LOS ANGELES – The Braves placed reliever Josh Tomlin on the 10-day injured list with a strained neck, backdated to Aug. 29, before Tuesday’s game against the Dodgers. Right-hander Edgar Santana was recalled in Tomlin’s place.
Tomlin, 36, owns a 6.85 ERA in 34 games as the team’s primary long reliever. The righty has struggled mightily in his sparce recent outings, posting an 18.56 ERA in three appearances this month. Tomlin allowed 11 earned runs on 15 hits in 5-1/3 innings, including surrendering five runs while recording just two outs in his last appearance Aug. 18 against Miami.
Santana, meanwhile, was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett over the weekend to open a spot for returning starter Ian Anderson. Santana has quietly been a solid contributor in the Braves’ bullpen, posting a 3.82 ERA in 36 games.
The right-hander has a 2.78 ERA over his last 20 games, though he had a tough August, posting a 5.40 ERA in seven appearances.
More on the Braves:
- The Braves, along with the rest of MLB, will see their roster maximum expand two spots Wednesday, when teams can begin carrying 28 players on Sept. 1.
- Third baseman Austin Riley recorded the Braves’ first hit Monday with an infield hit in the fifth. Riley carried a modest six-game hitting streak into Tuesday, going 10-for-23 over that stretch. The emerging star has been sensational since the All-Star break, hitting .356/.408/.669 in 41 games since the season’s intermission. Only Oakland’s Starling Marte has a higher batting average over that time (.373).
- Outfielder Adam Duvall, another big bat in the Braves’ lineup, is one of the National League’s premier power hitters. Duvall, who rejoined the Braves at the trade deadline after starting the season in Miami, is tied for second in the league with 29 homers, including his shot Monday. His 88 RBIs are also second in the NL.
Duvall has seven homers and 20 RBIs in 27 games with the Braves. His offseason situation will be fascinating: His contract includes a $7 million mutual option, though those are rarely accepted by both the player and team.
It’d make sense for the Braves and Duvall to reach a new agreement and keep him with the team. The Braves have questions in their future outfield and retaining Duvall would help mitigate those concerns. It’d be valuable to keep his pop in their lineup and his presence in their clubhouse. For Duvall, he could stay with an organization that’s become home while continuing to help a contender.
- Southpaw Tyler Matzek has thrown 17-2/3 consecutive scoreless innings entering Tuesday. His career-best run is the fourth longest in the majors. Cardinals reliever Luis Garcia, a 34-year-old veteran, owns the active longest run, leading Matzek by 1-2/3 innings.
- Matzek isn’t the only lefty Braves reliever thriving. A.J. Minter has looked like a new pitcher since returning from a stint in Triple-A Gwinnett, and while it’s a small sample size, his outings have the Braves optimistic.
Minter has logged six consecutive scoreless appearances while striking out 12. After a troublesome stretch that resulted in his demotion, Minter looks more like the pitcher from last season, when he had a 0.83 ERA over 22 games.
- The Braves entered Tuesday still seeking their first win in Los Angeles since June 9, 2018. They were swept at Dodger Stadium in 2019, didn’t play in Southern California last season due to the pandemic changing schedules, and dropped the series opener Monday, 5-3. The Braves are 11-24 at Dodger Stadium since 2010.
