The Braves won the series against Colorado behind strong pitching with Whit Merrifield on the bench due to a scary injury.
The Braves have had brutal luck in a lot of ways this season, but losing players to injury from being hit by pitches has been one of those ways, with Austin Riley missing significant time now and many others getting various degrees of injuries or close calls. Obviously this will be a part of the game to some extent, but perhaps we should stop accepting it to this degree, particularly regarding the head. Some modest rule changes could be made that might result in some harsh penalties for honest mistakes, but also might change the incentive structure such that those mistakes happen less frequently.
Braves News
Demetrius discussed the need to protect hitters from the fast hard projectiles we call pitches that are coming in at increasingly high velocities after Merrifield’s scary injury.
Jarred Kelenic delivered the knockout blow against Colorado, despite his recent struggles in a pitching-dominated 5-2 win.
MLB News
Yoshinobu Yamamoto will return for the Dodgers next week, getting a start in their series against the Cubs after missing most of the season.
As the Dodgers regain a major starter against the Cubs, the Cubs lose one, as Justin Steele hits the IL with elbow tendinitis.
The Rangers are placing their talisman, Corey Seager on the 10-day IL with hip discomfort as we enter the home stretch of the season. The Rangers are essentially out of contention at this point, so caution makes sense.
