Unfortunately, the Atlanta Braves' reign of terror came to an end this week, as they dropped two straight games after a tough loss to the Nationals on Tuesday. All good things must come to an end, but it would have been really nice to keep the good times rolling. With a pair of high-stakes series against the Phillies coming up, it would be nice to pad the Braves' lead in the NL East and not have to rely on an admittedly soft end-of-season schedule.
While the results haven't been ideal the last couple of games, that doesn't mean that there haven't been some intriguing developments involving the Braves. Let's take a look at some of the news that you may have missed the last couple of days.
Dylan Lee thinks he is tipping his pitches, but fixing the problem may not be easy
One of the guys in the Braves' bullpen who is going to be essential to any potential playoff run is Dylan Lee. Unfortunately, Lee has been anything but awesome recently, and many fans have been worried that his decline could be fatigue and/or injury-related. However, the actual explanation is both better and much, much worse.
According to Lee himself, he believes he may be tipping his pitches and that opposing hitters have been picking up on what he has been doing in the second half. While it is great that Lee has a viable explanation for his tough stretch that isn't physical, it also means that Atlanta has to figure out exactly how he is tipping his pitches and then find a real fix quickly.
Orlando Arcia has a new team after signing a minor league deal with the Reds
The Braves have been pretty cursed at shortstop ever since Dansby Swanson left, but there was a time when some thought that Orlando Arcia was going to be his heir. However, after looking pretty good for stretches of the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Arcia fell off a cliff, and the Braves finally abandoned the Arcia experiment in May 2025.
Since then, Arcia's MLB career has seen better days. He tried unsuccessfully to catch on with the Rockies and Twins, and even took a job in the Mexican League to prolong his playing career. However, it looks like the Reds are taking a flyer on Arcia for at least the final month of the season, as they gave him a minor league deal and stashed him in Triple-A for now.
ROSTER MOVE: Veteran infielder Orlando Arcia has been signed by the @Reds and assigned to Louisville today.
— Louisville Bats (@LouisvilleBats) September 1, 2026
We're excited to see him playing in the right uniform at Louisville Slugger Field soon! pic.twitter.com/CYyj4Flrii
Braves' potential playoff rotation is as unsettled as ever after AJ Smith-Shawver's struggles vs. Nationals
When AJ Smith-Shawver returned from the injured list, it gave the Braves hope they would have some real starting pitching depth behind Chris Sale. While Smith-Shawver has shown some flashes of what he is capable of since he came back, it is very clear that he still has a ways to go before anyone can say he is back to peak form.
After the Nationals tagged AJSS for five runs in four innings of work, Braves manager Walt Weiss was noncommittal when asked about Smith-Shawver's potential inclusion in Atlanta's playoff rotation and called the starting staff "day-to-day stuff" when it comes to evaluating their future roles. Weiss also went out of his way to mention Reynaldo Lopez's impending return as another factor he is considering when it comes to any postseason plans.
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