Drake Baldwin's 13 Homers Are Gone and the Braves Have No Answer

Man, what a gut punch for the Atlanta Braves, seriously! Ronald Acuna Jr. is finally back after missing 13 games with a strained left hamstring. Huge, right? That's the kind of spark a team needs. But then, BOOM, they lose another cornerstone: Drake Baldwin, who leads ALL catchers with 13 home runs, is now on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain. Are you kidding me? Talk about one step forward, two steps back for Atlanta.

Atlanta's Catching Calamity Continues

This Baldwin news is brutal, straight up. He's been their power surge behind the plate, and now he's out. It gets worse: he's not even the only catcher sidelined! Sean Murphy has been out since May 12 with a fractured left middle finger, looking at least eight weeks on the shelf. That means Atlanta's running on fumes back there. They had to sign veteran Sandy Leon, who's been splitting time, and now they've recalled journeyman Chadwick Tromp from Triple-A Gwinnett, where he was batting a cool .169 in 24 games. Yikes.

Manager Walt Weiss tried to play it cool, calling Baldwin's injury a "mild strain," saying "obliques are always tricky, but I think we averted a major one here." But come on, losing your top slugging catcher right after your other starter went down? That's a major problem, mild strain or not. Acuna's return is definitely a shot of adrenaline though. He was the designated hitter in their 8-4 win over Miami, snagging a hit, walking twice, and scoring three runs. Weiss summed it up best: "It was great to have Ronald back. There's an excitement when he's in the game. He's capable of doing things you maybe have never seen before, so there's excitement when he's at the top of the lineup." He's batting .252 this year, a dip from last year's .290, but just having him back is a lift.

Pitching Duel and Marlins' Unexpected Surge

Wednesday night's game is gonna be a battle. Atlanta is sending ace left-hander Chris Sale to the mound. His 6-3 record and 1.96 ERA are sick, but he's lost his last two starts despite giving up just four runs, only two earned, over 13 innings. Plus, he's 0-2 with a 5.30 ERA in three career starts against the Marlins, and this is his first time facing them this season. Miami counters with right-hander Janson Junk, who's 2-4 with a 4.14 ERA. Junk got hammered for a season-high seven earned runs in 5 2/3 innings in his last outing against Tampa Bay, but he did beat the Braves 6-2 last June, giving up just one run over five innings. This is gonna be a test for both sides.

The Marlins, meanwhile, are feeling themselves at the plate. They shelled the Braves for 12 runs in game one and put up four through three innings on Tuesday before Atlanta shut them down. Guys like Otto Lopez, who bounced back with three hits after going hitless on Monday, and Xavier Edwards, who's homered in back-to-back games, are sparking that offense. Miami manager Clayton McCullough liked what he saw: "I thought for the most part of the game we had a lot of really competitive at-bats. I think the guys did a nice job in the early part of the game, and then we ran into some good arms. We just weren't able to pick up a two-out hit." They were only 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position Tuesday, so there's still room for improvement, but that's a lineup finding its rhythm.

What's Next for the Series?

The Braves are already shaking things up with their pitching staff, sending rookie JR Ritchie back to Gwinnett and releasing left-hander Aaron Bummer. They recalled right-hander Victor Mederos, who they grabbed from the Los Angeles Angels in April for $250,000 in international bonus pool space. They also activated left-hander Dylan Dodd, who's back after missing 24 games with left thoracic spine inflammation. With the series tied at one game apiece, Wednesday night's game is massive. Who takes the lead? Can Atlanta's patchwork catching crew hold it down, or will Sale figure out the Marlins and shut down their hot bats? This series is heating up, and you know we'll be watching every pitch!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.