Given the state of their bullpen, the Braves can’t get Shane Greene back soon enough.
The right-hander, who re-signed with the team earlier this month, impressed in a controlled environment Thursday, according to Braves manager Brian Snitker. Greene will begin pitching in games for Triple-A Gwinnett early next week.
“He threw a controlled scrimmage (Thursday), and I heard it was really, really good,” Snitker said. “He’ll be pitching in a real game for Gwinnett in a couple days.”
Greene, 32, has a 3.27 ERA across 55 appearances over the past 1-1/2 seasons with the Braves. He’ll upgrade the back of the bullpen, which at times has been a headache for the Braves.
Notes from Friday:
- Much has been made of Austin Riley’s improvements at the plate, but he’s contributed in the field, too. Riley credited third-base coach Ron Washington earlier this week. Washington is a renowned fielding guru and beloved by players for his energy and instruction.
“Doing his drills, talking to him every day about different scenarios,” Riley said. “Anytime something happens in a game, I’m going straight to him to talk about it and see what he has. He has so much knowledge of the game. He’s the reason why I’ve been able to stay over there.”
- Catcher Travis d’Arnaud is doing well after undergoing thumb surgery May 4, Snitker said. The veteran backstop is expected to miss at least two months.
“He’s actually doing some baseball activity,” Snitker said. “He got his stiches out, and he ran a little bit, threw, he’s hitting with one arm. So he’s starting to get a little more active as he got the stitches out. But he’s still going to be in a cast for a while. He’s doing as well as he can right now under the circumstances.”
- The Braves’ late-inning failures are difficult to wrap one’s head around. A stat that defines their 1-9 record in games tied after eight innings: In those contests, the Braves have only two hits after the eighth inning. They’re a horrific 2-for-42 (.048) with 15 strikeouts and one run scored.
For the curious crowd, the past three division-winning Braves teams were a major league-best 21-11 when tied after eight innings. The 2021 Braves are playing more tight games, and the good fortunes of years past have evaporated.
- It’s a bit strange to realize if this was a 60-game season, like what MLB underwent in 2020, the campaign would be almost finished. The Braves are certainly glad that isn’t the case, since they still would be a fringe postseason team right now even under the expanded format. The Braves were 26-18 through 44 games last season; this team is 20-24.
Undoubtedly, it’s a frustrating stretch for the Braves and their followers. Perhaps some can find comfort in the words of catching coach Sal Fasano, who spoke with the AJC a week ago and was asked about the Braves’ disappointing results.
“I think having that weird year last year, it really was a sprint,” Fasano said. “You’ve probably heard this a ton of times, 162-game season, you have a ton of peaks and valleys. Usually, the best talent at the end shows up. It’s not always at the beginning. So basically just taking your lumps a little bit here, you learn your personality. You learn how to fight as a club and how to get out of a hole. I think once we get out of this hole, just being under .500, once we get over .500, I feel like we’ll roll. So I think the attitude is great all the way around, from the players to the coaches to our skipper to the (general manager).”
- It’s alumni weekend in Atlanta, fittingly against the Pirates, whom the Braves topped in the iconic 1992 National League Championship Series with Sid Bream’s slide into home. Braves alumni were set to be introduced on the field before Friday’s game. Further details on attendees, tickets and events throughout the weekend can be found at https://www.mlb.com/braves/tickets/specials/alumni-weekend.
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