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Tag: Drake Baldwin

  • Atlanta Braves’ season had highs, lows, wins, losses, and moments to remember

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    A pair of Colorado Rockies fans (center) and thousands of Atlanta Braves fans enjoy The Battery before Saturday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice

    Sunday will be the final game of the season.

    The Atlanta Braves’ 2025 season is nearly over. There will be no postseason play for the Braves this time around, though. The National League East belongs to the rival Philadelphia Phillies. A potential wild card spot may go to Atlanta’s other rival, the New York Mets. For Braves fans, the final series against the Pittsburgh Pirates and whether the team wins matters less than what will be in place when the team meets at CoolToday Park in Venice, Florida, for spring training next year.

    There’s a lot that went wrong this season (injuries, losing streaks, blown leads, blown saves, and Michael Harris II’s month of May and June, to name a few), but there were also enough positive performances for the fan base to be looking forward to the 2026 season.

    Michael Harris II (above) celebrates after hitting a home run during the series against the Chicago White Sox at Truist Park. Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves

    The Highs: 

    The Major League Baseball All-Star Game took place at Truist Park, and by all measures, it was a success for everyone involved. The MLB Draft took place at the Coca-Cola Roxy at The Battery, and that event was sold out. 

    The 10-game win streak may have taken place at the end of the season, but it did happen. That streak of close wins, blowout victories, and stellar pitching performances (by Spencer Strider, Chris Sale, and Bryce Elder in particular) was an example of what this team can do when healthy. 

    All-Star first baseman Matt Olson had a career year. On Saturday night against the Pirates, Olson, an Atlanta native, played his 161st game of the year. During that time on the field, he has managed to lead the team in home runs (29), RBI (94), batting average (.272), doubles (40), and walks (90). His defense at first base has been Golden Glove-level. 

    Hurston Waldrep emerged as the club’s next star on the mound. Waldrep began his career in the majors as a last-minute call-up and had to pitch in Bristol, Tennessee, following a rainout. That was the Speedway Classic against the Cincinnati Reds on August 2, and Waldrep has been impressive during his nine starts (6-1 overall record). 

    Michael Harris II had one of the best offensive second halves in Braves history. He hasn’t been too bad over the past week, either. Harris II is hitting over .370 with three home runs, seven RBI, four steals, and is slugging over .800. Harris will be an important piece of the 2026 team, with his defense in centerfield and speed on the basepaths. Harris’s bat will also be needed if Atlanta is going to be a postseason team next year. Even with his early-season struggles, Harris will finish this season second on the team in RBI, first in steals, and one of five players with at least 20 home runs.

    Ozzie Albies, a fixture at second base for years, had a strong second half as well. He played in 157 games before injuring his hand late in the season. Albies hit 16 home runs, drove in 74 runs, and had 23 doubles, second only to Olson. 

    Hurston Waldrep (above) of the Atlanta Braves pitches in the fourth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Truist Park on August 20, 2025, in Atlanta, Georgia. Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves

    The Lows:

    Atlanta began the 2025 season with seven consecutive losses and never seemed to get back on track. The 2026 season will begin at Truist Park, though. The opponents will be the Kansas City Royals and the (add city here) A’s.

    The Atlanta Braves will finish the 2025 season under .500 at Truist Park. 

    All five of the opening day starting pitchers missed significant time this season. All of them. In his final start of the season, Spencer Strider gave up three earned runs and seven hits against the Pirates. 

    Drake Baldwin (above) of the Atlanta Braves celebrates scoring during the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Truist Park on September 8, 2025. Photo by Kevin D. Liles/Atlanta Braves

    The Future: The Braves have a ton of young talent on this roster, and most of those players will be needed if Atlanta is going to retain its spot atop the National League East. 

    Braves catcher Drake Baldwin is one of the top rookies in the National League. The Wisconsin native and former hockey player is on his way to becoming the full-time catcher for this team after platooning with Sean Murphy early in the season. Baldwin has 19 home runs and 80 RBI, and has quickly become one of the clutch hitters on this team. 

    Nacho Alvarez Jr. (above) hits a single in the fourth inning during the game against the Washington Nationals at Truist Park on September 22, 2025. Photo by Jack Casey/Atlanta Braves

    Along with Waldrep, there are other young arms on the roster. Grant Holmes (21 starts this year), Spencer Swellenbach (17), and AJ Smith-Shawver (9) all gave the team quality starts when their numbers were called. All three pitchers will get starts next season alongside veterans like Strider, Sale, and Bryce Elder.

    Currently at third base, Nacho Alvarez, Jr. has been impressive defensively in place of Austin Riley, who was hurt a few months ago. Alvarez, Jr. will not and cannot replace the offensive out of Riley, but will make a fine addition to the Braves’ bench when the time comes to give Riley a rest.

    And of course, there’s Ronald Acuna, Jr., arguably one of the best players in baseball when healthy.

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    Donnell Suggs

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  • The Good, The Bad, & The Braves: Bryce (Elder) Yourselves, Braves win 4-1

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    Ha-Seong Kim (above) had a single during the Braves’s three-run first inning against the Chicago Cubs on Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. Photo by Kevin D. Liles/Atlanta Braves

    Stop me if you have heard this before, but Bryce Elder was the key reason the Atlanta Braves won tonight. The Braves defeated the Chicago Cubs 4-1 and Elder was lights out.

    The Braves were back at Truist Park a day after losing a three-game series to the Seattle Mariners. Monday night’s starting pitcher, Bryce Elder, came into the game against the Chicago Cubs having come off of one of his best outings of the season against the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Sept. 3. Elder went seven innings, gave up just four hits and one run, while striking out seven Cubs.

    He started Monday night’s game on the right track, striking out three of the first seven Cubs he faced in the first inning and second innings, including Pete Crow Armstrong. Elder has experienced some rough early innings this season, so the strong start to this game was a welcomed sight for a Braves pitching staff and defense that gave up 18 runs to Seattle on Sunday.

    Elder was pitching well again. The Texas native picked up two more strikeouts in the third inning and had a 1-2-3 fourth inning.

    At the plate, Ozzie Albies got things started for Atlanta with a first inning solo home run to left field off Cubs starter Shota Imanaga. Following a single from Braves shortstop Ha-Seong Kim, potential National League Rookie of the Year Drake Baldwin laced a double off of the center field fence to bring Kim home and give the Braves a 2-0 lead. Ronald Acuna drove Baldwin in to make the score 3-0, and also snapped a 0-25 hitting streak in the process.

    The roughest inning for Elder came in the sixth when he gave up a pair of singles and a walk to Michael Busch, Ian Happ, and Seiya Suzuki, the top of the Cubs lineup. Elder then got Pete Crow-Armstrong to ground out to Albies to end the inning.

    Elder would come out of the game in the seventh inning with a runner on third base. That runner, Nick Hoerner, hit a double to start the inning. The hit was the only extra-base hit Elder gave up during his time on the mound. Elder, who went 6.1 innings with five strikeouts, was charged with the run the Cubs scored moments later on a sacrifice fly from Matt Shaw off a Pierce Johnson fastball.

    The Braves would get the run back when Matt Olson hit his 23rd home run of the season in the eighth inning, putting Atlanta up 4-1.

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    Donnell Suggs

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  • The Good, The Bad, & The Braves: Atlanta is back over .500 (at home) with 4-1 win over Seattle Mariners

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    Chris Sale (above) started Friday night’s game against the Seattle Mariners at Truist Park. Sale (5-4 overall before the game) was back to his old self early on. Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves

    The Atlanta Braves opened the three-game series with the Seattle Mariners with a 4-1 victory on Friday night.

    The eighth inning told the story tonight as Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, and Drake Baldwin each drove in runs to give Atlanta a lead they would not relinquish. With the score 1-1 to start the eighth, the Braves got a double from Jurickson Profar to lead off the inning. Olson’s single drove him in, and Albies triple drove in Olson then Baldwin helped bring Albies home.

    Raisel Iglesisas came on in the ninth inning and had a 1-2-3 inning to get the save and secure the victory. Other than a deep fly ball to center from Jorge Polanco, there was little threat from Seattle.

    The Braves were back at Truist Park following a long and unsuccessful road trip. Atlanta began a series against the Seattle Mariners (The Braves are 11-14 against the Mariners all-time) with a 33-33 record in their home park. Well below .500 for the season and out of the playoff picture, establishing a winning environment at Truist Park, along with the strong play of the team’s young talent, including Baldwin and Hurston Waldrep, can give the fanbase something to look forward to in October and beyond.

    There were immediately opportunities to get off to a strong start in the first home game of the last month of the season. Atlanta only managed to score one run despite having the bases loaded in the top of the first inning. With two runners on base and two outs, Michael Harris, once the hottest player in the National League, struck out on a breaking pitch from Seattle starter Logan Gilbert to end the inning.

    Harris came into the game tied for the team lead in RBI with Olson with 77. His 17 home runs was third on the team behind Olson (21) and Marcell Ozuna (20).

    Newcomer to the Atlanta baseball scene, shortstop Ha-Seong Kim, was at the plate in the third inning with Albies on third base and two outs. Kim, who played well during the series in Chicago against the Cubs, popped out to Seattle shortstop Leo Rivas to end the third inning.

    Chris Sale was back on the mound for the Braves. Sale made his first start in months during the recent road trip, and he was sharp in his return to Truist Park. Through the first four innings of the game, Sale had only given up three hits and no runs. In the fifth inning, Sale struck out the side: Dominic Canzone, Leo Rivas, and Luke Raley.

    Sale pitched 6.2 innings and thoroughly shut down the Mariners lineup during his time on the mound. Reliever Dylan Lee came on in relief of Sale and immediately gave up a single to tied the game at one.

    After the game Sale thanked the Braves staff and his teammates for supporting him on his journey back from the rib injury too pitching the way he did tonight.

    “I try to be the same guy every day,” Sale said. “It feels good.”

    Asked if he was surprised Sale is already pitching at this level, Braves manager Brian Snitker said he wasn’t.

    “I don’t think anything he does surprises me,” Snitker said of Sale. “I just want to see him progress.”

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    Donnell Suggs

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  • Braves, Falcons, Panthers & Tech: Busy weekend in Atlanta Sports

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    The Atlanta Falcons and General Manager Terry Fontenot (above) will begin the 2025 season at home on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice

    One season is grinding to an end, while two others are just beginning. This weekend will be busy in Atlanta sports, with the final month of Atlanta Braves baseball games beginning, the start of the Atlanta Falcons season, and the football seasons for Clark Atlanta and Georgia Tech. 

    The Atlanta Falcons, back from another non-playoff season in 2024 (Note: If you’re counting, that’s seven consecutive seasons without a playoff berth), will open the 2025 season with a home game inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, an NFC South rival, is expected to sell out. 

    The Falcons swept Tampa last season, beginning the season 6-3, before the wheels fell off. A strong start to the season will directly coincide with a victory over the Buccaneers on Sunday. 

    The Atlanta Braves will also be in town for the weekend. The Braves spent the early part of the week in Chicago playing the Cubs. Atlanta, back to .500 at home with a 33-33 record, returned to Truist Park to play nine straight. The initial third of that homestand will begin with the Seattle Mariners. Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh (50 home runs) is still pursuing the switch-hitter home run record of 54 by Mickey Mantle in 1961, so there’s a chance that by the time he and the Mariners get to Atlanta, fans could be a part of Major League Baseball history. 

    The Atlanta Braves will host the Seattle Mariners at Truist Park (above) this weekend. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice

    The Braves lost the series in Chicago after being up several runs in the first game on Monday, losing on a walkoff, and wasting a quality start from Joey Wentz on Tuesday. A pair of Braves pitchers made their Major League debuts on Tuesday night. Dominican right-hander Rolddy Munioz pitched two scoreless innings in the fifth and sixth. Augusta, Georgia native Hayden Harris pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the seventh. 

    Braves rookie catcher Drake Baldwin is racing towards the National League Rookie of the Year award. Baldwin is hitting .283 with 62 RBI and 15 home runs. Though he has only won National League Rookie of the Month once, Baldwin has played a large role in the Braves’ offense this season. His defense behind the plate has also been a plus for a Braves team with very little to celebrate this season. 

    Not to be outdone, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will also play host duties at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Yellow Jackets and Heisman hopeful (joking. Not joking) senior quarterback Haynes King won a close one in Boulder, Colorado, last Friday. 

    During that game, King had 156 rushing yards (and three touchdowns) in comparison to Colorado’s 157 total rushing yards. He also passed for 143 yards during the 27-20 victory. Look for those numbers to be equaled if not surpassed during Tech’s next game against Gardner-Webb on Saturday (3:30 p.m.). 

    Tech will play its next three games at home, including games against Clemson on Sept. 13 and Temple on Sept. 20. 

    The Clark Atlanta University Panthers (right) lost their final home game of the season Saturday, 41-21. Photo by Menra Mapfumo/The Atlanta Voice

    The Clark Atlanta Panthers are back in action in the Atlanta University Center. The Panthers, 0-1 after opening the 2025 season with a 31-28 loss to Valdosta State at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama, last week, will host Florida Memorial University on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.

    Morehouse College, also 0-1, will be in New Jersey at MetLife Stadium on Saturday. The maroon Tigers will face the Howard University Bison in the HBCU NY Football Classic. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.

    Atlanta United forward Miguel Almirón (above) are off this weekend, but will be back in Mercedes-Benz Stadium go host Columbus next Saturday. Photo by Matthew Dingle/Atlanta United

    Atlanta United will be off for the week, but returns to Mercedes-Benz Stadium to host the Columbus Crew on Saturday, Sept. 13. First kick is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The last time the two teams met at Lower.com Field on June 25 in Columbus, Atlanta United lost 3-0 on a rainy night. The Five Stripes were mired in inconsistent play at the time, and are now playing better heading into the international break in the Major League Soccer schedule.

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    Donnell Suggs

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