Drake Baldwin, Braves aim for more offense against Marlins
Baldwin had two homers and five RBIs on Thursday as the Braves erased a four-run deficit to beat the Marlins 8-6 and tie the season series at 3-3.
"He reminds me of (former Atlanta catcher) Brian McCann a lot," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "Mac came up and was above his years in age behind the plate and as an offensive player, and Drake is right there with him."
Baldwin, 24, is batting .287 with 13 homers and 46 RBIs. He is alternating games between designated hitter and catching, sharing backstop duties with veteran Sean Murphy.
Snitker said about Baldwin's Rookie of the Year prospects, "He's right there in all the categories, and at the end of the year, if he keeps going like this, it wouldn't surprise me a bit."
One of Baldwin's biggest challengers for the honor is in the opposing dugout this weekend. Marlins catcher Agustin Ramirez, 23, is hitting .242 with 17 home runs and 52 RBIs.
The pitching matchup for the Friday game features a pair of right-handers -- Atlanta's Bryce Elder (4-8, 6.03 ERA) and Miami's Edward Cabrera (5-5, 3.24).
Cabrera has gone 5-4 with a 2.32 ERA over 15 starts since the beginning of May. He has 83 strikeouts and 23 walks in 81 1/3 innings while limiting the opposition to a .213 batting average during that span.
In his most recent outing, Cabrera pitched six innings against the New York Yankees on Sunday and allowed only one run on two hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out seven.
"We expect that now, and so does Cabby when he goes out there," Miami manager Clayton McCullough said. "He has so many weapons he trusts in."
Cabrera is 1-1 with a 3.50 ERA in four career starts against Atlanta. He beat the Braves when he last faced them on Aug. 4, 2024, as he fired five scoreless innings and fanned eight in a 7-0 Miami win.
Elder bounced back from a horrendous start on July 27, when he allowed eight runs in 2 2/3 innings at Texas, to throw 6 2/3 innings and permit just two runs at Cincinnati on Aug. 1. Elder was more effective at getting ahead in the count and pitched well against the Reds despite taking a loss.
"I think I threw more strikes," Elder said. "Throwing more strikes, kind of make them make decisions and made them swing early. I kind of just accepted if I'm going to get beat, I'm going to get beat with this. I'm not going to back myself in a corner again and then get beat with one hit. They were going to have to string some together."
In nine career starts against the Marlins, Elder is 2-3 with a 3.46 ERA. He took a loss against Miami on June 22 when he gave up five runs on a season-high 10 hits over 5 1/3 innings.
Atlanta could be getting two of its star players back very soon.
Left-hander Chris Sale threw a 30-pitch simulated game on Thursday and reported no issues. He is expected to make at least one rehab start before returning to the active list.
Right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. took batting practice on Thursday and appeared to be recovering well from the strained right calf that forced him onto the injured list last week.
--Field Level Media
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
2 minutes ago
- Reuters
Carlos Rodon looks to continue Yankees' mastery of Twins
August 12 - For several weeks, things rarely went according to plan either at the plate or on the mound for the New York Yankees as they dropped in the standings. On Monday, the Yankees played one of their cleanest games in recent weeks and won a series opener for the first time since the All-Star break. On Tuesday they can secure their third series win since the break when they host the Minnesota Twins. The Yankees won a series opener for the first time since Cody Bellinger hit three homers in an 11-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs on July 11. New York is 10-15 since Bellinger's big game. Still the Yankees continued to dominate the Twins by hitting four solo homers and getting 6 2/3 innings from Will Warren in a 6-2 victory on Monday. Bellinger hit his first homer in 12 games before Giancarlo Stanton and Ben Rice hit back-to-back homers and Jazz Chisholm Jr. went deep as the Yankees slugged four homers for the 13th time this season. "We got a spark of energy and it was like this is how we're supposed to play baseball," Warren said. "The past month hasn't been how we're supposed to play baseball and we've had a gut punch lately and it was nice to get out there and play baseball the way we're supposed to." After taxing their bullpen for weeks and struggling at times in the late innings, Warren became the first Yankees starter to finish six innings since he did it on July 30 against the Tampa Bay Rays. "I would say it's clean, but I know we can be better," Rice said. The Twins are 5-27 in the regular season against the Yankees in New York since the start of the 2015 season and 7-25 in their past 32 regular-season games vs. the Yankees. Minnesota's Byron Buxton homered in his return from a 13-game absence caused by a ribcage injury and is hitting .314 (44-for-140) with 14 homers over his past 37 games. Buxton's homer occurred on a night when the Twins were held to three hits or fewer for the 11th time and struck out 11 times. "It's good," Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli said of Buxton rejoining the club. "He took some good-looking swings for the most part and connected on one of them. It was good to have him back in the lineup. He always does something good for the team." Minnesota is expected to add another hitter to the lineup on Tuesday when Matt Wallner is due to be activated off the paternity list. Wallner is hitting .306 (11-for-36) with five homers over his past 11 games but may not be in the starting lineup. Carlos Rodon (11-7, 3.35 ERA), who is 2-2 with a 4.64 ERA in his past six starts, will get the start for the Yankees. The left-hander has completed six innings only once in that span. He is coming off his second straight no-decision, when he allowed two runs on six hits and throwing 93 pitches in five innings during New York's 3-2 win at Texas on Wednesday Rodon is 8-3 with a 4.24 ERA in 14 career appearances (13 starts) against the Twins. He earned a pair of wins against them last season, when he allowed a total of three runs in 12 innings on May 14 in Minnesota and June 5 in New York. The Twins did not announce a starter and are expected to go with a bullpen game before Joe Ryan pitches on Wednesday. Zebby Matthews pitched 5 2/3 innings on Monday, and only Brooks Kriske and Erasmo Ramirez worked in relief. --Field Level Media
The Independent
2 minutes ago
- The Independent
Fans call to ‘stop this madness' over controversial LaLiga game
Barcelona and Villarreal are closer to playing a LaLiga match in Miami, United States, on 20 December 2025. The Spanish football federation (RFEF) has approved the request and will now seek authorisation from UEFA and FIFA. If approved, LaLiga would become the first of Europe's 'Big Five' leagues to stage a competitive match outside its home territory. This development follows FIFA's recent review of rules regarding overseas matches, with a working group formed to consider a revised legal framework. However, supporter groups from both Barcelona and Villarreal, alongside the Spanish football supporters' association, have expressed strong opposition and threatened legal action. remarking: "stop this madness".
Reuters
3 minutes ago
- Reuters
Back in hometown, Phils' Kyle Schwarber takes aim at Reds again
August 12 - Kyle Schwarber looks to continue his homer-happy season in his hometown as the visiting Philadelphia Phillies battle the host Cincinnati Reds in the middle contest of a three-game series on Tuesday. Schwarber did it again Monday night, belting his 13th career homer at Great American Ball Park, the most in any stadium that he has not called home at one point in his career. In 48 career games in Cincinnati, he has 32 RBIs. Schwarber socked his 42nd homer of the season to highlight a four-run, two-out rally in the eighth inning as the Philadelphia beat the Reds 4-1 on Monday. The Phillies moved 20 games over .500 for the first time this season at 69-49. Philadelphia improved to 4-0 at the start of a 10-game road swing through Texas, Cincinnati and Washington. Schwarber, 32, was born and raised in Middletown, Ohio, around 40 miles north of Cincinnati, and grew up a Reds fan. Schwarber is set to become a free agent at the end of the season. "(During the All-Star break, I was) asked the question, 'If things don't work out, would you ever think about Cincinnati?'" Schwarber said before the Monday game. "I mean, absolutely, right? I grew up watching the team, and people (say) why wouldn't want to play for a hometown team, but there's so many different aspects that go in the free agency and everything like that." Before Philadelphia's rally in the eighth, the highlights of the night for the Reds included Andrew Abbott retiring the first 12 batters he faced along with three tremendous defensive plays. The last one involved newly installed right fielder Noelvi Marte, who threw out Bryce Harper at the plate on a fly to right field to end the seventh inning. "He's got a great arm, and he's working hard out there," said teammate Gavin Lux, who saw the play from his spot in left field. "He's brand new. He's played 15 games out there, not even. So he's already got two assists. And he's really talented, so it's, I think he's going to be really good out there for a long time." Third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes and shortstop Elly De La Cruz also had stellar plays in the field to keep it 1-0 Cincinnati until the eighth. However, a lack of offense stymied the Reds. So far in August, Cincinnati has scored three runs or fewer in eight of is 10 games. The Phillies will send left-hander Ranger Suarez (8-5, 2.94 ERA) to the mound on Tuesday, making his second start of the season against Cincinnati. He received a no-decision in Philadelphia's 5-1 home win on July 5, allowing one run on five hits in five innings, striking out six and walking two. Lifetime against Cincinnati, Suarez is 2-0 with a 2.12 ERA in nine appearances (five starts). Over his past six starts, Suarez is 1-3 with a 4.89 ERA. Most recently, he lost to the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday after permitting five runs on nine hits in 6 1/3 innings. The Reds will counter with right-hander Brady Singer (9-8, 4.53 ERA). In his only career start against Philadelphia, Singer allowed five runs on 11 hits in five innings during an 11-2 Phillies win at Kansas City on Aug. 24, 2024. Singer is coming off a rocky outing on Thursday at Pittsburgh, where he allowed four runs on six hits in 3 2/3 innings. --Field Level Media
