Atlanta Braves News: Atlanta hosts Pirates, blanks Chicago, more

The Atlanta Braves are coming off a series loss in St. Louis and a loss to the worst team in the major leagues. The Braves then begin their home series with a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Braves begin the season 44-35 and are eight games out of the division lead. The Pirates are in third place in the Central Division with a 39-41 record.

Charlie Morton, Max Fried and Spencer Schwellenbach are all expected to start this weekend. Saturday’s game will certainly be the most important, as the Pirates will send out rookie Paul Skenes.

The series begins tonight at 7:20 p.m. ET and hopefully the Braves will end their two-game losing streak.

More Braves news:

Despite Chris Sale’s season-high 11 strikeouts, nothing was going the Braves’ way in Thursday’s 1-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox.

Drake Baldwin collected three hits Wednesday for Triple-A Gwinnett to raise his batting average to .347. More information in the minor league recap.

Battery Power previews the 2024 MLB Draft, starting with catchers.

Marcell Ozuna was not among the finalists to start the All-Star Game, falling just behind Kyle Schwarber.

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MLB News:

The Cleveland Guardians have placed outfielder Will Brennan on the 10-day injured list with rib cage inflammation. The move is retroactive to June 25.

The Miami Marlins have released catcher Christian Bethancourt. He had previously been assigned to Triple-A Jacksonville but is now a free agent.

Houston Astros right-hander Oliver Ortega underwent elbow surgery Wednesday and will miss the 2024 season. Because he had another elbow surgery in March, he has not appeared in a game this season.

The Philadelphia Phillies have placed right-hander Spencer Turnbull on the 15-day injured list because of a right side strain. He is expected to be out six to eight weeks.

The Cleveland Guardians have agreed to a one-year deal with left-hander Matthew Boyd. The club will need to free up a roster spot for the deal to be official.

The Chicago Cubs placed right-hander Javier Assad on the 15-day disabled list with a forearm strain. The move is retroactive to June 24. The club also signed reliever Vinny Nittoli to a major league contract.