MILWAUKEE — For the Atlanta Braves Youth Kevin Labanc Jersey , the big question as they headed from a long three-game series in Yankee Stadium to Milwaukee concerns the status of star first baseman Freddie Freeman.
All indications are Freeman will play the opener of a four-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers, but it will not be official until the lineup card is posted Thursday afternoon at Miller Park.
“If you ask him, he’s going to say yes,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “But until we get there and see how it is, we won’t know. It was probably good that we got him out of there and started on some treatment.”
Freeman exited in the fourth inning of Thursday’s 6-2 loss to the New York Yankee Stadium with an upper right arm contusion. He was injured when he was hit in the third inning by CC Sabathia, and by pulling him early to get treatment, Freeman and the Braves hope the precautionary measure means he can play Thursday.
“Luckily, it didn’t hit my hand,” Freeman said. “I’ll take the elbow and a little soreness. As long as I have the strength in my arm tomorrow, I can deal with the pain.”
Atlanta is 4-2 on its 10-game trip. The Braves swept three games in St. Louis last weekend and took a 5-3, 11-inning victory over the Yankees on Monday before losing the last two games.
“I thought we handled ourselves really well,” Snitker said. “We won a really tough game the first night, we put ourselves in a position to win today and today here we come again. The guys never quit. They know they can play with anybody and it’s a good sign.”
Milwaukee (51-35) is the first team in the National League to reach 50 wins after completing a three-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins with a 3-2 win on Wednesday.
Brad Miller and Nate Orf played roles in three close wins as Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell is employing a mix-and-match approach at shortstop. He is using that strategy while remaining optimistic that shortstop Orlando Arcia will rediscover his offensive stroke at Triple-A Colorado Springs and rejoin Milwaukee for a playoff push.
Miller has gotten off to a good start with the Brewers. He extended his hitting streak to nine games Wednesday and has a hit in 10 of 12 games since joining the team, with a pair of home runs.
Orf was batting .307 with an .875 OPS when he was summoned Monday from Triple-A and recorded his first career hit with a solo home run against the Twins.
Both are immediate offensive upgrades to Arcia, who was slashing .197/.231/.482 but remained in the regular lineup because of his defensive ability.
While Miller saw extensive action at the position earlier in his career and Orf has spent most of the season there at Colorado Springs, neither player is a natural shortstop so Counsell was prepared to sacrifice defense to shore up the bottom of the order.
“When we sent Orlando down, we had multiple players on the roster who aren’t true shortstops so we’re trying to find guys who can play shortstop and who can kind of fill in at shortstop,” he said. “I don’t think we have an answer, but this is how we’re going to try it.”
A more stable solution could be coming soon. Tyler Saladino was on a roll before suffering a severe ankle sprain on May 29.
In 16 games with the Brewers, he batted .324 with three home runs and eight RBIs while playing defense well enough to make it possible for Milwaukee to send Arcia down a first time on May 25.
Saladino has been rehabbing for the last week and could rejoin the team in the next few days.
“Tyler will be back soon and will end up having some of the shortstop duties,” Counsell said. “We’ll sit down here soon and figure that out.”
The right-handed hitting Orf is likely to get the starting nod Thursday when the Brewers face Braves left-hander Max Fried.
Fried (1-2, 2.55 ERA) returned to the rotation last week when Brandon McCarthy was placed on the disabled list and struck out 11 over 6 2/3 innings and earned his first victory of the season as Atlanta beat the Cardinals in St. Louis.
Fried remained with the team after his last outing but didn’t learn for sure that he’d get another start until Wednesday morning. He’s looking forward to getting his first taste of meaningful action as the two winningest teams in the National League face off for the first time this season.
Milwaukee counters with right-hander Jhoulys Chacin (6-3, 3.71) who bounced back from his worst outing of the season to hold the Cincinnati Reds to a run over five innings while striking out nine his last time out.
Signed to a two-year contract over the winter, Chacin has been a stabilizing force in the Brewers’ rotation. He leads the staff with 18 starts and 97 innings his season.
Chacin has pitched well against Atlanta throughout his career http://www.officialsharks.com/authentic … ure-jersey , posting a 3.94 ERA in six previous starts. Due to a lack of run support in those contests, is just 1-4 lifetime against the Braves.
Rick Spielman came to this year’s annual NFL scouting combine with a quarterback quandary.
He has two first-round draft picks trying to recover from injuries and a third-stringer, who led the Minnesota Vikings to the NFC championship game.
Now, instead of reaping the benefits of his smart moves and abundant riches, Spielman faces one of the most challenging decisions a general manager can with all three set to become free agents in less than two weeks.
”I believe in Case Keenum,” Spielman said Wednesday, the first full day of activity in Indianapolis. ”He did a phenomenal job and he has a knack for making big plays. We’re very excited about what he was able to accomplish.”
The more telling question might be how eager others around the league to sign Keenum, Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Bradford?
Spielman is running short on time as the carousel spins. He says he won’t make any decisions until he returns to Minneapolis next week.
Meanwhile, the offseason has started with a bang.
Alex Smith was traded from Kansas City to Washington, essentially assuring Kirk Cousins becomes a free agent. Blake Bortles and Jimmy Garoppolo each signed contract extensions with Garoppolo getting a reported five-year, $137.5 million deal. Garoppolo won his first five starts in San Francisco after a midseason trade from New England and is now 7-0 as a starter.
The new deals have Green Bay contemplating a new deal for Aaron Rodgers. New general manager Brian Gutekunst acknowledged ”it’s not going to be inexpensive.”
But this could be just the start to a wild and wooly offseason.
The free agent market opens March 14 and Keenum, Bridgewater and Bradford could all be attractive options for quarterback-needy teams.
Keenum seemed to find a home last year after spending two-plus seasons in Houston and two-plus seasons with the Rams.
Bridgewater was considered the Vikings’ next big star until he tore the ACL and dislocated his knee in August 2016. He made it back briefly late last season and now the Vikings await a ruling that could force Bridgewater to stick around one more season before hitting free agency.
Spielman doesn’t sound hopeful about Minnesota’s chances.
”I don’t personally believe, with what I know today, that his contract will toll,” he said.
One big advantage the Vikings have: They know Bridgewater’s prognosis and exactly where he stands in the rehab process.
Bradford, the 2010 NFL offensive rookie of the year, missed all but two games last season with a knee injury and there are long-term questions about the stability of his left knee. The 30-year-old has a long history of injuries but a needy team might be willing to take a calculated risk on the 2008 Heisman Trophy winner and top pick in the 2010 draft.
Other prominent names could be on the move, too.
Cousins and Mike Glennon are expected to be available after the Bears announced Wednesday they would release Glennon, and 39-year-old Drew Brees will be a free agent if he doesn’t re-sign with the Saints in the next two weeks. The conventional wisdom suggests Brees will remain in New Orleans.
Then there’s the trade market.
Coach Sean McDermott said Buffalo does not intend to cut Tyrod Taylor but could trade him. And if the New York Giants decide to rebuild with a young quarterback, 37-year-old Eli Manning could hear his name bandied about.
One team that seemed to take itself out of the discussion is reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia.
Executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman appears to be in no hurry to change anything with starter Carson Wentz recovering from a torn ACL in his left knee, especially after backup Nick Foles led the Eagles to their first NFL title since 1960.
”We’re trying to keep as many good players as we can,” Roseman said. ”That room is exactly what we want it to be. We have a franchise quarterback, a Super Bowl MVP and we have a young quarterback (Nate Sudfeld) who we like.”
—
