Christopher. Sale.
It dawned on me this morning that we still haven’t gotten to see the old man’s mound mastery in the playoffs (he had back spasms in 2024, remember?) — but Thursday night’s sweep-finishing gem against the Dodgers was a pretty good approximation.
So much so, in fact, that our friend Gabe Burns is ready to declare that Sale is “establishing a real case as one of the five best starters in Atlanta history.”
And he ain’t wrong.
Way I see it, local longevity is about the only thing currently holding Sale back from cracking the crew that includes the Big 3, Max Fried and Phil Niekro.
WHO YOU GONNA CALL? (BRAVES ROSTER!)
Yes, that was a “Ghostbusters” joke (and, admittedly, not the smoothest of transitions). But AJC Braves beat writer Chad Bishop is here to ruminate on possible September call-ups.
By Chad Bishop
The options are aplenty, but the spots are few.
On Tuesday, the Braves can expand their roster from 26 players to 28. The organization can decide to go in a lot of different directions: Pitching depth? Offensive power? Speed and defense? Veteran presence? A combination of any of those choices?
Here are some players who could be in the clubhouse come Tuesday at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.:
Rowdy Tellez: Tellez, who has already been up with the Braves once this season, would provide a powerful left-handed bat off the bench. He could also spell Matt Olson at first base in a pinch.
Hayden Harris, Rolddy Muñoz, Ian Hamilton, James Karinchak, Joel Payamps (to name a new): If the Braves want to bolster their bullpen, any one of the these arms would do the trick.
JR Ritchie: Up and down for much of the season, getting Ritchie more experience in crucial games down the stretch would be big for the youngster’s development. Ritchie can start or come in for long relief work.
Jim Jarvis: The one they call “Jimmy Baseball” spent a good part of the summer with the Braves until being sent back to Triple-A in August. The youngster has proved his worth on defense and has the base-running acumen to be a viable pinch-runner.
Patrick Clohisy, José Azócar: The Braves have a surplus of outfielders, but Clohisy has hit .357 this season with 21 stolen bases. Azócar has been up with the Braves this season already and has swiped 22 bags for the Stripers, making him another solid option as a late-game pinch-runner as well.
Kyle Farmer: Released by the Braves earlier this season, Farmer signed with the organization as a free agent and has been camped at Triple-A Gwinnett for a few weeks. He was with the big club for much of the summer and was lauded for his leadership and clubhouse presence.
🤔 Thanks Chad! I’d definitely take another bullpen arm (and/or Ritchie). Offensively, I’m torn between power and speed. What do y’all think?
QUICK, SOME OTHER NEWS!
⚡ Unsurprisingly, Mauricio Dubón is the Braves’ winner of the players association “Heart and Hustle Award,” which also makes him a candidate for the leaguewide honor. He said this about effort: “I think that’s the one thing you can control, and I think that’s the one thing that’s been a big part of my success.”
⚡ Ronald Acuña Jr. got a breather during the Dodgers finale. Part of the explanation from manager Walt Weiss: “I see a lot more chase than what he typically does. Even in the past when he’s had some rough stretches, he’s walking. And I see him expanding the zone now, and something he hasn’t really done much of in the past.”
⚡ Perhaps you’ve heard that starter Tyler Mahle has actually been really good since joining the Braves at the trade deadline.
- The other addition: Outfielder Lane Thomas is hitting .219 as a Brave. But before taking a Thursday night 0-fer, he’d hit .286 over the previous seven games.
⚡ Transaction alert: The Braves picked up 27-year-old reliever Ricky Vanasco after he was waived by the Tigers. He and his, uh … 11 earned runs in 6⅓ big-league innings now reside in Gwinnett.
⚡ Southpaw reliever Dylan Lee once pretended to be right-handed during a Little League tryout so he could play on two different teams. (Explanation inside.)
A POLL ABOUT BRYCE ELDER
Here’s a poll I started over in the Win Column (a very good newsletter that covers the Braves but also other Atlanta sports) this week.
The context is here and the question is simple. You should chime in with the proverbial fancy form.
As a general practice, do you trust Bryce Elder?
A. Absolutely.
B. Mostly.
C. I wish I didn’t have to?
D. Not really.
E. My stomach hurts.
ROCKIES AND GIANTS AND NATS (OH MY)
Another crucial stretch against top playoff contenders — Phillies, Rays, Phillies again, Cubs — starts one week from today.
The Braves gotta get through these guys first.
1️⃣ BRAVES VS. ROCKIES
Game times: Colorado comes to town Friday through Sunday. Start times: 7:15, 4:10 and 1:35 p.m., respectively. All on BravesVision.
What to know: The Rockies (52-82) lost seven straight before taking two of three in their most recent series with the Nationals. They’re also happy to have catcher Hunter Goodman — 36 homers and counting — back after a 10-day IL stint.
More importantly, check out the planned pitching matchups:
- Grant Holmes (8-5, 3.64 ERA) vs. Tomoyuki Sugano (12-7, 4.96)
- Martín Pérez (8-8, 3.12) vs. Ryan Feltner (5-8, 6.08)
- Tyler Mahle (5-10, 4.41) vs. Mason Adams (0-0, 2.25)
Adams is Colorado’s No. 20 prospect, with just one big league start under his belt, Feltner has struggled and Sugano has surrendered 11 earned runs over his last two starts.
A prescription for the Braves offense to really getting going, perhaps.
Free stuff: The first 15,000 folks through the gates on Saturday get a camo Chipper Jones T-shirt jersey. On Sunday, 3,000 lucky kids will get a Braves sliding mitt.
2️⃣ BRAVES VS. GIANTS
Hey, another one-game makeup. Monday’s 6:05 p.m. start will atone for a June rainout. San Francisco is still not very good, but they did take the first two games of the “series.”
3️⃣ BRAVES AT NATIONALS
Game times: Tuesday at 6:45 p.m., Wednesday at 1:05 p.m. That’s it.
What to know: As alluded to above, the Nationals lost their most recent series with the Rockies. They’re 10 games under .500 … but that potent offense has produced a positive season run differential.
Expect more call-ups with the expanded rosters that start Tuesday, but the latest for the Nats is Luis Perales: a flame-throwing righty who’s getting his big league start in the bullpen.
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Renaissance-level imagery here. Also: I’d like to formally apologize to Ha-Seong Kim for (jokingly!) referring to him as “the worst thing Alex Anthopoulos has ever inflicted upon Atlanta.”
In Wednesday’s Win Column.
Mere hours before he became a hero.
Thanks for reading Braves Report. Tell a friend — and maybe give the Win Column newsletter a shot, too.
Until next time.