House That Hank Built
Fansided

Atlanta Braves Morning Chop: so you’re telling me there’s a chance

By Alan Carpenter

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 26: Brian McCann #16 of the Atlanta Braves hits a home run during the fifth inning of a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on July 26, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Braves defeated the Phillies 9-2. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 26: Brian McCann #16 of the Atlanta Braves hits a home run during the fifth inning of a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on July 26, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Braves defeated the Phillies 9-2. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 3
Next
BALTIMORE, MD – APRIL 20: Darr en O’Day #56 of the Baltimore Orioles celebrates after the Orioles defeated the Cleveland Indians 3-1 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 20, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD – APRIL 20: Darr en O’Day #56 of the Baltimore Orioles celebrates after the Orioles defeated the Cleveland Indians 3-1 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 20, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /

The Surprise

DARREN O’DAY –

Remember this guy?  You can be be forgiven if you didn’t.

Darren O’Day was the ‘other player’ in the trade that Atlanta made with Baltimore to acquire Kevin Gausman at the 2018 trade deadline.  In fact, the Braves were able to get Gausman as part of a relatively cheap package because they took O’Day… and his contract… as part of the exchange.

Over the Winter, it was hoped that O’Day would become a key member of a bullpen that should have provided significant shutdown power at the end of games.

Unfortunately, that never materialized:  Arodys Vizcaino is now gone (Seattle), A.J. Minter is back at AAA, and Darren O’Day’s 2019 season was almost over before it ever began.

Heck, we only have a ‘Photo Day’ picture of him in a Braves jersey… hence the Orioles ‘action shot’ above.

But guess what? …

Really?

While it’s a surprise to hear this, the idea that O’Day could be activated for September still has to be considered something of a longshot.

The last time he pitched in a competitive major league game was on June 26, 2018.  There’s going to be a lot of rust to scrape off.

But if this miracle occurs, O’Day is definitely the kind of pitcher you’d love to have for the late innings.

Before he went down to injury last season, he sported a 3.60 ERA while averaging 12+ strikeouts per 9 innings and just 1.8 walks per 9.

Those numbers include his forgettable last 2 trips to the mound, where he might have already been feeling the impact of the hamstring injury that sidelined him (2 earned runs, 3 hits, a walk, nobody retired).

As it is, this new version of the Atlanta Braves bullpen has actually started to settle in over the past few days… and a healthy combination of O’Day, Jackson, Melancon, Martin, and Greene (and Newcomb) actually sounds better than most relief staffs in the majors.

So dream a little dream with us here… sure:  the chances aren’t great, but after so much time has passed, it’s very interesting to see that O’Day is actually going to give his arm a go.

There’s no word on just how much time he might spend in rehab stints – an estimate of 3 weeks is probably fair – but this could end up giving the Braves yet another option to help finish off games, which could be vital in the playoffs.

It’s crazy that nearly daily injury updates are needed right now for the Atlanta Braves, but that may underscore just how spoiled this team and their fans have been in recently months as good health had been a hallmark of this 2019 club.

Time to Wrap the Fish. dark. Next

Overall, though… there’s a chance that this team could nearly be back to full strength by the last week of the regular season.  And that would be a good thing.

Home/Braves News