Atlanta Braves drop lead in Wild Card standings as injured players show improvement – MLB News
The Atlanta Braves have lost their footing on a comfortable lead in the Wild Card standings and are now just 3.5 games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals after a 5-7 loss to the New York Mets on Sunday, September 18 at Turner Field in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Cardinals have been in contention for the Wild Card berth and a 5-0 win against Philadelphia Phillies on September 18 significantly helped their cause in reducing the deficit.
Braves have faced a serious dip in their form and injuries have been core to their dismay. Tommy Hanson’s injury followed by Jair Jurrjens ouster has seriously dented their position in the race to secure a postseason berth.
However, there is some good news for the bull-pen as Kris Medlen participated in his first live batting practice on Saturday, September 17 after almost 13 months and is all-set to head to Florida for some game practice in the instructional league.
After undergoing Tommy John surgery last year, Medlen was due to make a comeback in August this year, but a scar-tissue in mid-July delayed his return for another five weeks. He, however, threw 25 pitches in the practice session and came out unscathed. Medlen
did not hesitate in throwing the fastball and the slider, disallowing any of the five batters to make solid contact.
If Medlen successfully pitches through the instructional league, he will rejoin the Braves from September 26 for a three-game series against the Phillies in an attempt to prove his usefulness to the bull-pen for the postseason. After being placed on the
60-day disabled list throughout the season, Medlen is eligible to be selected for the postseason roster but he might only be restricted to a relief role, keeping in mind his fitness concerns.
Hanson had been sidelined since August 6 citing under surface tear in right rotator cuff but is showing good improvement. He is heading to Orlando to participate in the instructional league and a successful return will mean added strength to Atlanta’s thwarted
bull-pen.
The Braves will have to strive to keep their Wild Card lead intact, especially when they have managed to do so since the midseason break and have two quality pitchers almost ready for action.
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