<img alt="Toronto Blue Jays v Atlanta Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3ZdQAnZThwZJPwbBVFMfjvhnJ-4=/0x0:3388x2259/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73572781/2170255142.0.jpg">
Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr../Atlanta Braves/Getty Images
Another series victory means that the Braves are still in a position to play for October. Somehow! You can say whatever you want about the Atlanta Braves at this current moment in time but one thing you can’t say is that they ain’t boring. With each loss being agonizing in terms of its effect on the Wild Card race and each win seemingly coming in dramatic fashion, this Braves team simply refuses to be dull and predictable. Instead, it’s looking like it’s time to buckle up for the rest of the way down the stretch. It’s not going to be easy but it’s definitely going to be worth watching.
By hook or crook, Braves stay alive
Two good things happened on Sunday afternoon. The starter, of course, is that the Braves managed to pull off a shocking come-from-behind victory against the Toronto Blue Jays in order to salvage a series victory. Sunday’s game was genuinely mortifying to watch, as it sure seemed like Chris Sale’s dominant performance was going to go to waste after the bullpen (Joe Jiménez in particular) suffered a rare misstep and fell behind late on Sunday.
However, this Braves team simply refuses to roll over and die, even if it would make all the sense in the world if they did considering all the adversity that they’ve had to deal with. While the baby Blue Jays certainly showed their inexperience as they literally threw away the game on Sunday in extra innings, a win is still a win and Atlanta’s going to take them any way that they can get them as this Wild Card race continues to stay incredibly close.
Speaking of that race, the other good thing that happened on Sunday is that the Mets finally lost a game. For the first time since August 28, New York got to spend the day in the “L” column as they dropped a 3-1 loss to the Mets. The loss ended their season-high nine-game winning streak and also thanks to Atlanta picking up the win against Toronto, the third and final Wild Card spot is back in a tie. Both teams still have 19 games left and now it’s time to see if the Braves have enough in the tank to scratch and claw their way back into the Postseason despite everything that’s happened here in 2024.
(Almost) The Spencer Horwitz Series
Remember when I told y’all that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was likely going to be the guy to watch out for in this series since he had been going on a rampage since the All-Star break? Well, I’ve got good news to share with y’all. The good news is that Guerrero left Atlanta with only two hits and two RBIs over the course of this series, as the Braves were able to keep Toronto’s star player relatively quiet. The bad news is that Spencer Horwitz decided to play the role of spoiler, as he was the impact player for Toronto in two of the three games in this series.
He had an inauspicious start to this series as he struck out against Raisel Iglesias in a ninth-inning pinch-hit appearance in the first game. In the second game, he went off and essentially pushed the Blue Jays to victory as he racked up four hits — two of which were homers and another one of those hits was a double as well. This was the best game of his career and he wasn’t done either. Despite not even starting on Sunday afternoon, he came on for his second pinch-hit appearance of the series and somehow golfed a low slider from Joe Jiménez into the Chop House for a go-ahead two-run homer. He even added on another hit in extra innings on Sunday!
All credit is due to Spencer Horwitz, who has been putting up some very solid numbers at the plate and has certainly been one of the bright spots for the Blue Jays as they look forward to the future. However, the Braves ended up having the last laugh against Horwitz. Sean Murphy hit a grounder to Horwitz at second base and Horwitz’s throw was too late to catch Eli White at home. Welcome to the 2024 Atlanta Braves, where we’re all celebrating getting one-up on Spencer Horwitz.
The injury bug strikes again
If the baseball gods really do exist, then they read this website and are very vengeful. In the series recap against the Rockies, I mentioned that it sure seemed like the Braves were getting past their insanely bad luck with injuries. From now on, I’m just going to shut up about that topic since it bit the Braves once again. It bit them in Whit Merrifield’s foot specifically, as he ended up fracturing his foot on a foul ball. This came after he suffered a concussion scare earlier in the week — needless to say, this was the type of week that gives you cold sweats at night if you think about it too much.
I’ve got nothing else substantial to add here because what more can you say? All we can really do is just hope for the best as the injury bug just seems to be unrelenting when it comes to the Atlanta Braves this season. I’m not going to say that they’ve gotten over it and I’m also not going to go into gloom-and-doom mode and suggest that they’re going to be completely down to backups at some point. It just is what it is and the Braves have been trying their hardest to deal with it as the regular season draws to its conclusion.
<img alt="Toronto Blue Jays v Atlanta Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3ZdQAnZThwZJPwbBVFMfjvhnJ-4=/0x0:3388x2259/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73572781/2170255142.0.jpg">
Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr../Atlanta Braves/Getty Images
Another series victory means that the Braves are still in a position to play for October. Somehow! You can say whatever you want about the Atlanta Braves at this current moment in time but one thing you can’t say is that they ain’t boring. With each loss being agonizing in terms of its effect on the Wild Card race and each win seemingly coming in dramatic fashion, this Braves team simply refuses to be dull and predictable. Instead, it’s looking like it’s time to buckle up for the rest of the way down the stretch. It’s not going to be easy but it’s definitely going to be worth watching.
By hook or crook, Braves stay alive
Two good things happened on Sunday afternoon. The starter, of course, is that the Braves managed to pull off a shocking come-from-behind victory against the Toronto Blue Jays in order to salvage a series victory. Sunday’s game was genuinely mortifying to watch, as it sure seemed like Chris Sale’s dominant performance was going to go to waste after the bullpen (Joe Jiménez in particular) suffered a rare misstep and fell behind late on Sunday.
However, this Braves team simply refuses to roll over and die, even if it would make all the sense in the world if they did considering all the adversity that they’ve had to deal with. While the baby Blue Jays certainly showed their inexperience as they literally threw away the game on Sunday in extra innings, a win is still a win and Atlanta’s going to take them any way that they can get them as this Wild Card race continues to stay incredibly close.
Speaking of that race, the other good thing that happened on Sunday is that the Mets finally lost a game. For the first time since August 28, New York got to spend the day in the “L” column as they dropped a 3-1 loss to the Mets. The loss ended their season-high nine-game winning streak and also thanks to Atlanta picking up the win against Toronto, the third and final Wild Card spot is back in a tie. Both teams still have 19 games left and now it’s time to see if the Braves have enough in the tank to scratch and claw their way back into the Postseason despite everything that’s happened here in 2024.
(Almost) The Spencer Horwitz Series
Remember when I told y’all that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was likely going to be the guy to watch out for in this series since he had been going on a rampage since the All-Star break? Well, I’ve got good news to share with y’all. The good news is that Guerrero left Atlanta with only two hits and two RBIs over the course of this series, as the Braves were able to keep Toronto’s star player relatively quiet. The bad news is that Spencer Horwitz decided to play the role of spoiler, as he was the impact player for Toronto in two of the three games in this series.
He had an inauspicious start to this series as he struck out against Raisel Iglesias in a ninth-inning pinch-hit appearance in the first game. In the second game, he went off and essentially pushed the Blue Jays to victory as he racked up four hits — two of which were homers and another one of those hits was a double as well. This was the best game of his career and he wasn’t done either. Despite not even starting on Sunday afternoon, he came on for his second pinch-hit appearance of the series and somehow golfed a low slider from Joe Jiménez into the Chop House for a go-ahead two-run homer. He even added on another hit in extra innings on Sunday!
All credit is due to Spencer Horwitz, who has been putting up some very solid numbers at the plate and has certainly been one of the bright spots for the Blue Jays as they look forward to the future. However, the Braves ended up having the last laugh against Horwitz. Sean Murphy hit a grounder to Horwitz at second base and Horwitz’s throw was too late to catch Eli White at home. Welcome to the 2024 Atlanta Braves, where we’re all celebrating getting one-up on Spencer Horwitz.
The injury bug strikes again
If the baseball gods really do exist, then they read this website and are very vengeful. In the series recap against the Rockies, I mentioned that it sure seemed like the Braves were getting past their insanely bad luck with injuries. From now on, I’m just going to shut up about that topic since it bit the Braves once again. It bit them in Whit Merrifield’s foot specifically, as he ended up fracturing his foot on a foul ball. This came after he suffered a concussion scare earlier in the week — needless to say, this was the type of week that gives you cold sweats at night if you think about it too much.
I’ve got nothing else substantial to add here because what more can you say? All we can really do is just hope for the best as the injury bug just seems to be unrelenting when it comes to the Atlanta Braves this season. I’m not going to say that they’ve gotten over it and I’m also not going to go into gloom-and-doom mode and suggest that they’re going to be completely down to backups at some point. It just is what it is and the Braves have been trying their hardest to deal with it as the regular season draws to its conclusion.
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