Atlanta Braves: Dodgers Series Could Determine Braves Plans
After taking the first two games of the series, the Atlanta Braves (47-48), turn to Julio Teheran tonight, aiming for a series win against the best team in baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers (66-31).
In a series that most fans saw the Braves getting swept in, Atlanta has come out swinging. Atlanta took game two by a score of 12-3, in what was another Braves offensive explosion. With a win tonight, not only can Atlanta get back to .500, but they can potentially come within one game of sweeping baseball’s best.
The Braves got a brilliant start from Jaime Garcia, who was seconds away from being traded to the Twins just a day before. Not only did Garcia pitch well, but he also swung the bat. Garcia hit a grand-slam and accounted for 6 of the Braves 12 runs scored. With the win, Garcia moved to (4-7) on the year.
What is even sweeter for Braves fans is that the barrage of offense displayed last night came off of their former starter, Alex Wood. Wood has been phenomenal this season, but Atlanta hammered the southpaw last night, giving him his first loss (11-1) on the year, raising his ERA to 2.17. Atlanta has a lot of options to weigh over the next nine days, and one of them is what they will do with Garcia. According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the deal with the Twins for Jaime was nixed due to medical concerns the Braves had on the Twins prospect they were set to acquire.
Atlanta has a lot of options to weigh over the next nine days, and one of them is what they will do with Garcia. According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the deal with the Twins for Jaime was nixed due to medical concerns the Braves had on the Twins prospect they were set to receive.
Sources: Garcia trade stalled due to #Braves’ medical concern on #Twins’ prospect. Still could revive, but both teams working alternatives.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 22, 2017
While these talks could be revisited, Atlanta is already garnering more interest from multiple teams. Jerry Crasnick of ESPN has reported that Garcia has received more suitors after his gem last night.
Interest in the #Braves Jaime Garcia has picked up after his impressive outing vs. the #Dodgers last night.
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) July 22, 2017
Other veterans like Brandon Phillips, Matt Adams, or Jim Johnson could be moved, but I believe that Jaime Garcia is the only player most likely to go between now and the July 31st trade deadline.
Sitting at 7.5 games back in the NL Wild Card race, it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to rule out a possibility of a run at the playoffs over the next two months. This is why I believe that Atlanta will continue to turn over every stone in their attempt to find a controllable starting pitcher. If they deem the price too high, however, they can always turn their search towards Winter and go from there.
As we’ve seen in years past, it would be foolish to bet against Braves GM John Coppolella, who always has something up his sleeve. This is in good part why most Braves fans have no clue what to expect from Atlanta in the coming days.
If the Braves can come away from this series with a four-game sweep and put a bigger dent in the Wild Card race, Atlanta just might turn a few heads at the deadline.
The excitement is mounting as Atlanta comes closer towards ending their rebuild. Whether or not Coppy decides to accelerate that process at the deadline is yet to be determine, but one thing is for certain: the future is bright in Atlanta.