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Atlanta Braves’ Moves Already Concerning; Today’s Will Resemble Utter Panic

By Alan Carpenter

Apr 10, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) shown after being left on base against the St. Louis Cardinals during the eighth inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) shown after being left on base against the St. Louis Cardinals during the eighth inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 10, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Dan Winkler (58) (center) is helped off the field after being injured against the St. Louis Cardinals during the seventh inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Dan Winkler (58) (center) is helped off the field after being injured against the St. Louis Cardinals during the seventh inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /

Bullpen Already in Shambles

John Gant debuted with a perfectly fine outing, but then the Cardinals figured him out and started hammering anything less than his best stuff.  He was probably heading to Gwinnett shortly anyway, but rather than leaving him to twist in the wind for a couple more days, Atlanta opted to replace him early.

His replacement – Chris Withrow – wasted no time in making his manager regret that promotion:  2 walks and a hit in 2/3rds of an inning while giving up a run.

In fact, the only members of the pen truly doing well so far are:

… except for one detail:

When it Rains, it Pours

This was a sickening, tragic moment in the game – one that seemed to crush the team’s spirit for the rest of the day.  Further evaluation will be required to learn just how this injury can be fixed… never mind how long he’ll be out of action.  But given that we’re talking about Winkler’s pitching elbow… figure that he is most likely done for the season.

So Now What?

  • Eric O’Flaherty is still the only left-hander in the pen… yet he’s been ineffective.
  • There’s at least a chance now that John Gant could be boomeranged back to Atlanta
  • There’s a chance that Jose Ramirez – seemingly only present due to a lack of options – could definitely be DFA’d due to sheer inability to get hitters out (27.00 ERA with 4 walks and 5 hits in 2 innings).
  • Other options from those doing well in Spring:  Hunter Cervenka (likely) or Mauricio Cabrera.  Cabrera is already on the 40-man roster, but I don’t know that Fredi Gonzalez‘s blood pressure could handle him.
  • You can also check out the comprehensive list that Fred gave us yesterday.  Hopefully Coppy will drop him a note of thanks for the research effort.

But that’s only part of what’s going on…

Next: Even more

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