The Atlanta Braves hope to win the championship at the end of the playoffs every year, but this season they’ll be lucky if they even get there.
Atlanta has struggled in July, losing seven of its last eight games, and is desperately fighting for a postseason spot. As things stand before Monday’s game, the Braves have a half-game lead over the New York Mets for the third and final wild-card spot in the National League.
The pitching carried the Braves for most of the first half, but they are currently in a difficult stretch. Starters Max Fried and Reynaldo López are recovering from injuries, while the bullpen imploded in the weekend loss to the Colorado Rockies.
Given their recent struggles, the Braves can ill afford to lose any of their relief pitchers right now, but in the immediate future they will have to deal with the loss of one of their most important relief pitchers.
The Braves announced Monday that left-handed relief pitcher AJ Minter was placed on the 15-day injured list because of hip inflammation. In a corresponding move, fellow left-hander Dylan Lee was also recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett.
The left hip injury was the same one that kept Minter out all of June and limited him to just 34.1 innings pitched this year. But the left-hander has been outstanding of late, allowing just three earned runs in 13 innings since early July.
Minter also has a solid 2.62 ERA overall this season and has been the Braves’ left-hander of choice in late-inning matchup situations.
Fortunately for the Braves, Lee is also having a strong season in the major leagues. The 30-year-old has posted a 2.00 ERA in 35 appearances this season, despite rarely being used in key positions.
Without Minter, it will be difficult for an already-weak bullpen to continue. But it would be good for the Braves’ vaunted offense to help their pitchers. Atlanta scored just 96 runs in the second half, which ranks ninth in the NL.
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