The Atlanta Braves are finally turning the corner. After a sluggish start that had fans nervously clutching their rally towels, the Braves are surging with eight wins in their last ten games.
That’s right — the boys are almost back at .500, and with a win against the historically dreadful Rockies, they could tip the scale back to even. Nothing cures a road slump like a trip to Denver to face a team that’s been hanging out in the NL West basement for what feels like a decade.
AJ Smith-Shawver Takes a Scare, Braves Fans Hold Their Breath
Even amid this win streak and some actual momentum, there was a collective gasp across Braves Nation on Tuesday night — the kind that makes you sit up straight and Google “elbow contusion recovery time.”
AJ Smith-Shawver, the team’s promising young righty who was absolutely dealing in his first game back in the majors, took a liner straight to the arm. Brutal.
Now, to his credit, AJ took it like a champ. He later said it hit “the meaty part” of his arm and expects to make his next start. But let’s not kid ourselves — Braves fans have been through 12 months of pitching staff roulette, and no one’s sleeping easy until the rotation is healthy and humming. We’ve seen this movie before, and the sequels aren’t usually happy.
Marisnick Out as Rosario Returns
The rotation drama wasn’t the only headline. Jake Marisnick, we hardly knew ya. With Eddie Rosario returning to the lineup and Jarred Kelenic getting a one-way ticket to the minors, Marisnick became the odd man out.
The guy brought solid defense and a veteran presence, but the journeymen get squeezed when the outfield gets crowded. It’s the nature of the beast.
Rosario’s return should inject some much-needed power and familiarity into the Braves’ offense, especially with Ronald Acuña Jr. still unavailable. Marisnick? A classy move to bring him in, but this team’s window is now — and they need bats that can shift the scoreboard, not just gloves.
Jesse Chavez: The Braves’ Boomerang
And just when you think you’ve got the roster moves figured out — enter stage left: Jesse Chavez. Again. The ageless wonder, the journeyman legend, the bullpen boomerang. He’s been DFA’d so many times you’d think the Braves were trying to collect frequent flyer miles. This time, he’s elected free agency.
But don’t count him out. Because if we’ve learned anything over the last few seasons, it’s this — you never say never with Jesse Chavez. Odds are high that he’ll be back in a Braves uniform sooner rather than later, chewing gum and getting outs like it’s 2008.
So, yeah — the Braves are heating up, the rotation has a little drama, and the roster carousel keeps spinning. But hey, that’s baseball. And in Atlanta, it’s starting to feel fun again.
