Atlanta Braves - Overview (2024)

Lopez gave up five hits with one walk while striking out three. The right-hander allowed an RBI single in the third, and two more runs scored on a Nick Gonzales double. Even with a shaky outing, the 30-year-old still has a sensational 1.75 ERA on the season. He’s scheduled to fact the Nationals at home Thursday.

Yikes. Riley has progressed to taking batting practice without any issues, but it appears the Braves don’t want to take any chances here. Atlanta manager Brian Snitker told reports Friday that he doesn’t expect Riley back until Monday’s series opener against the Nationals. The 27-year-old fantasy star hasn’t played since May 12 and will miss his 12th consecutive contest on Saturday afternoon at PNC Park. It’ll be Zack Short drawing another start at the hot corner in his absence.

Herget provides Atlanta with some extra bullpen depth heading into Saturday’s contest against the Pirates after Darius Vines was shipped back to the minors. The 30-year-old righty was acquired from the Angels earlier this month after being designated for assignment and hasn’t pitched in the majors this season. However, he’s made 92 appearances in the big leagues over the last three years.

Murphy homered in back-to-back contests to kick-off his rehab assignment prior to Friday’s game. He’s batting .357 (5-for-14) and appears close to returning to Atlanta’s lineup, possibly at some point this weekend.

Vines took it on the chin for the Braves on Friday night, giving up six runs on six hits over three innings of work to spare an overworked bullpen. The club will make a corresponding move to add another reliever to the roster prior to Saturday’s battle against the Pirates.

This was the first start for Kerr as a major leaguer and just the third he’s made at any level since 2021. The Pirates jumped on him in the first and the final line is ugly, but overall this was an encouraging outing for the 29-year-old lefty. He induced 13 swings and misses including eight from his curveball on his in just 13 swings. The pitch is downright nasty to go along with a fastball that touched 99 MPH and a splitter he threw more sparingly. This is a more exciting repertoire than what the recently demoted Bryce Elder brings to the table and makes Kerr worth of keeping an eye on.

Acuña sent Bailey Falter packing in the eighth inning, but only cut the Pirates lead to 11-3. The full season line remains a disappointment, but his OPS has trickled up to .712 which is in the same range as teammates Ozzie Albies and Matt Olson.

While the Braves have yet to place any sort of timeline on his return, a Grade 2 strain typically results in a six-to-eight week absence. Don’t anticipate seeing Smith-Shawver back in a Braves’ uniform before the All-Star break.

The 27-year-old slugger is not in the Braves’ lineup on Friday night — the 11th consecutive game that he has missed due to a sore side. He continues to make progress though, and it’s possible he could be available off the bench at some point over the weekend. He’s tentatively expected to return to the lineup on Monday against the Nationals.

Riley resumed hitting earlier this week and was seen fielding ground balls before Thursday’s game yet he remains out for the 11th consecutive game despite incomprehensibly not being placed on the injured list. It’s unclear when the third baseman will return to Atlanta’s lineup, but it should be soon.