The Atlanta Braves are striving for a championship each year, but this season they are facing challenges just to make it to the playoffs.
In July, the Braves have struggled, losing seven of their last eight games and are currently holding onto a postseason spot by a slim margin. As of Monday, they are just half a game ahead of the New York Mets for the final Wild Card spot in the National League.
While the pitching staff carried the team in the first half of the season, they are currently facing difficulties. Starters Max Fried and Reynaldo López are dealing with injuries, and the bullpen faltered in the recent series against the Colorado Rockies.
With their recent setbacks, the Braves cannot afford to lose any more relief pitchers. Unfortunately, they will have to navigate through the absence of one of their key relievers.
On Monday, the Braves announced that lefty relief pitcher A.J. Minter was placed on the 15-day injured list due to hip inflammation. In a corresponding move, Dylan Lee was called up from Triple-A Gwinnett.
Minter’s left hip injury had previously sidelined him for the entire month of June, limiting his playing time to 34.1 innings this year. Despite this, he has performed well recently, allowing only three earned runs in 13 innings since July.
With a solid 2.62 ERA for the season, Minter has been a reliable lefty for the Braves in late-inning situations.
Fortunately, Lee has also been impressive this season with a 2.00 ERA in 35 appearances. Although he hasn’t been used in high-pressure situations frequently, he has shown his capabilities at the big-league level.
As the Braves navigate through Minter’s absence, their offense needs to step up to support the pitching staff. Atlanta has scored just 96 runs in the second half of the season, ranking ninth in the NL.
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