The Braves continue to be beat down by injuries, with Whit Merrifield being the latest, but the club just refuses to die.
I have never seen such resilience from a club that has been hit so hard by injuries, and it continued over the weekend. Merrifield returned to the lineup on Friday against the Blue Jays after taking a fastball off the dome, but he quickly exited when he fouled a ball off his foot.
Eventually, it was revealed that the veteran avoided major injury even though it was diagnosed as fractured. Merrifield might be able to play in the weekend series against the Dodgers because there’s no risk of making the injury worse. It’s a case of playing through the pain.
The Braves won an improbable game on Sunday to take the series from the Blue Jays, and the Reds ended up taking one from the Mets, which puts the clubs tied once again for the final spot in the NL Wild Card.
NL Wild Card Standings
- Padres (81-64)
- Diamondbacks (80-64)
- Braves (78-65), Mets (78-65)
- Cubs (73-70) — 5.0 GB
- Cardinals (72-71) — 6.0 GB
The Braves have a makeup game today with the Reds and then a two-game set with the Nationals before a four-game series with the Dodgers. The Mets, on the other hand, will begin a series against the Blue Jays and then against the Phillies.
At the end of the month, the Braves and Mets will meet in a series at Truist Park, and it very well could decide the final Wild Card spot. However, the Padres and Diamondbacks are coming off less than stellar series themselves, so it’s really four teams vying for three spots.
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Photographer: Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire
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