<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/braves-news-braves-fires-hitting-coach-two-others-playoff-exit');   ga('set', 'title', 'Braves fire hitting coach, two others after playoff exit');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Atlanta-fires-hitting-coach-two-others-after-playoff-exit.jpg"></figure><h1>Braves fire hitting coach, two others after playoff exit</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-10T13:59:11-07:00">October 10th, 1:59pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-10T16:02:17-07:00">October 10th, 4:02pm</time><address><a>Brayden Haena</a>Brayden Haena is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. A die-hard San Francisco Giants fan and a football fanatic, Brayden further channels his baseball enthusiasm through his podcast, where he delves into the latest in sports with engaging commentary. He also serves as the Defensive Coordinator for Heritage High School. His commitment to sports journalism is evident in his diverse experiences with ContraCosta.news and his dedication to delivering compelling and insightful content.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>In a stunning turn of events, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-2025-coaching-plan-postseason-exit">Atlanta Braves have decided to shake up their coaching staff</a> following an unexpected early playoff exit. The team has dismissed hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, assistant hitting coach Bobby Magallanes, and catching coach Sal Fasano, despite previous assurances from Braves management that no changes were anticipated.</p><p>This decision marks a significant shift in the team’s strategy as they <a href="https://x.com/DOBrienATL/status/1844464174363181398" rel="noopener">look to address the issues</a> that plagued their 2024 season.</p><p>“The Braves fired hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, assistant hitting coach Bobby Magallanes and catching coach Sal Fasano, the team hasn’t announced the moves but the coaches have been informed. Each was under contract with the Braves through 2025,” via David O’Brien on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>The firings indicate a clear move away from continuity. O’Brien’s choice of “fired” suggests that this was not a mutual decision but a necessary action taken by the team’s leadership. The Braves, who under Seitzer’s tenure saw their offense evolve into one of the majors’ most formidable, experienced a sharp decline this year.</p><h2><b>Braves look to improve after a disappointing 2024</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Kevin-Seitzer.jpg"><figcaption>Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>After boasting a historically good slash line of <a href="https://www.batterypower.com/2024/10/10/24267200/atlanta-braves-offseason-report-hot-stove-fire-hitting-coach-kevin-seitzer-bobby-magallanes" rel="noopener">.276/.344/.501</a> in 2023, the Braves’ production plummeted to .243/.309/.415 in 2024, with team wOBA and wRC+ dropping to .315 and 100, respectively. This regression and injury challenges clearly forced the Braves’ hand.</p><p>In the wake of these changes, the Braves have announced they will be hiring new hitting coaches but will not fill the catching coach position previously tailored for Fasano. This strategic pivot indicates a focused effort to revitalize the team’s hitting approach while streamlining the coaching staff.</p><p>Braves legend Chipper Jones, who has too many commitments outside of baseball to consider a full-time return to the dugout, is one notable name already ruled out for the hitting coach position. This decision underscores the Braves’ intention to bring <a href="https://x.com/DOBrienATL/status/1844464587288301701" rel="noopener">fresh perspectives</a> to their hitting strategy rather than relying on familiar faces.</p><p>“The Braves will replace the two hitting coaches but will not fill the catching-coach position, which was designed specifically for Fasano. And from those I’ve spoken to, Chipper Jones is not a candidate for one of the hitting-coach jobs, as he has a lot going on outside baseball,” via O’Brien on X.</p><p>Whoever steps into these roles will have considerable shoes to fill. Under Seitzer’s guidance, the Braves’ offense had been a powerhouse, consistently ranking in the top-10 league-wide until their recent slump. They will need to implement a philosophy that can rejuvenate a lineup still reeling from underperformance and align with broader organizational goals.</p><p>As the Braves turn the page on this chapter of their coaching history, the pressure will be on the new appointees to deliver immediate results. The direction they choose to take will be crucial in determining whether the Braves can bounce back from their 2024 disappointments and once again contend for the highest honors in baseball.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Braves fire hitting coach, two others after playoff exit

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/braves-news-atlanta-2025-contract-decisions-marcell-ozuna-travis-darnaud');   ga('set', 'title', 'Braves make 2025 contract decisions on Marcell Ozuna, Travis d’Arnaud');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Braves-make-2025-contract-decisions-on-Marcell-Ozuna-Travis-dArnaud.jpg"></figure><h1>Braves make 2025 contract decisions on Marcell Ozuna, Travis d’Arnaud</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-04T17:25:08-07:00">October 4th, 5:25pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-04T17:25:38-07:00">October 4th, 5:25pm</time><address><a>Quinn Allen</a>Quinn Allen is a Senior Associate Editor with ClutchPoints. He specializes mainly in soccer, basketball, and baseball. When Quinn isn't producing content for CP,  he's writing sports betting predictions for numerous sites across North America.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Atlanta Braves’ postseason run ended earlier than expected this week, getting swept by the San Diego Padres in the NL Wild Card Series. That means it’s back to the drawing board <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-2025-coaching-plan-postseason-exit">as this organization looks ahead to the offseason.</a></p><p>The Braves have already decided <a href="https://x.com/mlbbowman/status/1842232003032162544" rel="noopener">they will exercise the 2025 options</a> for two key players in Marcell Ozuna and Travis d’Arnaud, per Mark Bowman. Ozuna will make $16 million next season while D’Arnaud is owed $8 million.</p><p>Neither decision comes as much of a surprise. Ozuna was Atlanta’s best hitter in 2024, batting .302 with 39 home runs and 104 RBI. He ranked third in the National League in batting average, second in long balls, and fourth in runs batted in. Ozuna strictly served as the Braves’ DH in all 162 games. That will likely be the case again next year. Needless to say, the Braves would’ve been completely foolish to let Ozuna walk after he tore the cover off the baseball all season.</p><p>As for d’Arnaud, he’s been with the Braves since 2020. The veteran split the catcher duties with Sean Murphy but emerged as the preferred option for Brian Snitker down the stretch. He played in 99 total contests, slashing .238 with 15 homers and 48 RBI. d’Arnaud is a mainstay behind the dish and a beloved figure in the Atlanta clubhouse. He’ll get his fair share of playing time once again in ’25 and knows the Braves starters extremely well.</p><p>Atlanta finished the regular season with an 89-73 record and barely snuck into the playoffs, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-news-mets-clinch-playoff-spot-braves-wild-finish-fans-bonkers">needing at least one win</a> on the final day of the campaign against the New York Mets in a doubleheader. They failed to produce versus San Diego however, getting shut out by Michael King in Game 1 before a 5-4 loss in Game 2.</p><p>Left-hander Max Fried is set to become a free agent this winter and there’s a chance he signs elsewhere. Fried is due for a big payday and if he does leave, the Braves will need to try and replace him.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Braves make 2025 contract decisions on Marcell Ozuna, Travis d’Arnaud

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/braves-news-gm-chris-sale-nlds-roster');   ga('set', 'title', 'Braves GM says Chris Sale would have made NLDS roster');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/10-04-24-sale-featured.jpeg"></figure><h1>Braves GM says Chris Sale would have made NLDS roster</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-04T11:38:19-07:00">October 4th, 11:38am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-04T11:39:01-07:00">October 4th, 11:39am</time><address><a>David Korn</a>David Korn is an MLB associate editor at ClutchPoints. He is also a producer at MLB Network Radio and covers college basketball for A10Talk. David graduated from George Washington in 2023, where he was the radio play-by-play broadcaster for their Men's and Women's Basketball teams.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-brian-snitker-strong-declaration-future-sweep-padres">Atlanta Braves got swept 2-0 by the San Diego Padres</a> in the Wild Card round of the postseason. One of the biggest reasons why: star pitcher <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-brian-snitker-chris-sale-update">Chris Sale’s back injury.</a></p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-chris-sale-scratched-before-must-win-game-vs-mets">Sale was last-second scratch</a> from the must-win second game of the doubleheader on Monday due to back spasms. Then, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-chris-sale-worrying-injury-update-atlanta-clinches-playoff-spot">Sale was left off of the Wild Card round roster</a>.</p><p>Despite the Braves having already been eliminated from the postseason, general manager Alex Anthopoulos revealed how Sale <a href="https://x.com/kileymcd/status/1842229888482152557" rel="noopener">is feeling</a>, per Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.</p><p>Anthopolous said that Sale felt good during his bullpen on Friday and that he would have been included on the Braves’ NLDS roster if they had advanced.</p><p>While this news may not mean much for Braves fans after they had already been eliminated, it does show that Sale’s back issues will most likely not linger into next season. This was the first full, All-Star-caliber season that Sale had completed since 2018. Now that is is clear that Sale will have a full, healthy offseason to prepare for 2025, there is no reason to expect Sale to not be able to replicate what he did this year.</p><p>However, the biggest takeaway is just how unfortunate the timing was for Sale’s back to flare up. Sale had not pitched since Sept. 19. If he was able to keep pitching for the Braves down the stretch, maybe they would have been able to avoid emptying their bullpen during Monday’s doubleheader against the New York Mets and would have been better prepared to face the Padres. Even if he had to miss the end of the regular season, if he was ready for the Wild Card round, it would have been a completely different series.</p><h2><b>Chris Sale’s incredible 2024 season with the Atlanta Braves</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/10-04-24-sale-image.jpeg"><figcaption>© Matt Krohn-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>When the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-atlanta-acquires-chris-sale-red-sox-blockbuster-trade">Braves made a trade for Sale</a> with the Boston Red Sox, expectations were low about what the injury prone, 35-year-old Sale could actually provide. Many believed that his best days were already behind him.</p><p>However, a change of scenery may have been just what Sale needed. Through 29 starts, Sale won the National League pitching triple crown with 18 wins, a 2.38 ERA and 225 strikeouts and is the likely NL Cy Young Award winner.</p><p>Without Sale, the Braves likely would not have made the postseason. Injuries to ace Spencer Strider, reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. and third baseman Austin Riley could have sunk Atlanta. But, Sale was able to step up and show that he is still one of the best pitchers in all of baseball while leading his team to October.</p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Braves GM says Chris Sale would have made NLDS roster

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/braves-news-2025-coaching-plan-postseason-exit');   ga('set', 'title', 'Braves reveal coaching plan after early postseason exit');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Braves-news-Atlanta-reveals-coaching-plan-after-early-postseason-exit.jpg"></figure><h1>Braves reveal coaching plan after early postseason exit</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-04T10:17:58-07:00">October 4th, 10:17am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-04T10:17:58-07:00">October 4th, 10:17am</time><address><a>Andrew Meyers</a>Andrew Meyers is an avid sports fan with a fondness for Philadelphia teams that rarely love him back. He has two degrees from Quinnipiac University, including a master's in sports journalism. Outside of ClutchPoints, Meyers does play-by-play broadcasting for various colleges in the northeast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Atlanta Braves endured a tough 2024 season marred by injuries to several key players. Atlanta still found a way into the postseason but the Braves were unable to win a playoff game as their season ended with a sweep at the hands of the San Diego Padres. The Braves now look ahead to 2025, another year in their championship window.</p><p>If changes within Atlanta’s coaching staff were expected, those rumors didn’t come from manager Brian Snitker. He and general manager Alex Anthopoulos both said they intend to <a href="https://x.com/DOBrienATL/status/1842231011284774934" rel="noopener">bring back</a> the entire Braves coaching staff, per David O’Brien. Whether some employees leave for other jobs remains to be seen, but the Braves want to keep their coaching consistent.</p><p>The core of the staff has been together for this successful stretch of Atlanta baseball. Snitker, along with bench coach Walt Weiss, pitching coach Rick Kranitz and hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, have been together since 2019.</p><p>There is speculation that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-good-chance-braves-brian-snitker-retires-2025">Snitker will leave the Braves</a> after the 2025 season when his contract expires. He extended his contract in 2023. Snitker will be 70 next October.</p><p>If <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-brian-snitker-strong-declaration-future-sweep-padres">2025 is his last season</a> as an MLB manager, it could serve as a last dance for the Braves, at least with their current regime. Atlanta’s roster is built to contend for a while, but their coaching staff could look a lot different in 2026. They’ll have the same men guiding them for at least one more season.</p><h2><b>Braves back to contender status in 2025?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Atlanta-Braves-dugout.jpg"><figcaption>Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Even with all of their injuries, the Braves felt they were World Series contenders this season. They snuck into the playoffs in their final regular season game but couldn’t make any noise in the postseason, which is rare for the Braves.</p><p>Atlanta has been a playoff mainstay, but their last three seasons have ended in disappointment since winning the World Series in 2021. The Braves were dumped by the Phillies in the NLDS in 2022 and 2023, then were <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-michael-king-honest-takeaway-brian-snitker-historic-start">swept in the NL Wild Card Series</a> in 2024. Two playoff wins in three seasons is not what the Braves would equate to success.</p><p>Still, Atlanta will be on plenty of radars next season as a contender in the National League. If the stars can get healthy there’s no reason to believe the Braves can’t compete. Having Ronald Acuna Jr. and Austin Riley back in the fold should bring Atlanta’s offense back to form and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-ronald-acuna-jr-spencer-strider-injury-updates-2025">Spencer Strider should return</a> at some point to create an unbelievable pairing with Chris Sale.</p><p>There is disappointment and frustration from this season, especially because of the nature in which the Braves faltered. Injuries are tough to control and when they keep piling up it makes the road harder to navigate. Atlanta proved its resilience and can take something away from the down year.</p><p>The Braves are hoping they used all their bad luck this season and it can fuel a rebirth in 2025. They’ll have the personnel to do so and enter the season with a chip on their shoulder. Atlanta will be a tough place to play next season as the Braves try to reassert their dominance in the National League.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Braves reveal coaching plan after early postseason exit

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/padres-news-fans-dig-michael-king-2011-tweet-perfectly-fits-start-vs-braves');   ga('set', 'title', 'Fans dig up Michael King’s 2011 tweet that perfectly fits Padres start vs. Braves');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Padres-news-Fans-dig-up-Michael-Kings-2011-tweet-that-perfectly-fits-start-vs.-Braves.jpg"></figure><h1>Fans dig up Michael King’s 2011 tweet that perfectly fits Padres start vs. Braves</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-01T22:41:39-07:00">October 1st, 10:41pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-01T22:41:39-07:00">October 1st, 10:41pm</time><address><a>Michael Aaron Gomez</a>Michael Aaron Gomez is a creative writer and longtime NBA fan. He has been a fan of the Lakers since the three-peat but believes LeBron James is the greatest player of all time.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The San Diego Padres are one win away from advancing to the National League Division Series after taking Game 1 of the Wild Card series against the Atlanta Braves, 4-0. Winning the series would send the Padres against long-time rivals Los Angeles Dodgers, NL West champions. For now, the Padres have to thank pitcher <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-michael-king-mlb-history">Michael King for his stellar performance</a>, becoming the first pitcher to get 12 strikeouts while allowing zero runs and zero walks in his first career playoff start.</p><p>As thanks, Padres fans dug out one of King’s <a href="https://x.com/7Kinger14/status/90845334145740800" rel="noopener">tweets from 2011</a> that accurately captured his play against the Braves on Tuesday.</p><p>“I had a dream i was king… i woke up still king,” the Padres pitcher had posted on X, formerly Twitter.</p><h2><b>Game 1 NL Wild Card: Padres def. Braves</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Michael-King-walking-off-the-game.jpg"><figcaption>© Denis Poroy-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>With his performance vs. the Braves, Michael King joined fellow Padres pitchers Kevin Brown and Sterling Hitchcock as the only pitchers who logged double-digit strikeouts in a postseason game.</p><p>Last December, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/yankees-news-win-juan-soto-sweepstakes-completes-trade-with-padres">New York Yankees received Juan Soto</a> from the Padres in exchange for King and other players, and this trade seemed to have paid off for both teams.</p><p>King had debuted in the postseason with the Yankees in the AL playoff bubble in 2020, pitching two innings in Game 3 against the Tampa Bay Rays, who won the Division Series in five games.</p><p>Besides King, the Padres also saw Fernando Tatis, Jr. shine with a two-run homer in his return to the playoffs. Tatis had missed a few months this season because of a stress reaction in his right thighbone, but his return 415-foot shot sent the sellout crowd at Petco Park into a frenzy.</p><p>Moreover, this game is even more special for the 25-year-old pitcher since it’s <a href="https://www.espn.ph/mlb/recap?gameId=401701012" rel="noopener">his first playoff game</a> with fans in the stands. He had entered the playoffs for the first time in 2020, a season shortened by the pandemic.</p><p>Two seasons later, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-fernando-tatis-jr-facing-80-game-suspension-after-breaking-mlb-ped-policy">Tatis received an 80-game PED suspension</a> from the league, missing the Padres’ run to the 2022 NL Championship Series, having eliminated the 111-win Dodgers in the NLDS.</p><p>Tatis’ homer also happened on the anniversary of his two home-runs in a 2020 Wild Card Series game against the St. Louis Cardinals, under manager Mike Shildt, now in his first season as skipper for the Padres.</p><h2><b>Injuries and outlook</b></h2><p>Meanwhile, the Braves are without <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-cy-young-power-rankings-chris-sale-leads-tight-nl-race">2024 Cy Young Award favorite Chris Sale</a> for this Wild Card series vs. the Padres, scratched late against the New York Mets with back spasms. Sale would have helped out rookie AJ Smith-Shawver, who allowed three runs and four hits in 1 1/3 innings.</p><p>By defeating the Braves in Game 1, the Padres were the only one of four home teams that won their playoff opener on Tuesday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Fans dig up Michael King’s 2011 tweet that perfectly fits Padres start vs. Braves

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/padres-news-michael-king-honest-takeaway-brian-snitker-historic-start');   ga('set', 'title', 'Padres’ Michael King gets honest takeaway from Brian Snitker after historic start');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Michael-King-gets-honest-takeaway-from-Brian-Snitker-after-historic-start.jpg"></figure><h1>Padres’ Michael King gets honest takeaway from Brian Snitker after historic start</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-01T21:26:04-07:00">October 1st, 9:26pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-01T21:26:04-07:00">October 1st, 9:26pm</time><address><a>Mike Gianakos</a>Mike Gianakos is the former editor-in-chief of High Times magazine, where he also spearheaded the video department and event production. He is a longtime podcaster and even longer suffering NY Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt had a decision to make. He could have started his ace Dylan Cease in Game One of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/san-diego-padres-atlanta-braves-bold-predictions-2024-nl-wild-card">Padres Wild Card series against the Atlanta Braves</a>. Joe Musgrove or Yu Darvish would also have been solid options. But Shildt went with the lesser known Michael King, who had two innings of postseason experience entering the all-important series opener against Atlanta.</p><p>King rewarded his manager’s faith with a brilliant performance, shutting down the Braves and leading the Padres to a 4-0 victory. King went seven innings, allowing no runs on five hits and striking out 12 batters while issuing no walks. The 29-year-old righty <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-michael-king-mlb-history">made history with the win</a>, becoming the first pitcher to record 12 strikeouts without allowing a run or a walk in his first-ever postseason start.</p><p>While Shildt was no doubt proud, Braves manager Brian Snitker was also impressed by the Padres’ hurler’s performance. “<a href="https://x.com/sdutSanders/status/1841315209379787220" rel="noopener">Really good</a>. That sweeper, whatever, really good. I thought his fastball was really quick, too. It was getting on top of our guys. And we didn’t score but he did a great job. We had some opportunities and made pitches when he had to,” Snitker said of King, per the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Jeff Sanders on X.</p><p>The Padres acquired King in their <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-why-michael-king-no-longer-regrets-trade-from-yankees-to-san-diego-for-juan-soto">massive Juan Soto trade with the New York Yankees</a> prior to the 2024 season. The six-year veteran had spent five seasons in New York before swapping coasts. While King pitched well for the Yankees, he couldn’t quite catch on as a starter for the Bombers. However, he produced an excellent season as a member of San Diego’s rotation.</p><h2><b>The Padres’ Michael King was magnificent in his first postseason start</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Michael-King.jpg"><figcaption>Denis Poroy-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>King went 13-9 with a 2.95 ERA, 1.192 WHIP, 10.4 K/9 and an ERA+ of 139 in 173.2 innings for the Padres during the regular season. He accumulated 4.1 bWAR in 31 appearances (30 starts) for San Diego. And now he can add postseason stud to his resume.</p><p>Braves hitters were baffled by King as he struck out nine different batters in his seven innings of work. Meanwhile, the Padres provided some much needed run support early to boost the confidence of their first-time playoff starter.</p><p>Fernando Tatis Jr. crushed a 415-foot two-run bomb to left center in the first inning as San Diego quickly jumped on top of Atlanta. Catcher Kyle Higashioka added a sacrifice fly in the second inning to give the Padres a 3-0 lead. That was more than King would need. However, Higashioka added a solo homer in the eighth to make it a 4-0 game. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-jackson-merrill-surpasses-pirates-paul-skenes-nl-roy-betting-favorite">Rookie of the year frontrunner Jackson Merrill</a> made some history during San Diego’s win, becoming the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-jackson-merrill-makes-franchise-history-with-just-one-swing-vs-braves">youngest player in Padres’ history with a postseason hit</a>.</p><p>The two teams face off again on Wednesday as San Diego looks to advance to the NLDS while the Braves hope to stave off elimination. Unfortunately for Atlanta, ace <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-brian-snitker-chris-sale-update">Chris Sale will not be available</a> during the Wild Card round due to a back injury.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Padres’ Michael King gets honest takeaway from Brian Snitker after historic start

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/braves-vs-padres-nl-wild-card-game-2-prediction-odds-pick');   ga('set', 'title', 'Braves vs. Padres NL Wild Card Game 2 prediction, odds, pick');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Mets-Braves-Diamondbacks-vs.-Padres-NL-Wild-Card-Game-1-prediction-odds-pick-3.jpg"></figure><h1>Braves vs. Padres NL Wild Card Game 2 prediction, odds, pick</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-01T21:08:39-07:00">October 1st, 9:08pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-01T21:08:39-07:00">October 1st, 9:08pm</time><address><a>Cameron Zunkel</a>Cameron Zunkel is a former college athlete for the University of Illinois, Springfield. During that time, he earned his masters degree in Communication. After graduating in 2022, Cameron signed to play independent professional baseball with the Joliet Slammers, but his time was cut short due to injury. Nonetheless, his love for baseball and all sports never faded.Cameron loves the sports media and sports journalism side of things and does some light writing for a Chicago Cubs blog, as well. To go along with that, he loves sports betting and fantasy sports. He also loves digging on the research and creating content for both sports betting and fantasy sports!</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Atlanta Braves travel to SoCal to take on the San Diego Padres for game two of the NL Wild Card series. This game will continue our MLB odds <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting" rel="noopener">series</a> as we hand out a Braves-Padres prediction and pick. We will also let you know how to watch the game.</p><h2><b>Braves-Padres Game 2 Projected Starters </b></h2><p><b>Max Fried</b> vs. <b>Joe Musgrove</b></p><p><b>Max Fried </b>(11-10) with a 3.25 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 174.1 innings pitched, 166K/57BB, .226 oBA</p><p>Last Start: vs. Kansas City Royals: Win, 8.2 innings, 3 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts</p><p>2024 Road Splits: 17 starts, 3.26 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 99.1 innings pitched, 99K/33BB, .215 oBA</p><p><b>Joe Musgrove</b> (6-5) with a 3.88 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 99.2 innings pitched, 101K/23BB, .251 oBA</p><p>Last Start: at Los Angeles Dodgers: No Decision, 6.1 innings, 5 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts</p><p>2024 Home Splits: 12 starts, 3.86 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 65.1 innings pitched, 70K/11BB, .241 oBA</p><p><b><i>Here are the <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/mlb" rel="noopener">MLB Odds</a>, courtesy of FanDuel. </i></b></p><h2><b>NL Wild Card Odds: Braves-Padres Odds</b></h2><p>Atlanta Braves: -1.5 (+168)</p><p>Moneyline: +100</p><p>San Diego Padres: +1.5 (-205)</p><p>Moneyline: -118</p><p>Over: 6.5 (-122)</p><p>Under: 6.5 (+100)</p><h2><b>How to Watch Braves vs. Padres Game 1</b></h2><p>Time: 8:30 PM ET/5:30 PM PT</p><p>TV: ESPN2</p><p>Stream: fuboTV (<a href="https://www.fubo.tv/stream/mlb/?irad=377812&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener sponsored">Free Trial</a>)</p><h2><b>Why The Braves Will Cover The Spread/Win</b></h2><p>The Braves are on the cusp of elimination, and they do not have their ace in Chris Sale. However, they do have Max Fried, and he is the next best thing. His season numbers are fantastic, and he has been the pitcher the Braves needed. Well, they need him at least one more time in this game. He had a 2.14 ERA in the month of September, so he is throwing the ball very well. Along with that, his command has been as good as it gets. As long as Fried continues to pitch as he has been, the Braves have a great chance to force a game three.</p><p>Atlanta Needs to get to Musgrove. They did not get the chance to face Musgrove in the regular season, but he can get hittable. Musgrove is throwing the ball extremely well right now, so Atlanta has to really lock in, though. The Braves finished the regular season with the fourth-most home runs, ninth-best slugging percentage, and they hit the ball as hard as anyone. If Musgrove is not careful, the Braves will do a lot of damage at the plate and win this game.</p><h2><b>Why The Padres Will Cover The Spread/Win</b></h2><p>Joe Musgrove will take the mound for this game, and he is one of the Padres hottest pitchers. In September, Musgrove made five starts and had a 2.51 ERA. His ERA was inflated by his outing against the San Francisco Giants in which he allowed six runs, as well. Take away that outing and Musgrove has a 0.73 ERA. He is throwing the ball well at the right time, and the Padres need him to continue that if they want to make a run in the playoffs.</p><p>The Padres came into the playoffs as one of the hottest teams. Not only were they 16-8 in September, but they have been hot since the All Star break. After the All Star break, the Padres went 43-20 with a batting average of .267, and an OPS of .768. San Diego has one of the best overall offenses, and it has been showing. That is something they need to keep going. As long as the Padres continue to hit, they are going to sweep the Braves.</p><h2><b>Final Braves-Padres Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>This is going to be a pitchers duel. There is a reason the over/under is so low. Do not be surprised if both pitchers go six or seven strong innings as they are both coming into this game hot. I am full expecting there to be a game three, though. I will take the Max Fried to out-duel Musgrove and win this game for the Braves.</p><p><b>Final Braves-Padres Prediction &amp; Pick: Braves ML (+100)</b></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Braves vs. Padres NL Wild Card Game 2 prediction, odds, pick

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/braves-news-brian-snitker-chris-sale-update');   ga('set', 'title', 'Braves’ Brian Snitker reveals positive Chris Sale update');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/10-01-24-sale-featured.jpeg"></figure><h1>Braves’ Brian Snitker reveals positive Chris Sale update</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-01T17:19:44-07:00">October 1st, 5:19pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-01T17:19:44-07:00">October 1st, 5:19pm</time><address><a>David Korn</a>David Korn is an MLB associate editor at ClutchPoints. He is also a producer at MLB Network Radio and covers college basketball for A10Talk. David graduated from George Washington in 2023, where he was the radio play-by-play broadcaster for their Men's and Women's Basketball teams.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The biggest story going forward for the Atlanta Braves as they prepare for their Wild Card series against the San Diego Padres is Chris Sale’s health. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-chris-sale-scratched-before-must-win-game-vs-mets">Sale was a last-second scratch</a> from the win or go home Game 2 of Monday’s doubleheader and is not on the Braves’ Wild Card round roster as he <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-chris-sale-worrying-injury-update-atlanta-clinches-playoff-spot">continues to deal with a back issue</a>.</p><p>Ahead of Game 1 of their Wild Card round matchup against the Padres on Tuesday, Braves manager Brian Snitker provided <a href="https://twitter.com/DOBrienATL/status/1841243258795516089" rel="noopener">an update</a> on how Sale was feeling per David O’Brien of The Athletic.</p><p>Snitker said that he spoke to Sale on Tuesday morning and that he felt a “lot better” and confirmed that they hope to have Sale ready for the National League Division Series if they advance past the Padres. Snitker also said that Sale was upset about not being named to the Wild Card roster, but understands the decision is because of his injury status.</p><p>Sale has not pitched since Sept. 19, and even then he experienced a concerning drop in velocity during that start. Sale’s fastball averaged 94.9 mph this season, and even hit as high as 95.5 mph during the early innings of his start on Sept. 19, which ended up being his final appearance of the 2024 regular season. However, in the fourth and fifth innings that day, his fastball velocity dropped to around 90 mph.</p><p>While Snitker’s update is positive, there is still a real concern about whether or not Sale can return, and if he returns, how effective he will be.</p><h2>Chris Sale’s incredible 2024 season</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/10-01-24-sale-image.jpeg"><figcaption>© Matt Krohn-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>When the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-atlanta-acquires-chris-sale-red-sox-blockbuster-trade">Braves made a trade for Sale</a> with the Boston Red Sox, expectations were low about what the injury prone, 35-year-old Sale could actually provide. Sale’s last healthy, All-Star caliber season was in 2018, and many believed that his best days were already behind him.</p><p>However, a change of scenery may have been just what Sale needed. Through 29 starts, Sale won the National League pitching triple crown with 18 wins, a 2.38 ERA and 225 strikeouts and is the likely NL Cy Young Award winner.</p><p>Without Sale, the Braves likely would not have made the postseason. Injuries to ace Spencer Strider, reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. and third baseman Austin Riley could have sunk Atlanta. But, Sale was able to step up and show that he is still one of the best pitchers in all of baseball while leading his team to October.</p><p>Right now, the Braves just need to hope that if they advance, Sale will be ready to contribute in the next round.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Braves’ Brian Snitker reveals positive Chris Sale update

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/san-diego-padres-atlanta-braves-bold-predictions-2024-nl-wild-card');   ga('set', 'title', 'San Diego Padres vs. Atlanta Braves bold predictions for 2024 NL Wild Card');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/San-Diego-Padres-vs.-Atlanta-Braves-bold-predictions-for-2024-NL-Wild-Card_7d2c99.jpg"></figure><h1>San Diego Padres vs. Atlanta Braves bold predictions for 2024 NL Wild Card</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-01T14:18:38-07:00">October 1st, 2:18pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-01T14:25:26-07:00">October 1st, 2:25pm</time><address><a>Mike Gianakos</a>Mike Gianakos is the former editor-in-chief of High Times magazine, where he also spearheaded the video department and event production. He is a longtime podcaster and even longer suffering NY Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Atlanta Braves will take on the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card round, beginning Tuesday at 8:30pm est. Both teams enter the postseason red hot, earning the top two National League Wild Card berths. With plenty of storylines to delve into, we offer our <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-vs-padres-nl-wild-card-game-1-prediction-odds-pick">Padres-Braves Wild Card series</a> predictions.</p><p>The Padres finished an incredible 43-20 since returning from the All-Star break, good for the best record in baseball during that stretch. San Diego’s epic effort during the postseason push was impressive and makes them the favorite to beat the Braves in the best of three Wild Card series.</p><h2><b>ROY Frontrunner Jackson Merrill is clutch</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Jackson-Merrill.jpg"><figcaption>Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>San Diego was bolstered by the incredible performance of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-jackson-merrill-surpasses-pirates-paul-skenes-nl-roy-betting-favorite">Rookie of the Year betting favorite</a> Jackson Merrill. Merrill miraculously overtook Pittsburgh Pirates pitching phenom Paul Skenes, who appeared to be a lock for the award after an unreal first half of the season. But Merrill is clutch. He became the <a href="https://twitter.com/SlangsOnSports/status/1821382172864835894" rel="noopener">first player</a> 21 or younger with multiple homer games that included a tying or go-ahead dinger in the 9th or later, per Sarah Langs on X.</p><h2><b>Fernando Tatis Jr. is ready for a postseason peak</b></h2><p>After missing more than two months of the season with a right thigh ailment, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-fernando-tatis-jr-reveals-good-place-hes-in-after-injury-return">Tatis Jr. returned to the Padres lineup</a> in time to help the team with its playoff push. San Diego’s right fielder is positioned to give this team a boost in the postseason, where he has thrived in limited action. Tatis Jr. slashed .318/.444/.682 in six playoff contests during the 2020 season.</p><h2><b>Manny Machado remains a reliable contributor</b></h2><p>Machado turned in <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-manny-machado-gets-eye-opening-truth-from-ex-player">another solid season for the Padres</a>. San Diego’s third baseman delivered 30 doubles, 29 home runs, 105 RBI and 77 runs scored for the Padres. The two-time Gold Glove winner produced 3.2 bWAR in 152 games while playing his typical solid defense for the team. Jurickson Profar was also a major contributor for this Padres squad, delivering the best offensive season of his career.</p><p>While the Padres finished with the best second-half record in MLB, the Braves held their own. Atlanta went 36-31 since returning from the Midsummer Classic, which was the ninth-best record in baseball.</p><p>Unfortunately, the Braves are running into a buzzsaw in the Wild Card round, drawing the Padres in the best of three series.</p><h2><b>Chris Sale’s injury a major blow for Braves</b></h2><p>Atlanta ace Chris Sale was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-chris-sale-worrying-injury-update-atlanta-clinches-playoff-spot">dealt some brutal injury news</a> just before the postseason. The eight-time All-Star was scratched from the team’s must-win final game of the season. And now he’s not expected to pitch in the NL Wild Card series against the Padres.</p><p>The absence of Sale in a short series is a tremendous blow to Atlanta. The Braves will turn to rookie hurler AJ Smith-Shawver as their game one starter. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-atlanta-aj-smith-shawver-roster-opening-day">Smith-Shawver didn’t make the opening day roster</a> and has made one start this season. This will be his first career postseason start. Given Smith-Shawver’s inexperience, the Padres have a significant advantage at home.</p><h2><b>Marcell Ozuna is as steady as they come</b></h2><p>The Braves lost reigning NL MVP <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-ronald-acuna-jr-ruled-out-for-season-following-mri">Ronald Acuna Jr. for the season in May</a> due to a torn ACL in his left knee. A big reason for the team’s success in 2024 is due to DH Marcell Ozuna, who delivered another superb season in Atlanta. Ozuna had 31 doubles, 39 home runs, 104 RBI and 96 runs scored with a .925 OPS and an OPS+ of 154. The 12-year veteran played all 162 games for the Braves in 2024 and produced a 4.3 bWAR for the club. He was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-impossible-feat-marcell-ozuna-needs-pass-luis-arraez-nl-batting-title">narrowly bested by the Padres’ Luis Arraez</a> for the batting title.</p><p>Unfortunately, without Sale available and with the Padres boasting a ridiculous lineup of thumpers, the Braves have an uphill battle in the Wild Card round. Still, this is just the third time in the last five years the Padres have reached the playoffs. So Atlanta certainly has the postseason experience advantage. We shall see which team comes out on top in what’s sure to be an action-packed series.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

San Diego Padres vs. Atlanta Braves bold predictions for 2024 NL Wild Card

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/braves-news-chris-sale-worrying-injury-update-atlanta-clinches-playoff-spot');   ga('set', 'title', 'Chris Sale dealt worrying injury update after Braves clinch playoff spot');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Chris-Sale-dealt-worrying-injury-update-after-Atlanta-clinches-playoff-spot.jpg"></figure><h1>Chris Sale dealt worrying injury update after Braves clinch playoff spot</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-30T19:47:07-07:00">September 30th, 7:47pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-30T19:47:07-07:00">September 30th, 7:47pm</time><address><a>Russell Steinberg</a>Russell Steinberg covers Major League Baseball and the New York Liberty for ClutchPoints. A baseball and basketball lifer, he has written for Boardroom, SLAM, SB Nation, The Next, and more. He graduated from NYU in 2012 and still returns to serve as PA announcer and occasional broadcaster for the school’s basketball and volleyball teams.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>There’s not much that can dampen the mood for a Major League Baseball team when they <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-postseason-2024-bracket-teams-schedule">clinch the playoffs</a>, but the injury update the Atlanta Braves got on Chris Sale just might do it.</p><p>Hours after the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-chris-sale-scratched-before-must-win-game-vs-mets">Braves scratched Sale</a> from their must-win Game 162 on Monday, manager Brian Snitker <a href="https://x.com/JeffPassan/status/1840899079875727866" rel="noopener">told reporters</a> that he “does not expect” Sale to pitch in their National League Wild Card series this week against the San Diego Padres.</p><p>Sale initially told team personnel that he was experiencing back spasms on Monday. The club remained hopeful that he would be able to start game 2 of their doubleheader against the New York Mets if needed.</p><p>After the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-news-mets-clinch-playoff-spot-braves-wild-finish-fans-bonkers">Mets won the first game</a> in unforgettable, come-from-behind fashion to earn a trip to the postseason, the Braves still hoped to turn to Sale in the do-or-die second game.</p><p>He had not pitched since leaving his start with back pain on September 19. Snitker left open the possibility of him pitching in the week-plus since then, but Monday presented their first <a href="https://www.mlb.com/braves/news/chris-sale-scratched-from-game-2-of-doubleheader-vs-mets" rel="noopener">elimination game</a>.</p><p>“There were days that he would show up and everything would be good, and he’s like, ‘I’m good,’” Snitker explained, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com. “So we were going to wait for an elimination game. But I don’t think he felt great last night when he [increased his effort level] while throwing.”</p><p>Needing a win to advance to the postseason, the Braves instead turned to Grant Holmes, who pitched four scoreless innings with seven strikeouts in a 3-0 win.</p><h2><b>Chris Sale was ‘crushed’ to miss Braves’ regular season finale</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Chris-Sale.jpg"><figcaption>Brett Davis-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Despite his back pain, Sale still almost made his start. Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopolous admitted that the team deliberated before ultimately deciding to send Holmes to the mound.</p><p>Holmes pitched 1.2 innings the day before and learned only 30 minutes before game time that he would be the starter.</p><p>“[Sale] is crushed,” Anthopoulos said. “There was a little bit of, ‘Should he go out there or not?’ But ultimately at the end of the day, if you’re not at your best and you don’t ultimately believe you can help your team and you can hurt yourself, it’s not a good outcome across the board.”</p><p>Sale ended his 2024 regular season as the frontrunner for the National League Cy Young Award. In 29 starts, he went 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA, 225 strikeouts, and a 2.09 FIP — all league bests.</p><p>“We’re hoping, with some more rest, we can get him right and get to the next round,” Snitker said.</p><p>If the Braves advance to the NLDS, they will begin that series on Saturday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Chris Sale dealt worrying injury update after Braves clinch playoff spot

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mets-news-edwin-diaz-reveals-nsfw-message-carlos-mendoza-win-vs-braves');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mets’ Edwin Diaz reveals NSFW message to Carlos Mendoza in win vs. Braves');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Edwin-Diaz-reveals-NSFW-message-to-Carlos-Mendoza-in-win-vs.-Braves.jpg"></figure><h1>Mets’ Edwin Diaz reveals NSFW message to Carlos Mendoza in win vs. Braves</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-30T15:15:12-07:00">September 30th, 3:15pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-30T15:15:12-07:00">September 30th, 3:15pm</time><address><a>Matt De Lima</a>Matt De Lima is an Associate Editor for NFL and college football at ClutchPoints. He has been covering sports for over 12 years at sites like Sports Illustrated, The Game Day, and countless others. Born and raised in California, he is a graduate of Virginia Tech and a diehard Hokies fan who now resides in southern Maryland.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-news-mets-clinch-playoff-spot-braves-wild-finish-fans-bonkers">New York Mets clinched a spot in the playoffs</a> after scoring eight runs in the last two innings to surge to the win against the Atlanta Braves. Atlanta must win the second of today’s double-header to secure passage to the postseason. After allowing four runs, two earned, to give the lead back to the Braves, Edwin Diaz offered a blunt NSFW message to Mets manager Carlos Mendoza after being told by pitching coach Jeremy Hefner that he was <a href="https://x.com/TimBritton/status/1840855540320125222" rel="noopener">done after the eighth inning</a>, per The Athletic’s Tim Britton.</p><p>“I’m going back out. I don’t care what you say, I’m going back out,” Diaz said. “I got this shit.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Edwin Díaz shares what he told Carlos Mendoza after Francisco Lindor's home run in the 9th inning:</p><p>"I got this s–t." <a href="https://t.co/ogFUIItV1M">pic.twitter.com/ogFUIItV1M</a></p><p>— SNY (@SNYtv) <a href="https://twitter.com/SNYtv/status/1840855439476470156?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Diaz closed out the game in the ninth to secure the win. He finished with 1.2 innings pitched, three hits, two earned runs, one walk, two strikeouts, a blown save and the win.</p><h2><b>Mets’ big turnaround rewarded with postseason berth</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Mets-Edwin-Diaz-dapping-up-the-catcher.jpg"><figcaption>© Michael McLoone-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>It wasn’t always pretty, but the Mets are still in it. They’ve come a long way since their 2023 75-87 season. It’s easy to forget the Mets were excellent in 2022, powered by one of the best pitching staffs that year.</p><p>The Mets were bailed out by Francisco Lindor, who hit an RBI single in the top of the eighth and then jacked a home run in the ninth to retake the lead 8-7.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"Extremely special. It's been a long journey."</p><p>What a moment for Francisco Lindor and the Mets 💙 <a href="https://t.co/FLi8quDg3s">pic.twitter.com/FLi8quDg3s</a></p><p>— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1840851655568605639?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“It was just a great overall team win. Extremely special, it’s been a long journey,” Lindor said. “It has been hard. It has been an uphill fight since the beginning of the year. We never quit. We’re definitely going to enjoy this one.”</p><p>“I really wanted this one. Not for myself but guys like (Jose) Iglesias, everybody in that clubhouse,: Lindor said. “Steve Cohen, everybody. Our families, my wife, my daughters back home. I wanted it for everybody.”</p><p>If the Mets win Game 2 against the Braves, New York will receive the fifth seed, and Arizona will receive the sixth seed. If the Braves win, they get the fifth seed, the Mets will receive the sixth seed with Arizona losing the tiebreaker.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mets’ Edwin Diaz reveals NSFW message to Carlos Mendoza in win vs. Braves

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/braves-news-impossible-feat-marcell-ozuna-needs-pass-luis-arraez-nl-batting-title');   ga('set', 'title', 'The impossible feat Braves’ Marcell Ozuna needs to pass Luis Arraez for NL batting title');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/The-impossible-feat-Marcell-Ozuna-needs-to-pass-Luis-Arraez-for-NL-batting-title.jpg"></figure><h1>The impossible feat Braves’ Marcell Ozuna needs to pass Luis Arraez for NL batting title</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-30T07:01:23-07:00">September 30th, 7:01am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-30T07:01:23-07:00">September 30th, 7:01am</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>Rexwell Villas is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He's a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, and he claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>San Diego Padres star Luis Arraez is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-luiz-arraez-sits-as-shohei-ohtani-continues-triple-crown-pursuit">virtually assured of the National League batting title</a> for the 2024 MLB season. Virtually because there is still a microscopic chance that Atlanta Braves designated hitter/outfielder Marcell Ozuna steals the award from Arraez. Still, Arraez can go ahead and host a party, considering what Ozuna had to pull off in the last two Atlanta games in the regular season.</p><p>As of Sunday, Ozuna has a batting average of .304 while Arraez concluded his campaign with a .314 clip. Ozuna is third in the NL with Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani second with a .310 batting average. But like Arraez and the Padres, the Dodgers don’t have a regular-season game left to play, leaving Ozuna as the only person with a chance to unseat Arraez atop the NL batting list.</p><p>Then again, Ozuna needs the impossible to happen. Well, maybe not impossible, but it is still a staggering long shot for him, as he <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/41517783/luis-arraez-holds-deny-shohei-ohtani-triple-crown" rel="noopener">needs to go 9-for-9 on Monday</a>, when the Braves play an important doubleheader against the New York Mets at Truist Park, as noted by the Associated Press (h/t ESPN).</p><h2><b>Can Braves’ Marcell Ozuna pull off the impossible?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Marcell-Ozuna-of-the-Braves-in-action.jpg"><figcaption>© Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Ozuna would have been in a much better position to win the batting crown in the NL if he hadn’t gone cold in a recent series against the Kansas City Royals. During that three-leg series at home, Ozuna went hitless across 12 plate appearances and 10 at-bats. Before the Kansas City series, Ozuna was batting .310 on the season.</p><p>The challenge to 9-for-9 in the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mets-vs-braves-game-1-prediction-odds-pick-9-30-2024">Braves-Mets doubleheader</a> is a big ask for Ozuna. At this point, Arraez doesn’t have to feel uncomfortable.</p><p>But for what it’s worth, Ozuna is 6-for-12 with two home runs and a double in his career against Tylor Megill, who is scheduled to start the first game of the doubleheader. Meanwhile, Ozuna is 2-for-6 with a home run versus Luis Severino, who will take the ball in the final game of the Braves-Mets twin bill.</p><p>There is so much more at stake this Monday for the Braves, though.</p><p>If Atlanta wins at least one game in the doubleheader, they will be making the playoffs as a wild card team. The Braves, Mets, and Arizona Diamondbacks are all still contending for the third and final wild card ticket in the National League, and their respective playoff fates will be determined by what happens in the Atlanta-New York doubleheader.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

The impossible feat Braves’ Marcell Ozuna needs to pass Luis Arraez for NL batting title

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mets-news-jd-martinez-uinfair-schedule-wild-card-ticket-hunt');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mets’ J.D. Martinez calls out ‘uinfair’ schedule amid wild card ticket hunt');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/J.D.jpg"></figure><h1>Mets’ J.D. Martinez calls out ‘uinfair’ schedule amid wild card ticket hunt</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-29T19:00:38-07:00">September 29th, 7:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-29T19:00:38-07:00">September 29th, 7:00pm</time><address><a>Christopher Hennessy</a>Christopher Hennessy graduated with a journalism degree from Fordham University in 2022. He has also worked at Spectrum News One in Albany, New York and with The Hockey Writers as a New York Islanders writer. Chris is originally from Connecticut and is a lifelong New York Yankees, Islanders, and Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New York Mets and Atlanta Braves are playing a<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-atlantas-game-mets-ppd-made-up-crucial-doubleheader"> doubleheader on Monday for playoff positioning</a>. Their original games were scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday of this past week but were postponed because of Hurricane Helene. Each team just needs one win to lock up their spot. Mets designated hitter JD Martinez told Rich Rovito of AP <a href="https://apnews.com/article/mets-brewers-score-lindor-peterson-785d6438f40c624feecaf31c717d4fbb" rel="noopener">that the two-game Monday</a> is unfair as the playoffs approach.</p><p>“I wish MLB would push the playoffs back a little bit. I think it’s an unfair advantage to the team we’re going to play,” the Mets veteran said. “We know what’s on the line and are going to scratch to win those games and then have to turn around and get on a flight after. It’s going to be a tough task. We’ve just got to suck it up and find a way to get through it.”</p><p>The Mets and Braves are the only games on the schedule for Monday. The rest of the league is either done with their season or resting up for the playoffs. That includes the Padres and Brewers, who would be the possible opponents for the team that clinches.</p><h2><b>Mets must move past “unfair” claims</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/JD-Martinez-with-New-York-Mets.jpg"><figcaption>Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>While there is certainly a rest advantage for the host teams, the Mets could have rendered these games meaningless. They lost the first two games of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mets-news-pete-alonso-new-york-outlook-loss-brewers">their season-ending series against the Brewers</a> this weekend. They only needed one of those games to flip their way to clinch a spot in the postseason.</p><p>The Mets will either head back to Milwaukee or out to San Diego. If they split the doubleheader, the Braves will be the other team and the Mets will face the Padres. If the Mets sweep the Braves, New York will face the Brewers and the Diamondbacks will face the Padres. The only thing that they cannot do is lose both games, as that is how they will miss the postseason.</p><p>It is in the Mets’ best interest to get the job done in game one. They will face Spencer Schwellenbach, who has dominated them so far this year. In two starts,<a href="https://twitter.com/StoolBaseball/status/1840520679990665405" rel="noopener"> he has pitched</a> 14 innings and allowed one run on five hits. If they struggle against him again, they’ll face Chris Sale, who is 18-3 this season.</p><p>Fangraphs gives the Mets a 67.2% <a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/standings/playoff-odds" rel="noopener">chance of winning</a> one of these two games. While they will likely lose the pitching matchup on paper, it will take only one great performance to get them into the postseason.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mets’ J.D. Martinez calls out ‘uinfair’ schedule amid wild card ticket hunt

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mets-vs-braves-game-1-prediction-odds-pick-9-30-2024');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mets vs. Braves Game 1 prediction, odds, pick – 9/30/2024');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Mets-vs.-Braves-prediction-odds-pick.jpg"></figure><h1>Mets vs. Braves Game 1 prediction, odds, pick – 9/30/2024</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-29T18:25:04-07:00">September 29th, 6:25pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-29T18:26:49-07:00">September 29th, 6:26pm</time><address><a>Cameron Zunkel</a>Cameron Zunkel is a former college athlete for the University of Illinois, Springfield. During that time, he earned his masters degree in Communication. After graduating in 2022, Cameron signed to play independent professional baseball with the Joliet Slammers, but his time was cut short due to injury. Nonetheless, his love for baseball and all sports never faded.Cameron loves the sports media and sports journalism side of things and does some light writing for a Chicago Cubs blog, as well. To go along with that, he loves sports betting and fantasy sports. He also loves digging on the research and creating content for both sports betting and fantasy sports!</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New York Mets hit the road for the final day of the regular season to take on the Atlanta Braves. Below we will continue our MLB odds <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting" rel="noopener">series</a> with a Mets-Braves prediction and pick. We will also let you know how to watch the game.</p><p>This game has a lot of playoff implications. Monday will be a double-header, and both teams are in danger of missing the playoffs. If the either team wins just one game, they are in. If one team gets swept, they are out, and the Arizona Diamondbacks are in. Needless to say, this is a massive game.</p><h2><b>Mets-Braves Projected Starters </b></h2><p><b>Tylor Megill</b> vs. <b>Spencer Schwellenbach</b></p><p><b>Tylor Megill</b> (4-5) with a 3.98 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 72.1 innings pitched, 83K/30BB, .226 oBA</p><p>Last Start: vs. Philadelphia Phillies: No Decision, 4 innings, 4 hits, 1 run, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts</p><p>2024 Road Splits: 5 starts, 4.81 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 24.1 innings pitched, 32K/11BB, .232 oBA</p><p><b>Spencer Schwellenbach</b> (8-7) with a 3.47 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 116.2 innings pitched, 122K/23BB, .230 oBA</p><p>Last Start: vs. New York Mets: Win, 7 innings, 3 hits, 1 earned, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts</p><p>2024 Home Splits: 10 starts, 3.62 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 59.2 innings pitched, 65K/8BB, .228 oBA</p><p><b><i>Here are the <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/mlb" rel="noopener">MLB Odds</a>, courtesy of FanDuel. </i></b></p><h2><b>MLB Odds: Mets-Braves Odds</b></h2><p>New York Mets: +1.5 (-164)</p><p>Moneyline: +130</p><p>Atlanta Braves: -1.5 (+136)</p><p>Moneyline: -154</p><p>Over: 8 (-110)</p><p>Under: 8 (-110)</p><h2><b>How to Watch Mets vs. Braves</b></h2><p>Time: 1:10 PM ET/10:10 AM PT</p><p>TV: ESPN2</p><p>Stream: fuboTV (<a href="https://www.fubo.tv/stream/mlb/?irad=377812&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener sponsored">Free Trial</a>)</p><h2><b>Why The Mets Will Cover The Spread/Win</b></h2><p>New York needs to be stellar on the mound because they have a tough matchup at the plate. The good news is the Braves have Tylor Megill on the mound and he is hot lately. In his last five starts, the Mets are 5-0. Megill himself has a 1.78 ERA through 25.1 innings pitched. In those innings, Megill has allowed just 17 hits, and struck out 28. He is pitching well, and the Mets are benefitting from it. If he can continue throwing the ball well, the Mets will win this game.</p><p>Megill is a pitcher that gets stronger as the game goes on, so he just needs to limit the damage the first time through the lineup. When opposing hitters face Megill for the second time they are batting .200. That average drops to .159 the third time through the order. As long as Megill can limit the damage the first time through the order, the Mets will have success in this first game.</p><h2><b>Why The Braves Will Cover The Spread/Win</b></h2><p>Schwellenbach is the guy the Braves want on the mound in a big game; if it can’t be Chris Sale. Schwellenbach is having an awesome season, and the Braves really need that to continue in this game. He is pitching well at the right time for the Braves. In September, Schwellenbach has a 2.73 ERA in five starts. In his last three starts, he is 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA and 19 innings pitched. With the way he is throwing, there is a lot of reasons to be confident in the Braves.</p><p>Schwellenbach’s last start was against the Mets, and it was very good. In fact, it was technically the first game of this series. It should not be a surprise that he pitched well, though. Schwellenbach has dominated the Mets this season. In his two starts, he has thrown 14 innings, allowed just five hits, struck out 15, walked one, and his ERA is 0.64. As long as he continues to pitch as he is, the Braves will clinch their playoff spot.</p><h2><b>Final Mets-Braves Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>This game will decide which team definitely makes the playoffs. I think that team will be the Braves. Schwellenbach has dominated the Mets, and he is pitching well lately. I am expecting that to continue Monday. I will take the Braves to win this game straight up Monday afternoon.</p><p><b>Final Mets-Braves Prediction &amp; Pick: Braves ML (-154)</b></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mets vs. Braves Game 1 prediction, odds, pick – 9/30/2024

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb-news-every-braves-mets-diamondbacks-playoff-scenario');   ga('set', 'title', 'Every Braves, Mets, Diamondbacks MLB playoff scenario');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Every-Braves-Mets-Diamondbacks-playoff-scenario.jpg?w=1024"></figure><h1>Every Braves, Mets, Diamondbacks MLB playoff scenario</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-29T11:05:45-07:00">September 29th, 11:05am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-29T12:03:28-07:00">September 29th, 12:03pm</time><address><a href="https://linktr.ee/jordan.llanes">Jordan Llanes</a>Jordan Llanes is a sports writer and reporter based in Florida. In addition to ClutchPoints, he writes for a few other publications covering the NFL, college sports and Tottenham Hotspur. When he's not writing, Jordan enjoys spending time with his fiancée, cats, family and friends, as well as catching the latest TV shows and movies, and traveling.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>As the 2024 regular season comes to a close, the final two NL Wild Card spots are still up for grabs. The San Diego Padres have already clinched the first wild card slot, but their division rival, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mets-news-nys-hilarious-message-padres-amid-san-diego-juggernaut-vs-diamondbacks">the Arizona Diamondbacks,</a> are up for one of the remaining spots. Two NL East rivals in the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets are also in the hunt. As Sunday’s games progress, the playoff picture should get clearer. The different scenarios <a href="https://x.com/JeffPassan/status/1840422181185990729" rel="noopener">were broken down by</a> ESPN’s Jeff Passan on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>“The upshot: The Braves are in a very good position,” reported Passan on the social media site. “The Mets control their own destiny. And the Diamondbacks need quite a bit of help.”</p><p>Eight different scenarios are in play, and the Diamondbacks do need help in all of them. The likeliest paths have <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mets-nightmare-seeding-scenario-matchup-2024-mlb-playoffs">Atlanta and New York</a> making the dance, with Arizona on the outside looking in. Yet, there is a lot that can happen on Sunday and on Monday, when the Mets and Braves are scheduled to play in a doubleheader. Both of those games could still be played depending on what happens Sunday. Which of these three teams will make it into the annual gauntlet?</p><h2><b>How can Mets, Braves and Diamondbacks clinch playoff spots?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Mets-SS-Francisco-Lindor_12d6ff.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Starting with the Diamondbacks, who need the most help to get in the postseason in each of the eight scenarios. If both the Mets and Braves win today and Arizona loses, then the defending NL champions are out of the dance. They need one or both teams to lose on Sunday in order to have a chance. A variety of different options <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/diamondbacks-why-arizona-must-win-world-series-in-2023">can get the Diamondbacks</a> into the playoffs, but they definitely do need some help from their fellow contenders and the teams they are playing Sunday.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/new-york-mets-2024-over-under-regular-season-win-total">The Mets are certainly</a> in control of their own hopes. If they win, they are in. Plain and simple. Shortstop Francisco Lindor and first baseman Pete Alonso have helped to pace a solid New York offense, and beating the Milwaukee Brewers today would get them into a great position. Winning today and one of tomorrow’s games against their division rivals in Atlanta would get them into the postseason.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/atlanta-braves-2024-over-under-regular-season-win-total">The Braves look poised</a> to return to the playoffs once again. If they win today, they are in. Also, plain and simple. One of the games tomorrow would still be necessary. Winning the first game tomorrow would likely make the second game unnecessary, as it would just be for seeding purposes.</p><p>It all comes down to today’s results. Will the Braves and Mets return to the playoffs? Will the Diamondbacks be able to get in and defend their NL title? Winning is the easiest path to solidifying their respective chances. Sunday’s scenarios just go to show how much fun late season baseball can be.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Every Braves, Mets, Diamondbacks MLB playoff scenario

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/royals-vs-braves-prediction-odds-pick-9-29-2024');   ga('set', 'title', 'Royals vs. Braves prediction, odds, pick – 9/29/2024');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Royals-vs.-Braves-prediction-odds-pick.jpg"></figure><h1>Royals vs. Braves prediction, odds, pick – 9/29/2024</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-28T18:56:40-07:00">September 28th, 6:56pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-28T18:57:26-07:00">September 28th, 6:57pm</time><address><a>RB Hayek</a>RB Hayek has been writing about sports for over a decade and is currently a member of ClutchPoints' Betting team. In addition, he is also a published author of thriller novels, available on Amazon. Rob went 42-27 against the spread (49-20) in July.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Kansas City Royals will finish their regular season against the Atlanta Braves on Sunday at Truist Park. Playoff spots are on the line as we share our MLB odds <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting" rel="noopener">series</a> and make a Royals-Braves prediction and pick.</p><h2><b>Royals-Braves Projected Starters </b></h2><p><b>Cole Ragans </b>vs. <b>TBD</b></p><p><b>Cole Ragans </b>(11-9) with a 3.14 ERA</p><p>Last Start: Ragans went six innings in his last outing, hurling a three-hit shutout while striking out six and walking two in a no-decision against the Washington Nationals.</p><p>2024 Road Splits: Ragans has done better on the road, going 4-4 with a 2.87 ERA with 15 starts away from home.</p><p><b>TBA</b></p><p>The Braves have not announced a starting pitcher for this one. However, they are likely to use Reynaldo Lopez, Charlie Morton, or Grant Holmes.</p><p><b><i>Here are the <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/mlb" rel="noopener">MLB Odds</a>, courtesy of FanDuel. </i></b></p><h2><b>MLB Odds: Royals-Braves Odds</b></h2><p>Kansas City Royals: +1.5 (-125)</p><p>Moneyline: +165</p><p>Atlanta Braves: -1.5 (+105)</p><p>Moneyline: -200</p><p>Over: 7.5 (-110)</p><p>Under: 7.5 (-110)</p><h2><b>How to Watch Royals vs. Braves </b></h2><p>Time: 3:20 PM ET/12:20 PM PT</p><p>TV: Bally Sports Southeast</p><p>Stream: fuboTV (<a href="https://www.fubo.tv/stream/mlb/?irad=377812&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener sponsored">Free Trial</a>)</p><h2><b>Why The Royals Will Cover The Spread/Win</b></h2><p>The Royals clinched a playoff spot recently and will be making their first postseason appearance since 2015 when they won the World Series. Now, they are playing for positioning. The Royals will likely face the Houston Astros in the Wildcard Round. However, there is still a slight chance they can sneak past the Detroit Tigers and snag the second wildcard spot, earning them a spot against the Baltimore Orioles in the Wildcard Round. Regardless, they need their offense to do well in this one.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/royals-news-bobby-witt-jr-mlb-feat-no-shortstop-before-achieved" rel="noopener">Bobby Witt Jr.</a> is phenomenal and continues to set team records. Remarkably, he came into the day with 32 home runs, 109 RBIs, and 124 runs. His leadership and perchance for getting on base have been elite. Therefore, expect him to be a significant part of this offense as he attempts to power them into the postseason and past the Wildcard Round. The Royals have been without Vinnie Pasquantino since August. Thus, they have had to adjust to his absence. Salvador Perez has been solid. So far, he is batting .271 with 27 home runs, 104 RBIs, and 58 runs.</p><p>Ragans has had a quietly solid season. Ultimately, he is dependable and a pitcher the Royals trust. When Ragans departs, he will turn it over to a bullpen that has struggled, ranking 21st in team ERA. Even worse, the Royals do not have an established closer, meaning someone must step up to fill the void. Lately, that has been Lucas Erceg. He is 2-6 with a 3.36 ERA and 14 saves. Amazingly, he has tossed three consecutive clean games while closing out games for the Royals.</p><p>The Royals will cover the spread if Witt gets on base, and Perez can contribute by driving him in. Then, they need another solid outing from Ragans while hoping the bullpen can hold the fort.</p><h2><b>Why The Braves Will Cover The Spread/Win</b></h2><p>The Braves have been bruised and battered all season. Despite that, the ultra-talented Braves have a chance to steal a playoff spot from the New York Mets or Arizona Diamondbacks. Substantially, a win here would help their cause. But the Braves still may have to play two games against the Mets on Monday to determine who gets into the postseason. Significantly, they need what is left of their offense to produce. Atlanta came into Sunday ahead of the Mets, who lost Saturday to the Brewers. Therefore, a win plus a Mets’ loss on Sunday gives them a ticket to the postseason.</p><p>The Braves won Friday’s game despite scoring only three runs. Sadly, that is not going to be good enough on most nights. In other words, they need more offense, especially if they wish to make it to the postseason. Somehow, the offense on Friday came from Sean Murphy, who clubbed his 10th home run of the season. But the Braves need more from the stars who are still healthy. Thus, Marcell Ozuna and Matt Olson must find ways to get on base and batter the baseball. If they do not, the Braves don’t have much of a chance, especially because they are already without Austin Riley and Ronald Acuna Jr.</p><p>The Braves have not announced a starting pitcher yet. Thus, watch what they plan to do for this game. When the starter exits the game, he will turn it over to the third-best bullpen in baseball. Raisel Iglesias is the closer and has done a good job of shutting down games.</p><p>The Braves will cover the spread if they can find any offense and score multiple runs. Then, they need a good start from whoever takes the mound and for the bullpen to hold.</p><h2><b>Final Royals-Braves Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>The Royals are 87-74 against the run line, while the Braves are 74-85. Additionally, the Royals are 45-35 against the run line on the road, while the Braves are 32-46 at home. Both teams have some injuries. However, no team has been as decimated by them as the Braves have. Ragans is likely better than whoever the Braves throw out there. Going to give the Royals the edge due to the pitching matchup.</p><p><b>Final Royals-Braves Prediction &amp; Pick:</b></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Royals vs. Braves prediction, odds, pick – 9/29/2024

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/braves-news-max-fried-drops-truth-bomb-dominant-outing-vs-royals');   ga('set', 'title', 'Braves’ Max Fried drops truth bomb on dominant outing vs. Royals');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/0Max-Fried-drops-truth-bomb-on-dominant-outing-vs.-Royals0.jpg"></figure><h1>Braves’ Max Fried drops truth bomb on dominant outing vs. Royals</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-28T12:00:22-07:00">September 28th, 12:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-28T12:00:22-07:00">September 28th, 12:00pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After pitching 8.2 shutout innings, Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Max Fried received a standing ovation in the bottom of the ninth of the Braves’ 3-0 win over the Kansas City Royals in what could have been Fried’s last game at Truist Park, this season. With four games remaining and a potential three-way tie with the New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks brewing, Braves manager <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-atlanta-makes-chris-sale-plan-amid-postseason-push">Brian Snitker is delaying Chris Sale’s next start</a> amid a postseason push. After Friday’s win, Fried spoke <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5800793/2024/09/28/braves-max-fried-wild-card/?source=emp_shared_article" rel="noopener">to the ovation he received</a>, considering it could have been his last start of the year, per The Athletic’s David O’Brien.</p><p>“I’d be lying if I said it didn’t cross my mind,” Fried said.</p><p>With the win, the Braves (87-71) tied the Mets for second place in the NL Wild Card standings, with the Diamondbacks trailing by half a game.</p><h2><b>Brian Snitker says Max Fried was ‘on a mission’ in 3-0 win versus Royals</b></h2><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Braves’ Max Fried drops truth bomb on dominant outing vs. Royals

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/royals-vs-braves-prediction-odds-pick-9-28-2024');   ga('set', 'title', 'Royals vs. Braves prediction, odds, pick – 9/28/2024');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Royals-vs.-Braves-prediction-odds-pick.jpg"></figure><h1>Royals vs. Braves prediction, odds, pick – 9/28/2024</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-27T21:01:57-07:00">September 27th, 9:01pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-27T21:01:57-07:00">September 27th, 9:01pm</time><address><a>Nate Duffett</a>Nate Duffett is a writer for ClutchPoints and a sports junkie at heart, especially for the Boston sports scene. In his spare time, he coaches hockey and is also a Hockey Scout at FCHockey and NeutralZone. Whether it's covering the NHL, MLB, NBA, NFL, or College Football and Basketball, there is not a sport Nate isn't able to discuss.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Kansas City Royals and Atlanta Braves started their series with a 3-0 Braves victory on Friday night. The Royals needed a win to clinch a spot in the 2024 postseason but completed the task anyway because of the Minnesota Twins’ loss. The Braves were chasing the New York Mets for the final wild card, and their chances also increased after the Mets lost to the Milwaukee Brewers. Atlanta’s win over the Royals on Friday gave them five-straight, and four dating back to last season. The Braves have won those four games in the previous year by a combined score of 27-10. The Royals are severely limping into the playoffs, and they are lucky the Twins were even worse down the stretch. It’s time to continue our MLB odds <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting" rel="noopener">series</a> with a Royals-Braves prediction and pick.</p><h2><b>Royals-Braves Projected Starters </b></h2><p><b>Seth Lugo</b> vs. <b>Reynaldo Lopez</b></p><p><b>Seth Lugo</b> is 16-9 with a 3.03 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP.</p><p>Lugo’s last start was at home against the San Francisco Giants, resulting in a 2-0 loss. He pitched 7 innings with 5 strikeouts, allowing 3 hits, no walks, and 2 earned runs.</p><p>Lugo is 9-3 on the road with a 2.67 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP.</p><p><b>Reynaldo Lopez</b> is 8-5 with a 2.03 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP.</p><p>Lopez’s last start was at home against the Colorado Rockies. He pitched 6 innings with 11 strikeouts, allowing 5 hits, no walks, and 2 earned runs.</p><p>Lopez is 4-2 at home with a 1.82 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP.</p><p><b><i>Here are the <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/mlb" rel="noopener">MLB Odds</a>, courtesy of FanDuel. </i></b></p><h2><b>MLB Odds: Royals-Braves Odds</b></h2><p>Kansas City Royals: +1.5 (-180)</p><p>Moneyline: +120</p><p>Atlanta Braves: -1.5 (+135)</p><p>Moneyline: -140</p><p>Over: 7.5 (-110)</p><p>Under: 7.5 (-110)</p><h2><b>How to Watch Royals vs. Braves</b></h2><p>Time: 7:20 PM ET/4:20 PM PT</p><p>TV: Bally Sports Network</p><p>Stream: fuboTV (<a href="https://www.fubo.tv/stream/mlb/?irad=377812&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener sponsored">Free Trial</a>)</p><h2><b>Why The Royals Will Cover The Spread/Win</b></h2><p>Seth Lugo has found his form with the Royals and is one of the main reasons they’ve been able to get a playoff spot this season. He has been successful recently, allowing two or fewer earned runs in four of his past five starts. The Braves are due for a regression game, as they’ve been in unbelievable form.</p><h2><b>Why The Braves Will Cover The Spread/Win</b></h2><p>The Braves had a top-notch pitcher on the mound on Friday with Max Fried, and have an even better one on the hill with Reynaldo Lopez. Lopez has allowed two or more earned runs in just two of his last seven outings and should be able to handle the Royals in this matchup.</p><h2><b>Final Royals-Braves Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>It wasn’t the storybook way that the Royals would’ve liked to clinch their postseason berth, but they did it by the Twins losing on Friday night. Regardless, that clinch will severely damage the Royals’ motivation to win this game after they were able to celebrate the accomplishment. Nothing has changed for these two teams from Friday night’s game, as every Braves game will be important until their doubleheader against the Mets on Monday. The Braves must win again; if Friday night showed us anything, they will.</p><p>We’ll also add the under in this game, as the Royals’ lack of motivation could cause their offense to sputter again on Saturday. They generated zero runs on Friday night, and the Braves were only able to score three. Seth Lugo and Reynaldo Lopez have been in top form over their past five starts and could continue that run in this game.</p><p><b>Final Royals-Braves Prediction &amp; Pick: Braves -1.5 (+135) and Under 7.5 (-110)</b></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Royals vs. Braves prediction, odds, pick – 9/28/2024

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/braves-news-atlanta-makes-chris-sale-plan-amid-postseason-push');   ga('set', 'title', 'Braves make Chris Sale plan amid postseason push');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Braves-Chris-Sale.jpg"></figure><h1>Braves make Chris Sale plan amid postseason push</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-27T08:47:12-07:00">September 27th, 8:47am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-27T08:47:12-07:00">September 27th, 8:47am</time><address><a>Sam DiGiovanni</a>Sam DiGiovanni started at ClutchPoints as an associate editor in 2021 and became the site's Philadelphia 76ers beat reporter ahead of the 2022-23 season. He graduated from Marist College in May of 2022 and has written for TheKnicksWall.com and CenterFieldMarist.com in the past.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Although the Atlanta Braves’ streak of consecutive NL East titles has ended at six, they are still in the hunt for the postseason. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-atlantas-game-mets-ppd-made-up-crucial-doubleheader">wonky rescheduling</a> of the rest of its series with the New York Mets has put them in a peculiar spot as they try to earn a Wild Card bid. They had to rework their starting pitching rotation to make Chris Sale potentially available against the Mets, who narrowly lead them in the standings.</p><p>Sale was going to start Wednesday’s game against the Mets but it was one of two that was postponed to a doubleheader on Monday. The NL Cy Young favorite could have been instantly slated to start on Saturday or Sunday but Atlanta has decided to save him for an elimination situation and start Max Fried to begin its weekend series against the Kansas City Royals.</p><p>David O’Brien of The Athletic summarized <a href="https://x.com/DOBrienATL/status/1839680813266354664" rel="noopener">the plan and its rationale</a> like this: “Basically, Braves are saving Sale for an elimination game. He’s ready and was part of the planning process. They considered starting him Friday, but they (with Sale in the discussion) decided on this plan. Fried is more routine-oriented, doesn’t like so many extra days rest, etc.”</p><h2><b>Braves tweak pitching plans to save Chris Sale for doubleheader vs. Mets</b></h2><p>Although the Braves are surely keeping an eye on the doubleheader with its division rivals ahead, the Royals are also playing for positioning in the postseason, so Atlanta shouldn’t assume it will win any games. Sale, who will get some extra rest after his velocity was down in his last start, must stay ready to go and pitch his best.</p><p>Sale <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-news-tarik-skubal-chris-sale-combine-wild-feat-not-seen-before" rel="noopener">has been outstanding</a> in his first season with the Braves and is on track to win the first Cy Young award of his career. He leads MLB in ERA (2.38), FIP (2.09), pitching wins (18) and strikeouts per nine innings (11.4). That’s the type of player you want to have ready if your season is on life support.</p><p>The Braves will start Fried on Friday but have not yet listed probable starters for the remainder of the regular season. O’Brien added that Fried was also involved with the formation of this plan and that he prefers to pitch on normal rest rather than extra.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Braves make Chris Sale plan amid postseason push

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/royals-vs-braves-prediction-odds-pick-9-27-2024');   ga('set', 'title', 'Royals vs. Braves prediction, odds, pick – 9/27/2024');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Royals-vs.-Braves-prediction-odds-pick.jpg"></figure><h1>Royals vs. Braves prediction, odds, pick – 9/27/2024</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-27T05:05:36-07:00">September 27th, 5:05am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-27T05:05:36-07:00">September 27th, 5:05am</time><address><a>Nate Duffett</a>Nate Duffett is a writer for ClutchPoints and a sports junkie at heart, especially for the Boston sports scene. In his spare time, he coaches hockey and is also a Hockey Scout at FCHockey and NeutralZone. Whether it's covering the NHL, MLB, NBA, NFL, or College Football and Basketball, there is not a sport Nate isn't able to discuss.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Atlanta Braves are in their most important stretch of the season as they sit a game back of the New York Mets for the last wild-card spot. The Kansas City Royals thought they’d be in a similar position. However, a collapse by the Minnesota Twins has them one game from a playoff spot after Thursday night, making this series only about the placement in the wild card unless they lose all three and the Twins sweep their series. The Royals should be in a better position, but they won just three of their last ten games to plummet in the standings. The Braves have won five of their past six games to get back in the National League wild-card race. It’s time to continue our MLB odds <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting" rel="noopener">series</a> with a Royals-Braves prediction and pick.</p><h2><b>Royals-Braves Projected Starters </b></h2><p><b>Brady Singer</b> vs. <b>Max Fried</b></p><p><b>Brady Singer</b> is 9-12 with a 3.73 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP.</p><p>Singer’s last start was at home against the San Francisco Giants which the Royals lost 9-0. He pitched 5 1/3 innings with six strikeouts, allowing seven hits, one walk, six earned runs, and a whopping four home runs.</p><p>Singer is 3-5 on the road with a 4.25 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. He has been much better at home, dropping his ERA by nearly a full run and his WHIP by over .30.</p><p><b>Max Fried</b> is 10-10 with a 3.42 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP.</p><p>Fried’s last start was on the road against the Miami Marlins which the Braves won 6-2. He pitched 6 innings with six strikeouts, allowing five hits, one walk, and one earned run.</p><p>Fried is 3-4 at home with a 3.66 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP.</p><p><b><i>Here are the <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/mlb" rel="noopener">MLB Odds</a>, courtesy of FanDuel. </i></b></p><h2><b>MLB Odds: Royals-Braves Odds</b></h2><p>Kansas City Royals: +1.5 (-125)</p><p>Moneyline: +165</p><p>Atlanta Braves: -1.5 (+105)</p><p>Moneyline: -200</p><p>Over: 7.5 (-110)</p><p>Under: 7.5 (-110)</p><h2><b>How to Watch Royals vs. Braves</b></h2><p>Time: 7:20 PM ET/4:20 PM PT</p><p>TV: Bally Sports Network</p><p>Stream: fuboTV (<a href="https://www.fubo.tv/stream/mlb/?irad=377812&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener sponsored">Free Trial</a>)</p><h2><b>Why The Royals Will Cover The Spread/Win</b></h2><p>The Royals need one more win or a Twins loss to clinch a playoff berth. They’ve been struggling mightily, and so has Singer. Their recent three-game sweep of the Washington Nationals could bring them the confidence they need to get back on track. They’ll need to figure it out soon, as they have just three games before the postseason begins.</p><h2><b>Why The Braves Will Cover The Spread/Win</b></h2><p>The Braves have an interesting scenario after their games against the Royals this weekend. Their series against the New York Mets was interrupted by a hurricane, which caused the MLB to postpone two of their games to a doubleheader on Monday. As things stand, it could be an intriguing day of baseball, as the Braves are a game back of the Mets for a wild-card position. The Braves must win these games against the Royals to ensure Monday’s games mean something.</p><p>The Braves have averaged 3.7 runs/nine more than the Royals over the last ten games, and Singer allowed 13 earned runs over his past three starts. Atlanta went through a rough stretch which put them out of the playoff race, but it seems like they’re catching fire at the right time. They’ve won five of their past six games and the offense scored 5+ runs in each.</p><h2><b>Final Royals-Braves Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>The Braves have been the team in much better form and it seems like nothing will stop them in their quest to knock off the Mets and advance to the postseason. Baseball needs a doubleheader showdown for the last wild-card position on Monday, so pick the Braves to take care of business this weekend.</p><p><b>Final Royals-Braves Prediction &amp; Pick:</b></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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