ATLANTA -- Like Mets fans will never forget what Chipper Jones did to their team at the end of the 1999 National League East race, Phillies fans won’t forget how Ronald Acuña Jr. significantly weakened their division title hopes this year. Acuña skillfully played the villain role last weekend in

ATLANTA -- Remember when Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a game-tying home run in the eighth inning of a comeback win in Philadelphia last weekend? Well, that’s no longer the Braves most significant, or most thrilling, win of the season. That distinction now belongs to the spirited 6-5 win the Braves

ATLANTA -- The Braves’ outfield depth took a hit on Thursday when Lane Thomas strained his left intercostal while taking batting practice. Thomas was scratched from the lineup approximately 20 minutes before the start of Thursday afternoon’s win over the Rays. On Friday, he was placed on the 10-day injured

ATLANTA -- Joe Jiménez might not have time to factor into the Braves’ postseason plans. But after throwing live batting practice at Truist Park on Friday, the veteran reliever was at least given further reason to believe he’ll eventually be physically capable to resume his Major League career. “He’s come

ATLANTA -- Ronald Acuña Jr. stirred Philadelphia fans last weekend. Bryce Harper will have a chance to do the same to Atlanta fans as the Phillies and Braves spend this weekend playing a three-game series that could go a long way toward determining who will win what has become a

ATLANTA -- Martín Pérez sauntered into the Braves’ clubhouse on Thursday morning wearing a hat and sunglasses. He said hello to a couple teammates and then coolly walked to the other side of the room, where he changed the music playlist from '90s rap to more of a salsa mix.

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ATLANTA -- Instead of riding the wave of momentum created by Sunday’s thrilling comeback win over the Phillies, the Braves have spent the past few days creating reason to wonder if their offense is the most significant concern. Reynaldo López struggled as he made his return from the injured list

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PHILADELPHIA -- The Braves fumbled their chance to nearly put the National League East race out of reach. But even with the 1-0 loss suffered on Monday afternoon, they still exited Philadelphia feeling good about what transpired during this four-game series against the Phillies. “It would have been great to

PHILADELPHIA -- Phillies fans love to hate Ronald Acuña Jr. and the Braves star loves being the villain. “They boo me every time and I enjoy that,” Acuña said with a smile.

PHILADELPHIA -- The Braves' rotation has exceeded expectations over the past month. But if they experience a few more starts like Martín Pérez’s most recent, there will be greater reason to question whether their starters will be a liability in the postseason. Pérez has been a valuable member of Atlanta’s

ATLANTA -- Ronald Acuña Jr. didn’t get a good jump. But his ability to get to Bryson Stott’s two-out line drive prevented the Phillies from possibly chasing Braves starter Martín Pérez in the first inning of Atlanta's 4-2 loss in Saturday night’s game at Citizens Bank Park.

PHILADELPHIA -- Winning the National League Cy Young Award for the second time in three seasons would be nice. But the determination Chris Sale has shown while recently matching up against three of MLB’s other elite starters has been a product of his desire to win another World Series. Sale

ATLANTA -- Bidding adieu to a seven-game winning streak in a makeup game against a sub-.500 team isn’t fun. But doing so while watching one of your top relievers extend his second-half decline is far more troublesome. Bryce Elder wasn’t happy with his start, and the Braves' offense didn’t do

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ATLANTA -- Regardless of the result of Monday’s makeup game against the Giants, the Braves will have plenty of reasons to fondly remember what transpired during this current homestand. Sean Murphy homered yet again and Tyler Mahle spun another gem as the Braves completed a three-game series sweep with a

ATLANTA -- Whether the Braves have the rotation they need for the postseason won’t be known until October arrives. But nearly a month after the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline, it looks like Atlanta has the starters necessary to successfully navigate the remainder of the regular season. Martín Pérez extended the

ATLANTA -- After dealing with repeated setbacks over the past few months, Spencer Schwellenbach is set to undergo the surgery he tried to avoid when he fractured his right elbow last year. “When you fracture your bone, the hopes are that it heals itself over six to eight weeks,” Schwellenbach

ATLANTA -- Ha-Seong Kim produced an improbable walk-off hit on Wednesday and Chris Sale constructed one of the most impressive starts of the year to complete a three-game sweep of the Dodgers on Thursday. But there have been a few other key recent developments for the Braves, who claimed a

ATLANTA -- The Braves will learn more about Robert Suárez’s potential return from right elbow inflammation when he begins throwing off a mound again early next week. But any lingering hope of Spencer Schwellenbach or Hurston Waldrep returning this year ended on Friday, when the club announced both starting pitchers

ATLANTA -- Chris Sale threw a 100-plus-mph pitch for the first time since 2018 and he constructed his first shutout since 2019, while helping the Braves complete a three-game sweep of the Dodgers with a 1-0 win on Thursday night at Truist Park. “The look in his eye is always

ATLANTA -- Along with giving Ha-Seong Kim a chance to build upon his walk-off hit, Braves manager Walt Weiss decided it was time to give Ronald Acuña Jr. a chance to briefly distance himself from his recent frustrations. Kim was in the starting lineup for the first time since Aug.

ATLANTA -- Dodgers fans will always recognize Chris Sale as the Red Sox pitcher who recorded the final three outs of the 2018 World Series against their team. Braves fans recognize Yoshinobu Yamamoto as a pitcher who hasn't allowed a run over his two starts against Atlanta.

This story was excerpted from Mark Bowman's Braves Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox. Zach Sweet wrote this edition of the newsletter.