have squared off this season.
Another first: The Mets just finished getting swept by the Rays, their only such indignity thus far this season.
OK, ABOUT THE WEEKEND …
Credit: Mike Stewart/AP
Credit: Mike Stewart/AP
So the Braves took two of three from the Rockies. Which isn’t bad, per se. But they sure could’ve used that sweep.
And the way they failed to get it was plenty ugly.
- Starter Grant Holmes struck out 15 batters Sunday — a feat previously matched in Braves history by only Warren Spahn, John Smoltz and Spencer Strider (who also struck out 13 Saturday.)
- Then the bullpen helped make Holmes the first National League pitcher to lose such an outing since 2011.
The gist: After Holmes gave up a seventh inning homer to give the Rockies a 2-1 lead, reliever Enyel De Los Santos came in with a runner on.
- It was 5-1 Rockies when De Los Santos left, having failed to record an out.
- New guy Jose Ruiz relieved him and gave up two more runs — including one on a balk. He then loaded the bases in the eighth.
- Aaron Bummer came in and surrendered a bases-clearing triple.
- Utilityman Luke Williams (not a pitcher) threw a scoreless ninth.
“They work hard, they care, they do everything right,” manager Brian Snitker said afterward. “This is a tough game. Really hard game. It’s why we just keep grinding and working because they have faith that some point in time — believe me — we’re gonna get on that roll and that thing’s gonna start clicking and it’s gonna be a lot of fun.”
The moral: Don’t expect the bullpen shuffle to end anytime soon. And the Braves are now even more desperate to find their footing with two straight weeks of division opponents on the horizon.
More on the latter in tomorrow’s edition.
DOWN ON THE FARM
The Braves brought outfielder Stuart Fairchild back from the his post-pinky injury rehab assignment on Monday. They’ve got a few things cooking down in the minors, too.
Top-10 prospect Didier Fuentes, a 2022 international signing, matriculated on up to Triple-A Gwinnett over the weekend. The righty struck out six over 4⅓ one-run innings, but that’s not the impressive part.
- Fuentes is only 19 years old! He became the youngest Stripers pitcher ever, and just the third teenager to ever play for Gwinnett.
- The other two? Ozzie Albies and Ronald Acuña Jr.
Infielder Nacho Alvarez Jr. also spent the weekend in Gwinnett, completing his rehab assignment with four hits and two RBIs in eight at-bats. Atlanta reinstated him from the injured list Monday but kept him at Triple-A for now.
- You may recall Alvarez got a cup of coffee with Atlanta last season. He struggled at the plate (3-for-30).
- Nevertheless, he could offer some relief for shortstop Nick Allen when he’s ready.
Top overall prospect Cam Caminiti struggled in his second start for the Single-A Augusta GreenJackets on Sunday, surrendering three runs over just 2⅓ innings.
PHOTO OF THE DAY
Credit: Mike Stewart/AP
Credit: Mike Stewart/AP
Blooper’s a dad now? Not sure I want to see the baby.
BOBBLEHEADS, BABY
The Mets series is a fun one for giveaways, too.
- On Tuesday, the first 15,000 fans through Truist Park gates get a bobblehead of Spencer Strider and his dog, Kipnis.
- On Wednesday, the first 15,000 fans get a bobblehead of Atlanta R&B icon Usher (who, not for nothing, popularized the “peace up, A-town down” hand signal lots of Braves players now use to celebrate a hit).
Get in line early. And wear sunscreen.
Thanks for reading Braves Report. Tell a friend — and maybe give the AJC’s Sports Daily newsletter a shot, too.
Until next time.
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