Atlanta, GA
Braves News: Atlanta destroys Cleveland, Sean Murphy update, short-term pitching plans
The Atlanta Braves are off to a very strong start in 2026, and they are certainly more enjoyable to watch than they were at the beginning of last season. At 9-5, the Braves are in their rightful spot at the top of the NL East, and they managed to do it with Ronald Acuña Jr. and Michael Harris II dealing with rotten luck when it comes to batted ball luck. At least both managed to go deep on Friday.
With Martin Perez set to take the mound on Saturday (fingers crossed that that isn’t a disaster), here is a look at some of the news around the Braves as we get into the weekend.
Braves News: Atlanta annihilated the Guardians on Friday while Jose Suarez struggled again
Most of the news from Friday’s game was great. Bryce Elder continued to defy logic and throw a decent game, although he wasn’t as efficient as we had seen. Acuña Jr., Harris, and Matt Olson all went deep, and the offense carried the Braves to an 11-5 win.
However, not all of the performances were good. After going 0-4, new addition Mike Yastrzemski saw his average to start the season drop to .190 and his OPS drop to a paltry .592. We also got a clear look at why Jose Suarez shouldn’t be on Atlanta’s roster for much longer, as he gave up three earned runs in less than an inning of work.
Braves News: Start of Sean Murphy’s rehab got pushed back a few days
Fans have been eager to see when Sean Murphy would return, and it looked like it could be very soon when the news broke that he was set to begin a rehab assignment in Gwinnett on Friday. Murphy has been out since last September, recovering from hip surgery.
However, Murphy’s debut got pushed back a few days, but not because he had a setback. According to Braves beat writer Mark Bowman, Murphy has some sort of family matter to attend to this weekend and needed to postpone his rehab assignment until Tuesday. Hopefully, everything is okay.
Braves News: Don’t expect Atlanta to call up Didier Fuentes or JR Ritchie very soon
There were rumblings on the internets that the Braves would be calling Didier Fuentes back up to the majors in the next week. If Reynaldo Lopez’s suspension was going to actually make him miss a start, or the Braves would mercifully cut bait on Suarez and/or Perez, that would make a lot of sense to do.
However, it doesn’t sound like such a move will happen in the next week. According to another report from Bowman, the Braves’ pitching plan is pretty set for the next week or so, and it keeps everyone on their usual schedule or gives them an extra day of rest. If Fuentes and JR Ritchie keep pitching well down at Triple-A, we probably won’t have to wait much longer to see them get their chance.
Atlanta, GA
Midtown Atlanta sewer work to close part of 10th Street
ATLANTA – Drivers in Midtown Atlanta should prepare for traffic changes this week as a new roadwork project begins along 10th Street.
What we know:
The Atlanta Department of Watershed Management said part of 10th Street will close starting Wednesday for sewer repairs.
The construction will impact the eastbound lane between Charles Allen Drive and Monroe Drive.
Officials said the repair project is expected to continue for about four weeks.
Crews will work overnight on weekdays from 5 p.m. until 5 a.m. Construction activity will continue around the clock on weekends until the project is complete.
What you can do:
Motorists traveling through Midtown are encouraged to plan ahead and expect delays in the area during the closure.
Atlanta, GA
Three Biggest Questions Facing the Atlanta Hawks Following the NBA Draft Lottery Results
The 2026 NBA Draft has come and gone, and while the results did not go the way that the Atlanta Hawks had hoped, landing at No. 8 overall, but they are still getting a top-eight pick in a deep draft when they are coming off a season in which they won 46 games and made the playoffs. Atlanta had hoped that having the most favorable selection from the Pelicans and Bucks would turn into a top-four pick, but they are going to get a chance to add to their young core with a high-level talent.
Now that the NBA Draft Lottery is over, what are some questions facing the Hawks?
1. Who could they take with the pick?
We will get into other scenarios later, but for this exercise, let’s just assume that the Hawks are going to stick at No. 8 and make a selection.
While the top four picks are likely going to be (in some order) AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, and Caleb Wilson, the rest of the draft does not seem to be as certain.
There is a popular sentiment that the quarter of guards consisting of Keaton Wagler, Darius Acuff, Kingston Flemings, and Mikel Brown Jr are going to be picks 5-8, but that is not as much of a certainity as the top four.
The Clippers are picking 5th, but they just made a big trade for Darius Garland. Brooklyn just took four guards in last year’s draft, and the Kings are always a wild card, though of these teams, they have the biggest need at guard and don’t seem likely to veer from that.
In the NBA, needs is usually ignored in the draft and the best player available is taken most of the time, but it will be interesting to see which players the Clippers, Nets, and Kings decide on.
If those teams do take three of those guards, the Hawks would have their choice of whoever is left over from that group or players such as Michigan center Aday Mara, Arizona guard Brayden Burries, or Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg.
2. Could the Hawks move up or down in the draft?
While I think as of right now that the most likely scenario is that the Hawks stay put at No. 8, they do have some interesting options to potentially move up or down depending on how things fall.
As I mentioned earlier, the Clippers just traded for Darius Garland and if the Hawks wanted to get ahead of the Kings and Nets to land the guard of their choice, they could try and put together an attractive package to try and make a trade with Los Angeles.
The Nets seem less likely to move down, but after taking four guards in last year’s draft, could they move down and try to target another position?
What about a trade down? If the Hawks had been at No. 7 or in the top four, I would say a trade down is unlikely, but at No. 8, there could be an opportunity there for Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh. Would Oklahoma City be interested in moving No. 12 and No. 17 for No. 8? That would give the Hawks three first round picks and if they like a player that could be in that range, that would be a possibility, though all of this is just hypothetical at the moment.
3. Do the Hawks attempt to move the No. 8 pick for an established star?
Saleh has been adamnat that the team is not one player away and that the Hawks wanted to add through the draft, but even in a draft as deep as this one, the odds of getting a star player at No. 8 are long.
It is tough to really gauge the trade market for this offseason right now, but the No. 8 pick is an attractive asset. Could the Hawks try to trade for Celtics star Jaylen Brown? Again, it is tough to know who else could be available this summer and I would bet against the Hawks moving this pick for a veteran player, but never say never in the NBA.
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Atlanta, GA
Braves News: Remembering Bobby Cox, strides from Spencer Strider, more
On a sad day overall for Braves Country, due to the passing of the legendary Bobby Cox, Spencer Strider gave Atlanta fans something to be happy and hopeful about with a stellar outing, shutting down the Dodgers potent offense for 6.0 innings with 8 strikeouts and 15 whiffs. He looked as good as he has in a long time. His fastball averaged 96.4 MPH, with 17 inches of induced vertical break and he had four pitches working nicely together. Even if Strider doesn’t quite return to his Jacob deGrom levels of dominance, having him as a true #1 or #2 quality starter would make a huge difference for this Braves team to pair with Chris Sale. Bryce Elder has been great this season, but shouldn’t be the second best starter in the rotation of a World Series contender. If Strider can keep something like Saturday night’s version of himself moving forward, that’s a huge development for him and this team.
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