Atlanta, GA
Braves takeaways: How Atlanta can transform into a contender in 2026
ATLANTA — If the Braves were going to get where they wanted to be this year — back in the postseason and playing deeper in October than the past three years — they needed starters Chris Sale, Reynaldo López and Spencer Schwellenbach to stay healthy, and the other member of their rotation, Spencer Strider, to come back strong from elbow surgery in 2024.
Absolutely none of that happened.
But to be fair, so many Braves hitters were either bad, banged up or suspended (looking at you, Profar) for much of the season that it might not have mattered anyway. It was a disaster of a season, relatively speaking.
Since we know Atlanta’s run of seven consecutive postseason appearances is about to end — they beat the Mets 4-3 on Jurickson Profar’s two-out, two-run single in the eighth inning Sunday to avoid being swept — we’ll focus these takeaways on keys to the Braves’ getting things back on track next season.
Rotation, rotation, rotation
The rotation is likely to look much the same next season, with Sale, Schwellenbach and Strider back alongside López — unless the Braves do what I think they should and convert him back to a high-leverage bullpen role, where he’d have a better chance to stay healthy.
Sale started slow this season but returned to dominance — posting a 1.41 ERA over 11 starts with 90 strikeouts in 70 1/3 innings — before a freak fractured-ribs injury while diving to field a grounder. He’s made three rehab starts and is set to return from the IL Saturday at Philadelphia.
Schwellenbach was 6-1 with a 2.60 ERA over his final 10 starts before a season-ending fractured elbow, and the Braves saw no point in rushing him back given their position. He should be completely recovered before spring training, ready to resume a most promising career that’s seen him post a 3.23 ERA in his first 38 starts, after making only two minor league starts above High A.
Switch López to a setup or closer role — one less move to make in an offseason when the Braves will need to add multiple relievers — and replace him in the rotation with rookie sensation Hurston Waldrep, and you’re one starter away from completing a deep, dynamic rotation.
That’s assuming Strider can return to something resembling his 2022-2023 form, when he led the majors with 483 strikeouts in 318 1/3 innings and went 31-10 with a 3.36 ERA. More on that in a moment.
Add a proven veteran for depth — the kind of signing Charlie Morton might’ve been last winter — and you’re set. Younger arms, namely top prospect JR Ritchie, could be plugged into the rotation at some point, as injuries can and almost always do happen.
Among other things, Atlanta needs superstar Ronald Acuña Jr., right, to stay healthy in 2026 and Michael Harris II, left, to be more consistent. (Nick Cammett / Getty Images)
Cornerstones must play like it
The Braves need more key returners to stay healthy, including superstar Ronald Acuña Jr., who’ll be another year removed from his second ACL surgery, and Austin Riley, who’s had consecutive injury-shortened, slump-plagued seasons after being one of baseball’s most productive third baseman in the prior three seasons.
Matt Olson has had another All-Star season, with reduced home runs (19) and slugging but a .362 OBP, league-leading 34 doubles and 128 OPS+ that was just six points below his career mark.
If Acuña and Olson have been solid contributors, the same can’t be said for Riley, Ozzie Albies, Michael Harris II and Sean Murphy, all of whom struggled offensively for significant stretches. Harris’ torrid second half can’t erase his alarmingly awful first 90 games.
Over the past two seasons, whether due to injuries, slumps, or whatever, none of those four has performed to expectations as players signed to long-term contract extensions by the Braves early in their careers or, in Murphy’s case, after being acquired via trade.
The Braves need them to step it up in 2026, since they’re locked into long-term deals with Riley, Harris and Murphy — assuming they don’t trade Murphy, which they shouldn’t, since he and Drake Baldwin form a major team strength at catcher and could also handle the bulk of DH duties between them next season.
And with Profar owed $15 million each of the next two seasons in the three-year, $42 million deal, it’s unlikely they could trade him if they wanted to, after his PED suspension only supported the opinion of many that his career-best power numbers in his age-31 season with San Diego in 2024 were substance-aided.
It seems likely Albies will be back, since his affordable $7 million team option comes with a pricey $4 million buyout. But his offense has declined steadily, with his .849 OPS and 126 OPS+ in 2023 standing as his only season in the past four in which he posted an OPS as high as .710 or an OPS+ higher than 93.
Considering a 100 OPS+ is the baseline for an average MLB player, that’s unacceptable. Albies has hit just .229 with a .629 OPS this season with a 77 OPS+, all of which would be career lows. He’s 28 but has played like a post-peak player, and has one of the worst throwing arms in baseball.
The Braves must upgrade their offense up the middle. Shortstop Nick Allen is a Gold Glove-caliber defender with an awful .542 OPS; he should be a utility infielder next season.
Only if they get a serious bat for shortstop could they justify having Albies back at second base, and even then, it would probably be because of his contract and his track record — two Silver Slugger Awards, three All-Star appearances — and the hope he could get back to some semblance of that.
Spencer Strider has a 15.43 ERA in his past three starts, allowing 20 hits and seven homers in 11 2/3 innings. (Dale Zanine / Imagn Images)
Strider situation
When Strider had a Braves-record 16 strikeouts in September 2022 against Colorado in his 17th career start, he was a two-pitch pitcher with a fastball that averaged 98.2 mph — the 97th percentile in MLB — plus a slider and only occasional changeups.
When he led MLB with 20 wins and 281 strikeouts in 186 2/3 innings in 2023 in his first full season as a starter, his fastball averaged 97.2 mph, still the 92nd percentile.
Combined with his height (5 feet 11), which is short for a power pitcher, and extension (7.1 feet down the mound slope), which is long for any pitcher but extraordinarily so for someone of his stature, the effect of his overpowering stuff and release point gave Strider a unique weapon: a fastball that appeared to defy gravity and rise, that “giddyup” making it all but unhittable.
The vertical drop of Strider’s fastball in 2023 was 10.6 inches, or 2.5 inches below (better) than MLB average. And the induced vertical break (IVB) of his fastball, a stat used by Fangraphs to quantify a pitcher’s ability to defy gravity — creating the illusion of rise with a fastball — was a stunning 18.4 inches, or 2.6 inches above average.
Compare those stats to this season, Strider’s first back from his second major elbow surgery, and one can understand why those fastballs up in the zone, which used to miss so many bats, are being hit hard.
Strider’s fastball has averaged 95.6 mph, his extension 6.9 feet (still very good, but more than two inches below 2023). His vertical drop is 13.7, basically average by MLB standards and three inches more drop than his fastballs in 2023.
The IVB of his fastball is 16.3, which is a half-inch above average, compared to his 2.6 inches above average in 2023.
This is what Strider referenced when he described last week why he’s struggled to such a degree, posting a 15.43 ERA in his past three starts with 20 hits and seven homers in 11 2/3 innings, a lot of that damage coming against fastballs.
“I can’t compete in the strike zone, and that’s it. My fastball just isn’t getting outs,” he said. “It’s not a contact pitch and it’s not moving the way that I need it to move. When I can’t throw my fastball in the strike zone, obviously that gives the hitters a leg up. And then my slider is an effective pitch, but not if I’m behind in counts or not making guys swing. And then inevitably if I throw it in the zone, it’s getting crushed. And that’s my fault. Not executing it has nothing to do with anybody but me.”
Strider starts Monday’s series opener at Miami. He knows that getting his fastball back to previous form is something that will likely take time as he distances himself from surgery, not to be corrected quickly in the four or five days between starts.
“If I had an answer, I’d certainly have done it by now,” he said. “But it’s not a simple concept. It technically is very close, but close in baseball obviously is a world of difference. I think even independent of the fastball movement not being where it needs to be, I can still execute it better than I am. But the reason it’s not moving the way I need it to move is because I’m not moving the way I need to move, and that makes executing hard.”
(Top photo of Hurston Waldrep and Sean Murphy: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)
Atlanta Hawks (46-36, sixth in the Eastern Conference) vs. New York Knicks (53-29, third in the Eastern Conference)
New York; Monday, 8 p.m. EDT
LINE: Knicks -5.5; over/under is 216.5
EASTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Knicks lead series 1-0
BOTTOM LINE: The New York Knicks host the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference first round with a 1-0 lead in the series. The Knicks won the last matchup 113-102 on Saturday, led by 28 points from Jalen Brunson. CJ McCollum led the Hawks with 26.
The Knicks are 35-17 in Eastern Conference games. New York has a 9-4 record in one-possession games.
The Hawks are 27-25 in Eastern Conference play. Atlanta is third in the league scoring 18.1 fast break points per game. McCollum leads the Hawks averaging 5.0.
The Knicks are shooting 47.8% from the field this season, 0.4 percentage points higher than the 47.4% the Hawks allow to opponents. The Hawks are shooting 47.4% from the field, 1.4% higher than the 46.0% the Knicks’ opponents have shot this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 20.1 points and 11.9 rebounds for the Knicks. Brunson is averaging 19.9 points over the last 10 games.
Dyson Daniels is scoring 11.9 points per game and averaging 6.8 rebounds for the Hawks. Nickeil Alexander-Walker is averaging 21.3 points and 2.9 rebounds over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Knicks: 6-4, averaging 110.4 points, 40.7 rebounds, 26.2 assists, 8.4 steals and 3.3 blocks per game while shooting 49.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.9 points per game.
Hawks: 5-5, averaging 117.2 points, 43.5 rebounds, 27.7 assists, 8.4 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 47.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.0 points.
INJURIES: Knicks: Tyler Kolek: day to day (oblique), Mitchell Robinson: day to day (ankle), Karl-Anthony Towns: day to day (elbow).
Hawks: Jock Landale: out (ankle).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Hawks vs. New York Knicks prediction, pick for Game 1 of 2026 NBA Playoffs first round
Sean Barnard details his preview and prediction for Saturday’s Atlanta Hawks vs. New York Knicks matchup in the NBA Playoffs.
The NBA playoffs are officially underway with a loaded opening round. Taking place in the No. 3 vs. No. 6 matchup in the Eastern Conference, the Atlanta Hawks will take on the New York Knicks.
You can check out the full series preview on DraftKings Network here.
Looking at the odds for the series opener, the Knicks enter as 6.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Hawks are +205 underdogs with the game total set at O/U 218.5 points.
This article will look at a preview and prediction for the Eastern Conference series opener.
Hawks vs. Knicks prediction, preview
The Atlanta Hawks went through a midseason transition, moving on from Trae Young after he headlined the production for the franchise for the past eight years. The Hawks have not missed a beat amid the major midseason shakeup, finishing as the sixth seed in the conference with a 46-36 overall record. On the season, Atlanta has gone 44-38 against the spread, and the game total has gone 41-41 to the over/under.
Jock Landale is the only player set to miss the matchup tonight. Jalen Johnson headlines the production, posting averages of 22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game. Nickeil Alexander-Walker has had a breakout season in a new location, adding 20.8 points, 3.7 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game. CJ McCollum adds 18.7 points and 4.1 assists across his first 41 games with the organization, while Dyson Daniels, Onyeka Okongwu, Jonathan Kuminga, and Zaccharie Risacher also play notable roles.
Quin Snyder’s group scores 118.5 points per game, which ranks sixth in the NBA. The Hawks also rank 14th in offensive rating, 13th in field goal percentage, and fifth in three-point percentage. Defensively, opponents are scoring 116.0 points per game against Atlanta, which ranks 18th in the league. They also rank ninth in defensive rating, 18th in opponent field goal percentage, and 12th in opponent three-point percentage.
The New York Knicks entered the season with legitimate title aspirations. They have had some notable ups and downs, but now face this opportunity. New York finished the regular season with a 53-29 record and sit in third place in the East. The Knicks have gone 44-39 against the spread, and the game total has gone 38-45 to the over/under.
The Knicks enter this matchup with a clear injury report and a large sample size of the team playing together. Jalen Brunson headlines the production with 26.0 points, 6.8 assists, and 3.3 rebounds, while Karl-Anthony Towns pitches in 20.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 3.0 assists of his own. OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges are responsible for the production at the wing positions, while Josh Hart sets the tone for this team from a hustle standpoint. New York also did an impressive job building out the bench unit this season, with players like Jordan Clarkson, Mitchell Robinson, Landry Shamet, and Tyler Kolek capable of serving as X-factors off the bench.
As a team, the Knicks are scoring 116.5 points per game, which ranks 10th in the NBA. New York also ranks third in offense rating, 11th in field goal percentage, and fourth in three-point percentage. Defensively, opponents are scoring 110.1 points per game against the Knicks, which ranks fifth in the league. They also rank seventh in defensive rating, fifth in opponent field goal percentage, and 20th in opponent three-point percentage.
Hawks vs. Knicks pick, best bet
These are two teams at different stages of their timeline, but neither will be afraid of this playoff spotlight. The Knicks pushed their chips in around this core and are hoping to be rewarded for it. They fell to the Indiana Pacers in the Conference Finals last year and have made the postseason in four consecutive seasons. Atlanta missed out on the playoffs in back-to-back years and turned a new page direction with Jalen Johnson now leading the charge. Without Trae Young, the Hawks now lean on more of a defensive-minded identity and have a roster loaded with athleticism.
During the regular season, these teams faced off three times. They split the first two matchups, which took place on December 27th and January 2nd. New York picked up a narrow 108-105 victory in the most recent game, which took place on April 6th. Both sides were aware that this was a potential postseason matchup, and this game had some major seeding implications. It was an evenly matched game in which neither team was able to extend a lead beyond 10 points, and the rebounding battle was separated by just one board. The biggest discrepancy came with the Knicks shooting 50% compared to the Hawks shooting 40%, and New York outscoring Atlanta 52-34 in the paint.
While there are higher expectations for this Knicks team in the postseason outlook, the Hawks stack up fairly well in this matchup. Jalen Brunson will be at the heart of the offensive attack for New York. But his biggest weakness is when he is guarded by high-level athletes with a size advantage over him. The Hawks have built out a roster loaded with this archetype of player, and there is not a clear matchup for Brunson to hunt in most lineup combinations.
Brunson has enough experience and savvy to will settle in over the course of the series. But expect some growing pains in the early parts of this matchup, and for this to be a huge hurdle for this Knicks team. I am backing the Hawks to cover the 5.5-point spread and would not be shocked if they steal the opening game. This is a series in which neither side should be expected to pull away by major margins throughout. Count on Atlanta to have defense success and have a clear gameplan for limiting the impact of Brunson. Expect this matchup to come down to the wire and take the points in the series opener.
Best Bet: Hawks +6.5 (-112)
Atlanta child hunger rates rising
The Atlanta Community Food Bank is launching a retail fundraiser to combat a 70% surge in local food insecurity caused by rising inflation.
ATLANTA – One in six children in Atlanta will go hungry tonight, according to data from the Atlanta Community Food Bank.
The organization, which provides food for nearly 300,000 households every month, reports that the need for assistance in the community is both significant and expanding. Greg Sims, a representative of the Atlanta Community Food Bank, said the pantry network has experienced a 70% increase in visitors over the last four years.
What they’re saying:
“Neighbors, kids, seniors, hard-working adults that are struggling to make ends meet and afford enough food,” Sims said. “We have seen 70 percent increase in neighbors visiting our pantry network over the last four years.”
Rising costs have forced many local families to make difficult financial trade-offs. Sims noted that inflation has played a major role in the growing demand for food assistance, as families often prioritize fixed costs over their grocery budgets.
“It’s easiest in budget to cut food you can’t cut utilities you can’t cut your rent, so what gets left off is food,” Sims said. “Parents may go skip meals so kids can eat that often-common coping.”
Local perspective:
To combat these rising numbers, the food bank is participating in the annual “Fight Hunger, Spark Change” campaign through May 3. The initiative raises funds when customers round up their totals or purchase specific products at Walmart or Sam’s Club locations. Officials confirmed that every dollar donated through the program stays within the local community.
“Last year’s campaign generated almost 400K to support our work, which in the end, abled us to provide more than a million meals to our community,” Sims said.
The Atlanta Community Food Bank currently partners with approximately 700 food pantries throughout the state to distribute resources. Sims emphasized that food insecurity can affect anyone, regardless of their circumstances or appearance.
“Folks all different backgrounds are dealing with food insecurity, and you may not know it looking at a person standing next to you in the shopping aisle,” Sims said. “We are here for you, and we have resources available to you.”
By the numbers:
- 1 in 6: The number of children in Atlanta who will go hungry tonight.
- 300,000: Households served by the food bank every month.
- 70%: The increase in pantry visitors over the last four years.
- 700: The number of food pantries throughout the state that partner with the food bank.
- $400,000: The amount generated by last year’s campaign to provide millions of meals.
What you can do:
The organization added that it is also in constant need of volunteers to support its daily operations. Learn more at https://www.acfb.org/
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Atlanta Community Food Bank, which provided data on local hunger rates and campaign details, as well as Greg Sims, a representative for the organization who spoke about the impact of inflation on Georgia families.
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