By MIKE ROBERTS
Well, it certainly wasn’t a great week for the Atlanta Braves, who lost both of their series against the Chicago White Sox and the New York Mets. Nevertheless, the Braves still own the best record in Major League Baseball (46-25) and have an eight-game lead over the second-place Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East.
Here are three takeaways from the past week of Braves baseball.
The Braves Are Not Invulnerable
Atlanta lost Tuesday and Wednesday’s games against the White Sox before Thursday’s series finale was postponed due to rain. The game will be made up on Thursday, Aug. 20. The Braves later lost two out of three games against the Mets. It marked just the first time the team has lost two consecutive series this season, and the two games with Chicago marked the first time this year that the Braves have been swept.
The Injury Bug Continues to Bite
The Braves have the best record in baseball despite weathering injuries to key players this season. In May, Drake Baldwin (.303 AVG., .931 OPS, 13 HR, 38 RBI, 1 SB) has been on the injured list since May 19 due to a strained right oblique. The star catcher has begun his rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett, launched a home run this past weekend, and could return to Atlanta’s lineup as early as Tuesday.
Then this past Wednesday, Ronald Acuña, Jr. (.251 AVG., .793 OPS, 7 HR, 22 RBI, 15 SB) returned to the IL with a Grade 1 strain of his left hamstring. The Braves’ superstar missed time last month with the same issue. Unfortunately, he has a history of injuries, tearing his ACL twice in his career. Acuna is one of baseball’s most exciting players when healthy, and hopefully for the Braves, he’ll return soon.
If that wasn’t enough, on Saturday, the Braves placed starting pitcher Spencer Strider (4-2, 5.31 ERA, 1.36 WHIP) on the 15-day injured list due to inflammation in his throwing elbow. The announcement came one day after Strider was removed during the fourth inning of Friday’s 7-5 loss to New York. Braves fans are hoping that Strider, who has had two major arm operations, doesn’t have to undergo another major surgery.
Eli White Can Lead a Team to a Victory
Atlanta’s roster is full of stars: guys like Acuña, Baldwin, Ozzie Albies (.279 AVG., .772 OPS, 10 HR, 37 RBI, 1 SB) … and Eli White (.238 AVG., .712 OPS, 3 HR, 14 RBI, 2 SB)? Okay, White definitely isn’t a houeshold name like the others, but he sure looked like one on Saturday. The South Carolina native homered and had three hits (matching a career-high) as he led the Braves to a 3-1 victory over the Mets, which was Atlanta’s lone win of that series.
White hit an RBI double in the second inning, homered in the fourth, and came up with another double during the seventh. It was the fifth three-hit performance of his career and his first since May 2025.
White went into Monday’s off day on a tear. In his past seven games, he was hitting .400 with a .900 slugging percentage.
Looking Ahead
Next up, the Braves will return home for a pair of three-game series: one against the San Francisco Giants starting Tuesday, and one against the Milwaukee Brewers that starts Friday. Here’s a look at the upcoming schedule, including TV information and probable pitchers:
Tuesday, 6/16: 7:15 PM, BravesVision/MLB.TV, Adrian Houser (SF) (2-6, 5.54 ERA, 1.54 WHIP) vs. Grant Holmes (ATL) (4-2, 4.05 ERA, 1.34 WHIP)
Wednesday, 6/17: 7:15 PM, BravesVision/MLB.TV, Robbie Ray (SF) (4-6, 4.42 ERA, 1.39 WHIP) vs. JR Ritchie (ATL) (1-1, 3.82 ERA, 1.34 WHIP)
Thursday, 6/18: 7:15 PM BravesVision/MLB.TV, Landen Roupp (SF) (5-7, 4.24 ERA, 1.29 WHIP) vs. Martin Perez (5-3, 2.90 ERA, 1.05 WHIP)
Friday, 6/19: 7:15 PM, BravesVision/MLB.TV, TBD (MIL) vs. TBD (ATL)
Saturday, 6/20: 4:10 PM, BravesVision/MLB.TV, TBD (MIL) vs. TBD (ATL)
Sunday, 6/21: 1:35 PM, BravesVision/MLB.TV, TBD (MIL) vs. TBD (ATL)