Atlanta, GA

Atlanta Braves Shutout for 10th Time During Postseason Push

Published

2 hours ago

September 10, 2024

Atlanta Braves Shutout for 10th Time During Postseason Push

The Atlanta Braves fell to the Cincinnati Reds 1-0 to take another untimely loss. Make that 10 times they have been shut out this season, and the third time they have lost 1-0.

Zero runs, two hits and one smashed iPad. Baserunners were so tough to come by, they were only 0-for-1 with runners in scoring position.

That about sums up the frustrations at the plate this season.

With a New York Mets 3-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays, the Braves dropped out of a playoff spot. While the Braves are still just a game back, this four-team race for three playoff spots remains tight – the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres are two and two and half games ahead, once you’re in September, that gap feels much larger.

The bats getting it together quickly is going to be what keeps them in this hunt late in the season.

“There’s no room for error right now,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said after the game. “When you’re having trouble scoring runs and you’re pitching really good, there’s no room for error on that side.”

Charlie Morton had his best outing in quite some time. He pitched 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball, allowing six hits and one walk while striking out seven. The lone run came in the top of the second when Ty France plated T.J. Friedl on an RBI double.

It adds insult to injury when Morton gives you a much-needed good night on the mound and they can’t reward it with a win. However, Morton chose not to point fingers after the game and kept it positive. He did his part.

“It’s not really about blame or looking at the other guy,” Morton said. “It’s more about trying to do the best you can for your teammates and the guys you are spending every day with.”

As per usual, the team kept a positive outlook for the remainder of the season.

“We have a lot of opportunity in front of us and we just have to make it happen,” Matt Olson, who had both of the Braves hits on Monday night, said.

18 games remain. Not sure if that is necessarily a lot of opportunity, but what matters is if the Braves can capitalize on those opportunities.

They have a chance to do just that when they hit the road for a two-game series against the Washington Nationals. The Nationals are 15-games-under .500, but would love to keep the Braves out of a playoff spot.

First pitch is set for 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday with Reynaldo López scheduled to take the mound for the Braves.

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Atlanta, GA

Questionable calls that almost decided the game against Atlanta

Published

10 hours ago

September 10, 2024

Press Room

Questionable calls that almost decided the game against Atlanta

The Pittsburgh Steelers are no strangers to bad calls made by officials. Some of these calls can decide a game if missed. There were two calls this Sunday that would have shifted the game script if called correctly.

George Pickens made a diving catch with 3 minutes 44 seconds remaining in the 3rd quarter. Viewers could see that A.J. Terrell tried to touch Pickens down and missed, in which George Pickens got up and ran for around 10 yards more. The referees, however, missed the call and claimed that Pickens was marked down back at the Atlanta 28-yard line.

The referees’ presence was also felt on the defensive side of the ball. With 38 seconds remaining in the 1st half of the game, T.J. Watt spectacularly timed the Atlanta Falcons snap and strip-sacked Kirk Cousins, which should have resulted in a turnover for the Steelers. The referees, however, labeled this impressive feat of timing and patience an offsides penalty. The very next play, Kirk Cousins hit tight end Kyle Pitts for a touchdown.

The Steelers should not put themselves in positions where non-reviewable calls like these can decide the game. As close as the Steelers win their games, the officials are bound to make or break a contest, one way or another.

Steelers beat the Falcons and the Refs today. Very impressive.
— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) September 8, 2024

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Atlanta, GA

Raheem Morris on Kirk Cousins' health, offensive play-calling decisions after Week 1 loss

Published

17 hours ago

September 9, 2024

Press Room

Raheem Morris on Kirk Cousins' health, offensive play-calling decisions after Week 1 loss

“Everything is going to be situational to the game plan for who you’re playing against,” Morris said in response to a question about whether Cousins’ health affected play-calling decisions. “When you go out and you put those guys in what we do and how we want to play and try to put those guys in good positions to get those guys blocked, the aliens the Pittsburgh Steelers have, you gotta try to figure those things out.”

Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt was a force to be reckoned with. He technically had only one sack recorded in the game book. But that’s because his two others were negated due to Pittsburgh penalties.

Defensive tackle Montravius Adams also had a sack for the Steelers.

In total, Pittsburgh had two sacks and seven quarterback hits.

“It exposed some things inside for us,” Morris said. “We had a tough day inside, and then it also activated those guys out there a little bit and those guys got going. That’s a good football team, and I don’t want to take away any credit from what they were able to do, but with our plan to go out there, we have to execute it better in order to get (Kirk) protected a little bit better. Think he had seven hits and he got hurried a bunch. … They definitely hit us too much when it came to some of the drop-back passes.”

Of the Falcons’ 226 net offensive yards, 89 were rushing and 137 were passing. The Falcons ran 50 total offensive plays. Of those plays, 44% were rushing and 52% were passing. The two plays unaccounted for were the sacks.

Running back Bijan Robinson carried the ground game with 18 carries for 68 yards. Wide receivers Drake London and Darnell Mooney had three receptions for 30 yards between the two of them, while Ray-Ray McCloud III was the leader with four receptions for 52 yards.

It was tight end Kyle Pitts who scored the Falcons’ sole touchdown on a 12-yard reception in the first half.

“We want to get better,” Morris said. “But we got to play better at the (quarterback) position, we got to play better around him.”

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Atlanta, GA

RandBall: In Atlanta, Falcons fans got a sour taste of Kirk Cousins at his worst

Published

24 hours ago

September 9, 2024

Press Room

RandBall: In Atlanta, Falcons fans got a sour taste of Kirk Cousins at his worst

Even Cousins’ postgame assessment was familiar: “Certainly disappointed,” he said. “You always go out there with an expectation that you’re going to play at a high level, and we didn’t play up to our standards today.”

He looked like a 36-year-old QB who hasn’t played in nearly a year because of a major injury, which is to say that the Falcons can be hopeful that he is knocking off some rust but also should be fearful that he is on the downward slope of his career arc.

Cousins will outplay Darnold this season, possibly as soon as next week, and the comparisons between the two will fade as the season progresses (at least until Dec. 8, when the Vikings host the Falcons).

For now, the Vikings have to feel pretty good about the decisions that rose from the ashes of a disappointing playoff loss.

Here are four more things to know today:

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