Braves news: Marcell Ozuna’s future, Whit Merrifield calls out Rockies, more AA magic
The Atlanta Braves thankfully got back in the win column on Tuesday night. After having Labor Day off, the Braves responded to a dreadful series vs. the division rival Philadelphia Phillies by taking Game 1 of their home series vs. the utterly toothless Colorado Rockies. A 3-0 shutout of the NL West doormats propelled NL Cy Young favorite Chris Sale to a blistering 16-3 on the season for Atlanta.
The game at Truist Park was highlighted by Sale’s seven innings of brilliance, two hitless innings from Joe Jimenez and Raisel Iglesias, as well as great performances at the plate from Michael Harris II and Gio Urshela. However, it was also marred by a scary moment in which infielder Whit Merrifield got drilled in the head by a 95 MPH fastball. Oh, he had some things to say about that after the game.
All the while, Marcell Ozuna continues to have one of his best seasons at the plate in his big-league career. He went 1-for-3 at the plate to increase his batting average to .306 on the season. He is within reach of 40 home runs and 100 runs batted in. He should eclipse both benchmarks well before September ends like Billie Joe Armstrong always wants it to. He is an Oakland Athletics fan after all…
So without further ado, let’s dive head first into a healthy helping of some delicious Braves news then!
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More Alex Anthopoulos magic when it comes to Chris Sale’s contract
The Braves are starting to run laps on the Boston Red Sox when it comes to the Chris Sale and Vaughn Grissom trade. Atlanta moved on from a popular middle infield prospect in favor of a 30-something, formerly broken-down left-handed starting pitcher. As it turns out, the Braves should have their first NL Cy Young winner since Tom Glavine registered his second way back in 1998.
As stated above, Sale improved to 16-3 on the season, while lowering his ERA to 2.46 on the year. His nine strikeouts put him firmly past 200 on the season with 206. We are looking at a pitcher who is on pace to win the pitching triple crown in his first year with the team he grew up rooting for in Lakeland, Florida. Even better, he is under contract for through next season, with a club option for 2026, too.
