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<!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/atlanta-braves/braves-news-ronald-acuna-jr-massive-injury-update');   ga('set', 'title', 'Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. gets massive injury 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/2025/04/Braves-news-Ronald-Acuna-Jr.-gets-massive-injury-update.jpg"><figcaption>Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. gets massive injury update</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-15T15:44:02-07:00">April 15th, 3:44pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-15T15:44:02-07:00">April 15th, 3:44pm</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">Atlanta Braves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Outfielder <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/atlanta-braves/braves-news-ronald-acuna-closer-to-return-latest-injury-update">Ronald Acuna Jr. took a major step</a> toward a return to the Atlanta Braves lineup on Tuesday when doctors <a href="https://x.com/JustinCToscano/status/1912259448745210316" rel="noopener">officially cleared him</a> to “ramp up activity and begin progressing toward a rehab assignment,” according to Braves beat writer Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.</p><p>Toscano added that there’s still <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/atlanta-braves/braves-news-ronald-acuna-jr-s-final-rehab-steps-hint-injury-return-timetable">no timetable for Acuna’s return</a> but he appears to be on target to rejoin the team in the next month. His latest check-in was an expected step forward, as Braves reporter Grant McAuley reported last week that the 27-year-old phenom was <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/44623046/braves-ronald-acuna-jr-knee-reevaluated-next-week" rel="noopener">looking to be cleared</a> for “lateral movement and quick start/stop running.”</p><p>“They just have to check him out and sign off on it before they can do that,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said last week, per the AP. “And I think this was just part of the plan initially. I don’t think he’s going to rush it or anything. This has been the case from the get go.”</p><p>Acuna has not played since May 26 of last season when he tore his ACL while running the bases. He was coming off an NL MVP season in 2023, where he hit .337 with 41 home runs and league-bests in hits (217), runs scored (149), stolen bases (73) and on-base percentage (.416).</p><p>In Acuna’s absence last year, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/atlanta-braves/why-braves-will-still-make-playoffs-despite-injury-plagued-season">Braves still managed to win 89 games</a> and finish second in the NL East. They ultimately fell 2-0 in the Wild Card Series to the San Diego Padres.</p><p>2025, however, has been nothing short of disastrous so far for Atlanta. The Braves lost their first seven games and have had almost no production from their outfield. As of Tuesday, the Braves’ primary three outfielders have combined to hit three total home runs and none has an OPS+ of over 60. As a team, the Braves rank 19th in MLB in combined OPS (.678) and 17th in OBP (.306).</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. gets massive injury 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', '/mlb/atlanta-braves/braves-news-reporter-viral-asking-fans-number-on-air');   ga('set', 'title', 'Braves reporter goes viral after asking for fan’s number on-air');   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/2025/04/Reporter-goes-viral-after-asking-for-fans-number-on-air.jpg"><figcaption>Brett Davis-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Braves reporter goes viral after asking for fan’s number on-air</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-15T13:59:56-07:00">April 15th, 1:59pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-15T13:59:56-07:00">April 15th, 1:59pm</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">Atlanta Braves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Atlanta Braves sideline reporter Wiley Ballard went viral on Monday night for getting a fan’s number during an on-air interview. He said after that he was speechless, but since that moment, the internet has been anything but.</p><p>It happened in the fifth inning of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/atlanta-braves/braves-news-austin-riley-hits-insane-444-foot-bomb-2nd-hr-vs-blue-jays">Braves’ game in Toronto against the Blue Jays</a>. Ballard found a pair of fans for his Field Report interview, in which he interviews attendees at that day’s game. The two fans on Monday, Lauren and Kayla, were both good sports in the interview as <a href="https://twitter.com/awfulannouncing/status/1911956052582474142" rel="noopener">things took a weird turn</a>. Ballard asked the pair if they were Braves fans and Kayla responded with an “oof” before Lauren said “not quite.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">While the Braves were trying to score runs, their sideline reporter was out here scoring digits.<a href="https://t.co/Zdt1CdNc3g">pic.twitter.com/Zdt1CdNc3g</a></p><p>— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) <a href="https://twitter.com/awfulannouncing/status/1911956052582474142?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“I’m going to go to work up here, guys,” Ballard said to the game’s two in-booth broadcasters, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/atlanta-braves/braves-news-brian-snitker-goes-viral-scary-moment-giants">Brandon Gaudin and CJ Nitkowski</a>, referring to an effort to convert them to Atlanta fans.</p><p>“Okay Wiley, you’ve got four innings to get the numbers,” Gaudin replied. “Give us some more Braves fans.”</p><p>Ballard immediately turned to Lauren to let her know that Gaudin wanted him to get her number.</p><p>“I’m dead serious. They are saying in my ear right now,” Ballard said before addressing the booth with, “She doesn’t believe me because she thinks you guys are making this up. I might use that in the future, that’s a pretty good move.”</p><p>Lauren ultimately gave Ballard her number while the cameras were still on them.</p><p>“So the best part of this right now is that Wiley could totally be faking,” Nitkowski joked. “This might be the new move. Just walk around with a FanDuel mic and an earpiece in and convince fans that they are actually on TV.”</p><p>Though Lauren took the moment in stride, the whole segment drew polarizing reactions once the video made its rounds. While Nitkowski and Gaudin later joked about the incident on X, others called out Ballard for <a href="https://x.com/FashionBallpark/status/1911964292812832997" rel="noopener">being unprofessional</a> and questioned what the optics would be if the genders were reversed.</p><p>“Wow. This is extremely unprofessional,” wrote one account. “Women in sports have to work 3x harder due to unnecessary double standards created through their male counterparts. This makes us extremely uncomfortable to watch this broadcast @FanDuelSNBraves 🙄 THIS is what you are showing is acceptable behavior. 🤦🏼‍♀️ Please do better by your female fans and employees.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Braves reporter goes viral after asking for fan’s number on-air

<!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/atlanta-braves/braves-news-austin-riley-hits-insane-444-foot-bomb-2nd-hr-vs-blue-jays');   ga('set', 'title', 'Braves’ Austin Riley hits insane 444-foot bomb with 2nd HR vs. Blue Jays');   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/2025/04/Braves-Austin-Riley.jpg"></figure><h1>Braves’ Austin Riley hits insane 444-foot bomb with 2nd HR vs. Blue Jays</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-14T21:32:13-07:00">April 14th, 9:32pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-14T21:32:13-07:00">April 14th, 9:32pm</time><address><a>Dylan Fine</a>Dylan Fine focuses on the NFL and NCAA Football for ClutchPoints, in addition to working on the meme team. Dylan is a graduate of Georgetown University and has covered various topics ranging from local politics in the DMV region with DC Voter For Animals to live sporting events in the Long Island and Rochester areas with The Southampton Press and Pickin’Splinters. When he isn't working, he's usually running in preparation for the next annual Turkey Trot.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Braves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley turned a lot of heads with his 444-foot home-run bomb in the team’s 8-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. Atlanta has had a very slow start to the season so far and currently sits at 5-11 and in last place in the National League East. On Monday night, however, this team showed what it was capable of, specifically Riley.</p><p>The two-time All-Star went deep twice against the Blue Jays with five RBIs. Riley’s three-run bomb at the top of the fifth sealed the deal for the Braves as they looked to move up the standings again slowly.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Austin Riley’s 2nd homer of the game is a 444-foot BOMB 🤯<a href="https://t.co/QUSId5xkQe">pic.twitter.com/QUSId5xkQe</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints MLB (@ClutchpointsMLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchpointsMLB/status/1911937590250418357?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>Atlanta is starting to find its footing after beginning 2025 with seven straight losses. The franchise has made the postseason seven years in a row with several deep runs. Of course, the headline moment for the Braves this century was in 2022, when they won their fourth World Series title.</p><p>Despite some losses this offseason, this current roster still has a lot of upside and players who should eventually find their form. One of those key contributors is reigning Cy Young winner Chris Sale. The 36-year-old is off to a rough start in 2025 but usually works his way into a season when he stays healthy. Sale deserves the benefit of the doubt after he showed no signs of slowing down last year.</p><p>In addition to Sale, players like Riley and Marcell Ozuna are still in their respective primes. Ozuna, who is 34, is likely at the back end of his peak, while Riley, who is 28, likely has his best years ahead of him for the Braves. The Memphis, Tennessee native is coming off an injury-ridden 2024, but it looks like he is due to resume the form he had a few seasons ago.</p><p>Overall, the Braves will need their starting third basemen to be a more consistent presence at the plate going forward. The Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets have legitimate World Series aspirations and are already looking like the first and second-place teams in the division. The Braves need to play the catch-up game immediately, and Monday night was a good start toward that march back to the top.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Braves’ Austin Riley hits insane 444-foot bomb with 2nd HR vs. Blue Jays

<!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/atlanta-braves/braves-news-spencer-strider-season-debut-brian-snitker');   ga('set', 'title', 'Spencer Strider’s season debut ‘plan’ confirmed by Braves’ Brian Snitker');   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/2025/04/Spencer-Strider-in-spring-training.jpg"><figcaption>Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Spencer Strider’s season debut ‘plan’ confirmed by Braves’ Brian Snitker</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-14T06:52:11-07:00">April 14th, 6:52am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-14T06:52:11-07:00">April 14th, 6:52am</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">Atlanta Braves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Atlanta Braves have gotten off to a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/atlanta-braves/braves-news-legend-hand-hovering-panic-button-disaster-start">miserable start to the 2025 MLB season</a>. They started 0-7 and even after taking a set against the Philadelphia Phillies, they are 4-11. Injuries ruined their chances at a deep playoff run last year, and Ronald Acuña Jr and Spencer Strider remain out. But Braves manager Brian Snitker announced that Strider <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/spencer-strider-to-make-2025-debut-in-toronto" rel="noopener">will be returning</a> from an elbow injury this week.</p><p>“Braves manager Brian Snitker confirmed Spencer Strider will likely make his season debut against the Blue Jays on Wednesday in Toronto,” MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reported.</p><p>“That’s the plan right now,” Snitker told Bowman. “He had a side [session] today, and hopefully he comes in tomorrow and is feeling great.”</p><p>It has been just over a year since Strider underwent an internal brace procedure to repair the UCL in his throwing elbow. This surgery requires less recovery time than Tommy John, which Strider already had in college. The Braves went all of last year without their ace, but got a Cy Young season out of Chris Sale.</p><p>Strider was an All-Star and finished fourth in Cy Young voting at 24 years old in 2023. He had an MLB-leading 20 wins and 281 strikeouts in a remarkable 186.2 innings pitched. When he is healthy, Strider has proven to be one of the elite starters in the game.</p><p>Strider is more important this year than he has been in the past. Not only are the Braves well behind the 8 Ball, but they lost Max Fried in free agency. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/atlanta-braves/braves-news-braves-fans-upset-roster-decision">AJ Smith-Shawver is in the minors</a> after a tough start, creating a hole in the rotation. Spencer Schwellenbach has been excellent, so they could recreate the solid three-headed monster they thought they had last year.</p><p>The Braves start a three-game set in Toronto on Monday and will have their ace on Wednesday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Spencer Strider’s season debut ‘plan’ confirmed by Braves’ Brian Snitker

<!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/atlanta-braves/braves-news-braves-fans-upset-roster-decision');   ga('set', 'title', 'Braves fans upset with eye-opening roster decision');   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/2025/04/AJ-Smith-Shawver-cover.jpg"></figure><h1>Braves fans upset with eye-opening roster decision</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-13T19:53:12-07:00">April 13th, 7:53pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-13T19:53:12-07:00">April 13th, 7:53pm</time><address><a>Brayden Haena</a>Brayden Haena is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He's a die-hard San Francisco Giants fan and a football fanatic. In addition to sports writing, he works for Arizona Football in the Player Personnel and Recruiting department and formerly served as the Defensive Coordinator for Heritage High School.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Braves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/braves-news-legend-hand-hovering-panic-button-disaster-start">Atlanta Braves’ rollercoaster of a start to the 2025 season</a> has taken another confusing turn, as the club made a head-scratching roster decision that has fans venting online. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/braves-news-atlanta-2-roster-moves-before-rays-game">On April 12, following a narrow 5-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays</a>, Atlanta optioned right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver to Triple-A Gwinnett. In his place, the Braves recalled reliever Michael Petersen — a move that’s raised more than a few eyebrows.</p><p>Smith-Shawver’s demotion comes after a serviceable start in which the 22-year-old allowed two earned runs on six hits and struck out seven over five innings. While not perfect, the young righty showed flashes of his upside, including solid swing-and-miss stuff. He <a href="https://athlonsports.com/mlb/atlanta-braves/braves-recent-pitching-changes-raise-questions-about-striders-return" rel="noopener">exits his first big league stint of the season</a> with a 4.61 ERA across three starts, certainly not disastrous given the team’s broader pitching struggles.</p><p>Yet the decision to send down Smith-Shawver while keeping Bryce Elder on the roster has sparked frustration among Braves fans, many of whom feel the wrong pitcher was moved. Elder, a former All-Star, has had a rough go of it early in 2025. In his latest outing on April 11, he was shelled for nine hits and five runs across six innings against the Rays. Through two starts this year, Elder owns a bloated 7.20 ERA and has surrendered <a href="https://atlallday.com/braves-huge-mistake-latest-roster-move-01jrr1dtn42g" rel="noopener">an alarming 3.6 home runs per nine innings.</a></p><h2><b>Could the Brave’s latest roster move indicate a Spencer Strider return?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Spencer-Strider_0da6de.jpg"><figcaption>Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>It’s a steep fall for Elder, who impressed with a 12-4 record and a 3.81 ERA back in 2023. Since then, consistency has eluded him. Up-and-down performances and frequent shuttles between the Majors and Triple-A defined his 2024 season. So far in 2025, that inconsistency has only worsened.</p><p>That’s why the call-up of Petersen — who is untested at the Major League level — paired with the demotion of Smith-Shawver is rubbing fans the wrong way. Social media has been filled with calls for Elder to be optioned instead, with many pointing to Smith-Shawver’s youth, upside, and stronger recent performance.</p><p>However, this decision could be short-lived. Spencer Strider, currently on a rehab assignment, appears to be nearing a return. If Strider is deemed ready, Elder could be the odd man out. Atlanta’s rotation for the upcoming series against Toronto has Grant Holmes listed for April 14, Spencer Schwellenbach for April 15, and a “TBA” slot for the finale on April 16 — a potential spot for Strider’s return.</p><p>Until then, the Braves’ front office is likely banking on experience and hoping Elder finds his groove. But if his next outing doesn’t show improvement, the calls for his demotion will only grow louder. With the Braves sitting at 4-10 and in last place in the NL East, the margin for error is thin — and so is fan patience.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Braves fans upset with eye-opening roster decision

<!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/atlanta-braves/the-element-of-chris-sales-game-that-hasnt-clicked-in-2025');   ga('set', 'title', 'The element of Chris Sale’s game that ‘hasn’t clicked’ in 2025');   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/2025/04/Chris-Sale-cover.jpg"></figure><h1>The element of Chris Sale’s game that ‘hasn’t clicked’ in 2025</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-11T23:19:41-07:00">April 11th, 11:19pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-11T23:19:41-07:00">April 11th, 11:19pm</time><address><a>Brayden Haena</a>Brayden Haena is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He's a die-hard San Francisco Giants fan and a football fanatic. In addition to sports writing, he works for Arizona Football in the Player Personnel and Recruiting department and formerly served as the Defensive Coordinator for Heritage High School.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Braves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Chris Sale’s 2025 season <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/braves-news-chris-sales-tough-admission-atlantas-horrid-start">isn’t off to the Cy Young-caliber start Braves fans hoped for</a>. Through three outings, the 36-year-old lefty has shown flashes of his dominant self but has also struggled with command, consistency, and perhaps most noticeably—velocity.</p><p>Sale, who won the 2024 NL Cy Young Award with a resurgent campaign, has <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/chris-sale-velocity-down-to-start-2025-season" rel="noopener">seen a dip in his four-seam fastball velocity</a> early this year. Through his first three starts, his four-seamer has averaged 93.2 mph—down from 94.9 mph a season ago. In his most recent outing against the Phillies, Sale’s fastball dipped further, averaging just 92.7 mph. That marks his lowest single-game four-seam average since the start of last season.</p><p>“It just hasn’t clicked yet,” Sale admitted. “It’s frustrating, obviously.”</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/braves-news-how-atlanta-trade-shifted-chris-sale-retirement-plans">The inconsistency is what raises eyebrows among Braves fans.</a> Sale’s fastball topped out at 97.3 mph in the first inning Tuesday but didn’t climb above 93.7 mph the rest of the game. His velocity also declined inning-by-inning: 93.9 mph in the first, 91.3 mph in the second, and 92.1 mph in the third. By the fifth, he was throwing more sliders than fastballs.</p><h2><b>Will Chris Sale be able to return to his 2024 self?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Chris-Sale.jpg"><figcaption>Brett Davis-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The concerning trend is reminiscent of September 2024, when Sale began to experience back issues. During that stretch, his fastball velocity similarly dropped. While there’s no confirmed injury this time, Sale’s arm angle has dropped from 11 degrees last year to seven this season—potentially a sign of lingering discomfort or a mechanical issue.</p><p>“He’s very in tune with his body,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “I think the more he gets out there, the better he’ll be.”</p><p>Still, it’s hard to overlook the fact that nearly 28% of his fastballs this season have been under 92 mph, compared to just 5.1% last year. That’s not a stat you can brush aside for a pitcher whose success has long been tied to his power and deception. Sale’s early results reflect the struggle: a 6.14 ERA and a .386 BABIP-against in three starts. While his peripherals (3.94 xERA) suggest he’s been a bit unlucky, Sale’s game scores (53, 51, 33) and noticeable velo dip add fuel to speculation that something’s off.</p><p>It could be a dead-arm phase, a delivery tweak, or just early-season rust. The Braves, mired in a surprising 2-8 start, need answers soon. Sale’s next start is tentatively set for Sunday against the Rays, and all eyes will be on that radar gun. Whether this is a brief blip or the beginning of a more concerning trend, one thing’s clear: Sale’s velocity—once his calling card—is under the microscope. And until it returns to form, so is he.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

The element of Chris Sale’s game that ‘hasn’t clicked’ in 2025

<!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', '/betting/braves-vs-rays-prediction-odds-pick-4-12-2025');   ga('set', 'title', 'Braves vs. Rays prediction, odds, pick – 4/12/2025');   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/2025/04/Braves-vs.-Rays-prediction-odds-pick-1.jpg"></figure><h1>Braves vs. Rays prediction, odds, pick – 4/12/2025</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-11T15:24:28-07:00">April 11th, 3:24pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-11T15:24:28-07:00">April 11th, 3:24pm</time><address><a>Jake Faigus</a>Jake Faigus graduated from the University of Arizona in 2022 and has written for several publications and websites. He has had stops at Catena Media, Playmaker, DraftKings, USA Today, Spike Up, and Spotlight Sports Group. He also writes for Sporting News and works at iHeartMedia in Phoenix when he is not writing for ClutchPoints.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Braves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Braves will travel to Tampa Bay to face the Rays! It’s been a struggle for the Braves to start the season, while the Rays have also struggled with inconsistency. This will be a massive series for both teams to get on track and gain much-needed momentum. It’s time to continue our MLB odds <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting" rel="noopener">series</a> with a Braves-Rays prediction and pick.</p><h2><b>Braves-Rays Projected Starters</b></h2><p><b>AJ Smith-Shawver vs. Drew Rasmussen</b></p><p>AJ Smith-Shawver (0-2) with a 5.19 ERA and a 2.19 WHIP</p><p>Last Start: Allowed three runs on seven hits with three walks and six strikeouts through 4.2 innings.</p><p>Away Splits: (0-1) 4.50 ERA</p><p>Drew Rasmussen (1-0) with a 0.90 ERA and a 0.60 WHIP</p><p>Last Start: Allowed one run on three hits with one walk and four strikeouts through five innings.</p><p>Home Splits: (1-0) 0.00 ERA</p><p><i><b>Here are the <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/mlb" rel="noopener">MLB odds</a>, courtesy of FanDuel. </b></i></p><h2><b>MLB Odds: Braves-Rays Odds</b></h2><p>Atlanta Braves: +1.5 (-178)</p><p>Moneyline: +116</p><p>Tampa Bay Rays: -1.5 (+146)</p><p>Moneyline: -134</p><p>Over: 8.5 (-110)</p><p>Under: 8.5 (-110)</p><h2><b>How to Watch Braves vs. Rays</b></h2><p>Time: 4:10 pm ET/1:10 pm PT</p><p>TV: FanDuel Sports Network Sun/FanDuel Sports South</p><p><i><b>*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV <a href="https://www.fubo.tv/lp/mlb/?irad=377812&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener sponsored">(Get Access | Save $30)</a>*</b></i></p><h2><b>Why The Braves Will Cover The Spread/Win</b></h2><p>The Braves had a great season last year with an 89-73 record, but they have started this year struggling. They have a 3-9 record and have won three of their last five games after losing their first seven. Their offense was average last season, but they have started slowly this season. They had one of the best pitching staffs in the MLB last season, but it has been a big struggle this year and a big reason behind their slow start. Spencer Schwellenbach has easily been the best pitcher for the Braves, but Grant Holmes has also been solid at best. On offense, Marcell Ozuna has dominated at the plate for Atlanta, with Orlando Arcia, Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, and Michael Harris II not far behind and playing very well. The Braves have talent, but they need to put it together, and this would be a great place to start.</p><p>The Braves are starting AJ Smith-Shawver on the mound. He has a 0-2 record, a 5.19 ERA, and a 2.19 WHIP. He has allowed five runs on 13 hits with six walks and 10 strikeouts through 8.2 innings across two games. He also has a K/BB ratio of 1.7. It has been a struggle for Shawver to start the season, and the Braves lost both of his starts. This matchup might be a struggle with how well the Rays have played on offense in comparison.</p><p>The Braves’ offense has taken a step back this season. They are 21st in batting average at .218 after having a .244 average last year, which was 15th in the league. Marcell Ozuna has been the best player for the Braves on offense as the most consistent player. Ozuna leads the way in batting average at .316, in home runs with two, in RBI with seven, in OBP at .509, and in total hits with 12. The Braves’ offense has talent and depth, but a matchup against Rasmussen is a giant challenge due to how well he has played. This matchup will decide the game.</p><h2><b>Why The Rays Will Cover The Spread/Win</b></h2><p>The Rays were inconsistent last season, with an 80-82 record, and then they have a 5-7 record so far but have lost six of their previous seven games. The Rays’ offense struggled last season, but they have started this year red-hot as a top-10 unit. The pitching has only improved after finishing in the top 10 last season. The pitching has been good but not great. Yandy Diaz, Brandon Lowe, Junior Caminero, Jonny DeLuca, Jake Mangum, Taylor Walls, Jonathan Aranda, and Kameron Misner. On the mound, Ryan Pepiot and Drew Rasmussen have been the best aces for the Rays. The Rays have much to like this season and the talent to make some noise, but they need to bounce back.</p><p>The Rays are starting Drew Rasmussen on the mound. He has a 1-0 record, a 0.90 ERA, and a 0.60 WHIP. He has allowed one run on five hits with one walk and eight strikeouts through 10 innings across two games. He also has a whopping K/BB ratio of eight. Rasmussen has been red-hot despite the Rays only going 1-1 in his first two starts. This is an intriguing matchup against a Braves offense that has talent but has struggled to find much consistency, and a matchup against Rasmussen is not the cure.</p><p>The offense for the Rays has gotten red-hot to start the year. They are ninth in team-batting average at .252 after finishing with a .230 last season. Lowe has been the best player on this offense. Lowe leads in batting average with .289, in home runs with three, in RBI with eight, in OBP at .319, and in total hits with 13. This offense plays well and should take advantage of Smith-Shawver’s struggles to start the year.</p><h2><b>Final Braves-Rays Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>The Rays will win, but the Braves will keep this close and cover on the road. These two teams are struggling, so expect a close game no matter what.</p><p><b>Final Braves-Rays Prediction &amp; Pick: Atlanta Braves +1.5 (-178)</b></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Braves vs. Rays prediction, odds, pick – 4/12/2025

<!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/atlanta-braves/braves-news-atlanta-2-roster-moves-before-rays-game');   ga('set', 'title', 'Braves make 2 roster moves before Rays game');   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/2025/04/Aaron-Bummer.jpg"><figcaption>Brett Davis-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Braves make 2 roster moves before Rays game</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-11T12:07:29-07:00">April 11th, 12:07pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-11T12:07:29-07:00">April 11th, 12:07pm</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Braves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Atlanta <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/braves-news-spencer-strider-dominant-start-before-potential-atlanta-return">Braves are looking to catch fire</a> after having a slow start to the season, and they’ve slowly been gaining some momentum. Players have been in and out of the lineup, and they recently had to <a href="https://x.com/DOBrienATL/status/1910695688247075055" rel="noopener">make some moves</a> that could affect the team.</p><p>“Braves recalled RHP Zach Thompson and put LHP Aaron Bummer on the major league bereavement list,” The Athletic’s David O’Brien wrote on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>Thompson is back with the Braves after getting sent down without making a big league appearance, but unfortunately, it’s because of Bummer being sent to the bereavement list. Through five innings, Bummer is sitting on a 4.50 ERA and a 2.57 FIP, with his most recent appearance being on April 10 against the Philadelphia Phillies.</p><p>For Thompson, he’ll be making his first appearance in the big leagues since he was a starter with the San Diego Padres in 2022.</p><p>Hopefully, Bummer and his family are doing okay, and the Braves will hold down the fort for him while he’s gone.</p><h2><b>Braves trying to find momentum after slow start to season</b></h2><p>The Braves were supposed to be one of the top teams in the league this season, but a slow start has calmed the hype. With injuries and inconsistencies haunting them early, they’re looking for anything that can get them to run off some wins in the next couple of weeks. They recently got a big win against the Phillies, and hopefully, they can keep it rolling against the Rays.</p><p>The one person that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/braves-news-ronald-acuna-closer-to-return-latest-injury-update">Braves are hoping to get back sooner</a> than later is Ronald Acuna Jr., who tore his ACL on May 26 and had surgery on June 6. Acuna is set to have his left knee reevaluated soon and will travel to Los Angeles <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/44623046/braves-ronald-acuna-jr-knee-reevaluated-next-week" rel="noopener">for the checkup</a>, according to manager Brian Snitker. So far, Acuna hasn’t run out of the batter’s box in his workouts and has not been cleared to do any start-and-stop running or cutting.</p><p>“They just have to check him out and sign off on it before they can do that,” Snitker said via ESPN. “And I think this was just part of the plan initially. I don’t think he’s going to rush it or anything. This has been the case from the get go.”</p><p>The Braves have not been the same with Acuna not in the lineup, as they lost nine of their first 11 games. Hopefully, Acuna will come back with an update that will excite fans.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Braves make 2 roster moves before Rays game

<!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/mlb-stories/chatgpt-predicts-win-2025-world-series');   ga('set', 'title', 'ChatGPT predicts who will win 2025 World Series');   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/2025/04/ChatGPT-predicts-who-will-win-2025-World-Series.jpg"></figure><h1>ChatGPT predicts who will win 2025 World Series</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-11T08:02:12-07:00">April 11th, 8:02am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-11T09:42:56-07:00">April 11th, 9:42am</time><address><a>Bailey Bassett</a>Bailey Bassett is a sports writer from Denver, Colorado, covering major sports events and athlete backgrounds at ClutchPoints. He has experience covering and writing on high school, collegiate, and professional sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Braves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/editorials/mlb-power-rankings-4-far-the-braves-fall">2025 MLB season is young</a>, but the great teams are already starting to separate themselves from the pack. Notably, the biggest spenders from the offseason have predictably gotten off to hot starts. Coming into the season, many predicted the New York Yankees, New York Mets, or Los Angeles Dodgers to compete for the World Series, and those powerhouses have validated the hype so far. However, ChatGPT has a <a href="https://chatgpt.com/" rel="noopener">different prediction</a> for who will win the World Series.</p><h2><b>ChatGPT’s 2025 World Series winner prediction</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Braves-Matt-Olson.jpg"><figcaption>Brett Davis-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>One team that stands out as a strong contender to win the 2025 World Series is the Atlanta Braves. Here’s an in-depth analysis of why they could go all the way this year:</p><h2><b>1. Core of Young, Elite Talent</b></h2><p>The Braves boast one of the most talented and balanced rosters in baseball, led by Ronald Acuña Jr., the reigning NL MVP (2023), who—if fully recovered from injury—remains one of the most dynamic players in the game. Alongside him are other young stars like Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, and Michael Harris II, all under long-term contracts, giving the Braves continuity and chemistry that few teams can match.</p><p>Their position player core is both offensively explosive and defensively sound. Riley anchors third base with power and consistency, while Albies and Harris provide speed, pop, and reliable glove work up the middle and in center field. This balance between youth and experience gives Atlanta a deadly combination of upside and proven production.</p><h2><b>2. Deep and Versatile Pitching Staff</b></h2><p>Atlanta’s rotation in 2025 is among the deepest in the majors. Spencer Strider continues to develop into one of the most electric arms in the game, with elite strikeout numbers and a bulldog mentality. Max Fried, when healthy, provides a dependable left-handed ace with playoff poise and command. Bryce Elder and AJ Smith-Shawver offer upside and flexibility, with room to rotate others in from their strong farm system.</p><p>In the bullpen, the Braves are stacked. Raisel Iglesias closes out games, but perhaps more importantly, they have a mix of high-leverage arms like Joe Jiménez, Tyler Matzek, and Pierce Johnson, who can bridge the middle innings. The bullpen’s versatility allows Atlanta to play matchup baseball deep into October.</p><h2><b>3. Front Office Stability &amp; Development Pipeline</b></h2><p>Under GM Alex Anthopoulos, the Braves have become a model franchise in terms of roster construction and player development. They’ve consistently found value in trades, free agency, and the draft. Notably, they’ve signed their young core early, avoiding massive arbitration battles and keeping a unified clubhouse.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/mlb-stories/top-10-mlb-farm-systems-ahead-of-2025-season">Braves’ player development system</a> continues to churn out talent, with arms like Hurston Waldrep and JR Ritchie expected to contribute soon. Their bench and depth pieces are always MLB-ready, a reflection of strong scouting and coaching continuity.</p><h2><b>4. October Experience and Motivation</b></h2><p>Having won the World Series in 2021 and consistently contending since Atlanta has postseason experience up and down the roster. They’ve suffered disappointing exits in recent Octobers—particularly at the hands of the Phillies—but those losses have served to fuel their motivation. With the majority of their 2021 championship core still intact, the Braves enter 2025 with a chip on their shoulder and the hunger to reclaim the crown.</p><h2><b>Final Word</b></h2><p>If health holds and the rotation performs to its potential, the Atlanta Braves are the most complete team in baseball entering 2025. Offense, defense, pitching depth, and front-office brilliance—they have it all. Don’t be surprised if they’re holding the Commissioner’s Trophy come October.</p><h2><b>What did ChatGPT get right/wrong?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Dodgers.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Mills-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Before diving into ChatGPT’s analysis, it is worth noting that the artificial intelligence had multiple clerical errors in its prediction. While Acuña did win the MVP in 2023, that was not last season. In fact, Acuña suffered a season-ending injury last year. Additionally, Max Fried and Tyler Matzek both play for the New York Yankees now.</p><p>While the Braves were viewed as World Series contenders coming into the season, this is a somewhat baffling pick now that Atlanta is 12 games into their season. So far, they only have a record of 3-9, which puts them in last place in the National League East. In fact, their three wins are the fewest in baseball outside of Chicago, and the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/chicago-white-sox/worst-mlb-teams-history-white-sox-record-breaking-season">White Sox are coming off of the worst season in the modern era. </a></p><p>The Braves are a better team than their record shows. They are stacked with talent, especially on the offensive end. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/atlanta-braves/braves-news-ronald-acuna-closer-to-return-latest-injury-update">Acuña is getting closer to returning from injury</a>, and Riley, Albies, and Harris are stars. ChatGPT didn’t even mention Matt Olson or Marcell Ozuna. Both players are among the best power hitters in baseball.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-yankees/yankees-news-max-fried-long-term-goal-signing-ny">Fried’s departure</a> hurts the team a lot, though, considering he is one of the best pitchers in MLB. The Braves are a good team and will likely turn things around, but it is hard to bet against a team like the Dodgers. Los Angeles has continued to splurge on elite players in free agency, and they won their first eight games of the season. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/mlb-stories/ranking-50-best-mlb-players-2025-season">Shohei Ohtani is the best player in baseball</a>, and the team is coming off of a World Series victory. The Braves have World Series experience in their own right, but as of right now, the Dodgers look unbeatable.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

ChatGPT predicts who will win 2025 World Series

<!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/atlanta-braves/braves-news-ronald-acuna-closer-to-return-latest-injury-update');   ga('set', 'title', 'Ronald Acuna Jr. inches closer to return amid latest injury update on Thursday');   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/2025/04/Ronald-Acuna-Jr.jpg"></figure><h1>Ronald Acuna Jr. inches closer to return amid latest injury update on Thursday</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-10T22:39:29-07:00">April 10th, 10:39pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-10T22:51:29-07:00">April 10th, 10:51pm</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">Atlanta Braves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Atlanta Braves are off to a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/atlanta-braves/braves-news-legend-hand-hovering-panic-button-disaster-start">disastrous start this season</a>, opening the year with a 3-9 record. The Braves already find themselves five games out of first place in early April. Fortunately, the team should receive some serious reinforcements soon.</p><p>Former National League MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. is nearing his return. He’s expected to <a href="https://x.com/grantmcauley/status/1910427730362904938" rel="noopener">meet with doctors</a> early next week and be cleared for “lateral movement and quick start/stop running,” according to Braves reporter Grant McAuley on X. Atlanta should be able to establish a timeline for his rehab assignment and eventual return to the lineup once he’s cleared to run.</p><p>After an incredible 2023 season, in which he hit 41 home runs and stole 73 bases, unanimously winning league MVP, Acuña tore his ACL early in 2024. He was the most prominent loss in a season plagued by injury for the Braves.</p><h2><b>Can Ronald Acuña Jr. and Spencer Strider save the Braves’ season?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Ronald-Acuna-Jr.-2.jpg"><figcaption>Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Atlanta is also <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/atlanta-braves/braves-news-spencer-strider-dominant-start-before-potential-atlanta-return">expecting Spencer Strider’s return</a> after a dominant rehab start in the minors. Strider was selected to his first All-Star Game and finished fourth in Cy Young voting following a dominant campaign in 2023. However, he only made two starts last year before undergoing season-ending elbow surgery.</p><p>Braves manager Brian Snitker views the return of Acuña and Strider – a former MVP and Cy Young-caliber pitcher – as <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/atlanta-braves/braves-new-brian-snitker-truth-bomb-2-really-good-trades-are-coming">two really good trades</a> that are coming. Atlanta anticipates Strider rejoining the team first, at some point in April, while Acuña is expected to return to the lineup in mid May. Although he could receive a more accurate timetable after he meets with doctors next week.</p><p>The Braves badly need both players back and at the top of their games. Atlanta has been flat so far this season, quickly dropping to last place in the NL East. The rotation has been awful as Chris Sale has yet to find his groove. And the Braves’ big offseason acquisition, Jurickson Profar, was hit with an <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/atlanta-braves/braves-news-jurickson-profar-80-game-ban-ped-violation">80–game ban for a PED violation</a>.</p><p>Profar had a breakout campaign with the San Diego Padres in 2024, making his first All-Star Game after 11 seasons in the majors. He signed a three-year, $42 million contract with the Braves over the offseason. Now he’ll miss half the year and won’t be eligible for the playoffs should Atlanta qualify.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Ronald Acuna Jr. inches closer to return amid latest injury update on Thursday

<!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/atlanta-braves/braves-news-spencer-strider-dominant-start-before-potential-atlanta-return');   ga('set', 'title', 'Spencer Strider turns in ‘dominant’ start before potential Braves return');   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/2025/04/Spencer-Strider.jpg"><figcaption>Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Spencer Strider turns in ‘dominant’ start before potential Braves return</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-10T11:51:16-07:00">April 10th, 11:51am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-10T11:51:16-07:00">April 10th, 11:51am</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Braves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Atlanta <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/editorials/mlb-power-rankings-4-far-the-braves-fall">Braves are not off to the start</a> that they wanted to have this season, but there’s a chance that things could turn around for them sooner rather than later. Spencer Strider has been playing with the Gwinnett Stripers as the Braves are bringing him back slowly, but <a href="https://x.com/mlbbowman/status/1910390168474755299" rel="noopener">his latest performance</a> shows that he may be ready to come back, according to reporter Mark Bowman.</p><p>“Strider had 13 strikeouts and allowed one run over 5.1 IP for Gwinnett against Norfolk this afternoon,” Bowman wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Dominant? Yeah. Efficient? Hell yeah. He recorded the 13th K on his 90th pitch, which was today’s target. Think he’s ready?”</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/braves-news-atlanta-gets-huge-spencer-strider-injury-update">Strider will probably start one more game</a> for the Stripers on April 10 depending on if everything feels right, as the goal for him was to get to 90 pitches. He recently <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/spencer-strider-allows-no-hits-in-rehab-outing?adobe_mc=TS%3D1743938563%7CMCMID%3D29395937821680766784955252170957454556%7CMCORGID%3DA65F776A5245B01B0A490D44@AdobeOrg&amp;affiliateId=mlbapp-ios_webview_home-feed&amp;rsid=mlbios.at.bat.new.implementation" rel="noopener">spoke about</a> how things are going with him as far as recovery.</p><p>“I like where things are trending,” Strider said, via Mark Bowman of MLB.com. “I still have a ton of things to work on. Not that I expected to, but I don’t feel super sharp yet. How could I? I’m not even a year off surgery. So, I’ve got to have that patience with myself and also just the humility to know that doing the thing isn’t going to make me better at it. I need to deliberately work on stuff. Pitching in Triple-A is a good opportunity to do that.”</p><h2><b>Spencer Strider seems close to returning to Braves</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Spencer-Strider.jpg"><figcaption>Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Strider only made two starts last season after suffering a UCL injury. In most cases, that injury would have required him to get Tommy John surgery which would have led him to be out all of this season. Instead, Strider had an InternalBrace procedure that helped him return faster, and he started throwing off the mound ten months later.</p><p>The biggest thing for Strider now seems to be getting his conditioning back, and as his pitch count continues to grow, things are looking up for him and the Braves.</p><p>At 2-9 and standing at the bottom of the NL East standings, the Braves are going to have to get themselves out of a deep hole, and the hope is that they can find some momentum soon. They’ve shown some signs over the past few games that they’re close to clicking, and at some point, it’s going to have to result in wins for the team.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Spencer Strider turns in ‘dominant’ start before potential Braves return

<!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/atlanta-braves/braves-news-legend-hand-hovering-panic-button-disaster-start');   ga('set', 'title', 'Braves legend has hand hovering over panic button amid disaster 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/2025/04/Jones-at-a-Braves-game.jpg"><figcaption>Brett Davis-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Braves legend has hand hovering over panic button amid disaster start</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-10T10:20:34-07:00">April 10th, 10:20am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-10T10:20:34-07:00">April 10th, 10:20am</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University senior from Atlanta on track to graduate with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Braves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/atlanta-braves/braves-news-austin-riley-drops-embarrassing-truth-bomb-struggles">Atlanta Braves have gotten off to</a> a disastrous start to the 2025 MLB season, currently sitting at 2-9 following <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting/phillies-vs-braves-prediction-odds-pick-4-9-2025">Wednesday evening’s loss to the Philadelphia Phillies</a>. The Braves have had struggles both with pitching and at the plate, struggles that manifested themselves throughout the frustrating loss on Wednesday night.</p><p>Recently, Braves legend Chipper Jones took to The Athletic’s Starkville podcast to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/podcast/243-the-athletic-baseball-show/episode-786/" rel="noopener">relay his thoughts</a> on the current state of the organization.</p><p>“Probably somewhere between concern and panic,” he said.</p><p>“I didn’t see us struggling this bad,” he added. “You’ve seen abysmal hitting overall. And the situational hitting has been even worse.”</p><p>The Braves’ bullpen struggles manifested again during Wednesday’s loss to the Phillies, with the team allowing late inning home runs to both Bryce Harper and Trea Turner that ultimately gave Philadelphia its final margin of victory.</p><h2><b>A brutal start for the Braves</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Riley-vs-the-Padres.jpg"><figcaption>Denis Poroy-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Heading into this season, the Braves figured to be on the short list of teams with a realistic chance of competing with the Los Angeles Dodgers for National League supremacy.</p><p>Fast forward two weeks, and the Braves’ season is in danger of ending before it ever even began, as the team has already dug itself quite a hole in the divisional race, which they lost for the first time in six years in 2024.</p><p>Atlanta’s plate discipline has been abysmal to start the new campaign, and the team also recently received some bad news when free agent signee Jurickson Profar was suspended for half the season. If the Braves do somehow make the playoffs this year, Profar would also be ineligible for that portion of the season.</p><p>Overall, it would be hard for even the most cynical Braves fan to have predicted a start as bad as the one the team has endured to open up the 2025 campaign. The good news is that there are still 151 games remaining to get things right, beginning with Thursday evening’s grudge match against the Phillies.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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2025 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	WINS
63	3.00	28	0.95	2

2025 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	WINS
63	3.00	28	0.95	2