Atlanta, GA

Cardinals march to Atlanta for a 3-game series – A Series Preview

Published

7 months ago

April 21, 2025

Cardinals march to Atlanta for a 3-game series – A Series Preview

Well folks. We got a problem. We got a road problem. The Cardinals have won one game on the road this season. It is April 21st. Now, do I think this is probably a weird fluky quirk that can happen in baseball more than the Cardinals actually being a terrible road team? Yeah. Will I bet any money that the Cardinals will win a road game? Uh no. (I don’t bet, but pretending I did)

So bad news: we’re still on the road. Other bad news. You may have heard about the Braves bad start to the season. That is true. But they are now coming off a sweep. When you play an opponent can be as important as how good the opponent is. Whatever weird funk the Braves were in, they may be out of it. You should probably sell your stock of the Braves if they don’t win this series though. 1-9 road team beats you at home, ignoring context, is not the kind of team who makes the playoffs.

So you heard it here first. This is basically an elimination series for the Braves. We can end the Braves’ playoff chances in this series.

What they lost

They lost Jorge Soler and his bat, who they probably don’t miss paying, but probably do miss the bat. They traded two years of him for Griffin Canning, who they later nontendered, hence why we just faced Canning on a different team. It was purely a money-saving move, which given their start to the season, I’m sure Braves fans aren’t thrilled about that.

They also lost AJ Minter when he reached free agency. Who is off to an absolutely dominant start over in New York. I’m sure fans aren’t thrilled about that either. They lost Max Fried to free agency as well, who signed with the Yankees. He got quite a bit of money, I think they are more understanding of this one. They lost Charlie Morton, which looks like they jumped ship at the right time on that one.

They lost both Whit Merrifield and Adam Duvall. Duvall was… really bad last year. Neither player is signed to any team. They lost old friend John Brebbia, who was there very briefly. And they declined a club option on Luke Jackson who responded by signing with the Rangers.

What they added

Current everyday shortstop Nick Allen was an offseason trade. He was not very good in Oakland. He does have a .387 BABIP right now, so things are working so far. They signed Bryan de la Cruz, who was recently sent down to the minors after he had a 30 wRC+ in his first 16 games.

They signed Jurickson Profar to a three-year deal, which was immediately put on hold when he was suspended for 80 games this season. Current everyday leadoff hitter Alex Verdugo was a March signing. Yes, Alex Verdugo who signed a minor league deal with an MLB option, is the current leadoff hitter of the Atlanta Braves. In 621 PAs last season, he had a .291 OBP. It’s things like this that make me think this might actually be a bad team.

They made a few bullpen additions as well. Enyel De Los Santos was acquired in a trade from the White Sox. He’s been really good. They also traded for Rafael Montero a week into the season. He has gotten good results (2.25 ERA), but not actually been good (5 Ks to 5 BBs). They also purchased Scott Blewett – very unfortunate name for a reliever. Who is already on his third team of the season and what’s especially weird is he’s been very good this year.

What’s the same

He’s still on the team, but Ronald Acuna Jr is hurt right now. The Braves core is still very much here: Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, Matt Olson, Michael Harris II. They exercised Marcell Ozuna’s club option. He’s off to a blazing start. Jared Kelenic is still not very good. Orlando Arcia has been relegated to the bench for Nick Allen. He has a 43 wRC+ on the season.

Raisel Iglesias is still closing games for them. He’s been a mixed bag so far. He’s already allowed three homers, which also happen to be the only earned runs he has. Aaron Bummer and Dylan Lee are their two lefties still. Wow they’ve got a Bummer and a Blewett in their bullpen. All that’s missing is a Homer Bailey.

Monday – 6:15 PM

Erick Fedde (3.43 ERA/4.88 FIP/5.51 xFIP) vs. Spencer Schwellenbach (2.55 ERA/3.55 FIP/3.03 xFIP)

Max Fried leaves. Schwellenbach replaces him. Not exactly. They were both on the team last season. Metaphorically speaking though, they replaced one homegrown pitcher for another. Interestingly, Schwellenbach is arguably a better pitcher than last year, but in a different way. He has less strikeouts and more walks, but a lot more groundballs (54.5 GB%).

I don’t know what’s more amazing. How badly Erick Fedde has pitched so far or how the hell his ERA is almost entirely just one bad start. He has been working on a tight rope this season, and I guess the Cardinals are lucky his ERA isn’t worse. Those starts are banked in, so hopefully he actually starts pitching well before it catches up with him.

Tuesday – 6:15 PM

Andre Pallante (3.22 ERA/4.37 FIP/3.40 xFIP) vs. Spencer Strider (3.60 ERA/4.82 FIP/4.55 xFIP)

Strider has only made one start this year and it was okay, but just about everything was hit in the air and he didn’t strike out as much as a typical Strider start. So we may not be getting classic Strider. He’s still in the adjusting to life after Tommy John phase, which can be a bit of a rough going for some pitchers in their first year back. Or that was a slight hiccup, and Strider absolutely dominates.

This might be a good lineup for Pallante. The Braves lineup features four lefties and a switch hitter. Albies is a significantly worse hitter against right-handed pitchers in his career. Though with the exception of Nick Allen, every right-handed batter he faces is a tough one.

Wednesday – 11:15 AM

Miles Mikolas (7.64 ERA/2.97 FIP/5.11 xFIP) vs. Bryce Elder (7.20 ERA/7.02 FIP/4.34 xFIP)

Oh Mikolas is the closer of this series? Okay yeah Braves it is a very, very bad sign for your season if you don’t win this series. There’s a moment in a season when you’re supposed to be good team turns out bad where you have an Oh Sh*t moment. If you already haven’t had that moment, this series would probably do that to Braves fans. God help them if the Cardinals actually sweep.

Elder is weirdly a heavy groundball pitcher who isn’t striking anyone out. As you can see, keeping the ball on the ground is very much not helping him keep the ball out of the stands. He has allowed 5 homers in 3 games. He’s made three starts and none of them have been particularly good. Your move Cardinals!

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Atlanta, GA

Atlanta Public Schools should think twice before closing Dunbar Elementary

Published

7 hours ago

November 12, 2025

Press Room

Atlanta Public Schools should think twice before closing Dunbar Elementary

Opinion

Atlanta is investing in revitalizing neighborhoods like Mechanicsville. Closing Dunbar would undermine principles of equity and community.

Jared Hill, a second grade teacher at Dunbar Elementary School, leads students in the annual Storybook Character Parade. The parade features students and faculty dressed in costume. (File/AJC 2016)

By Jason Dozier – For The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

1 hour ago

Editor’s Note: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is running a series of guest essays about APS Forward 2040, the long-range plan under discussion in Atlanta Public Schools to reshape its future. Here is another selection in these essays.

Paul L. Dunbar Elementary School is the heart of Mechanicsville — a refuge, a gathering place and a symbol of resilience for a community that has endured decades of disinvestment and displacement.

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Jason Dozier is a Paul L. Dunbar parent and represents District 4 on the Atlanta City Council. (Courtesy of Jason Dozier)

Safety, parental involvement risks

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Closing Dunbar would send the wrong message

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APS officials can look to master plan for solutions to keeping Dunbar open

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Atlanta, GA

YFN Lucci to perform at Hawks game, talks life after prison release

Published

1 day ago

November 11, 2025

Press Room

YFN Lucci to perform at Hawks game, talks life after prison release

Arts & Entertainment

The Atlanta rapper will make his NBA halftime show debut next week when the Hawks host the Pistons.

At his welcome-home show at State Farm Arena in August, YFN Lucci performed a mix of fan favorites, collaborations and new songs to a packed crowd. (Courtesy of Scoot Holloway/State Farm Arena)

Atlanta rapper YFN Lucci will make his return to State Farm Arena, but as a halftime act instead of a headliner.

He’ll perform during halftime at the Atlanta Hawks game on Nov. 18, when the team plays against the Detroit Pistons. The appearance follows Lucci’s sold-out homecoming show at the venue in August.

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Rapper YFN Lucci (left) was joined by his four children at the end of his sold-out homecoming show at State Farm Arena in August. (Courtesy of Scoot Holloway/State Farm Arena)

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DeAsia is a music and culture reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She focuses on the intersection of arts, culture and diverse communities, as well as how emerging social trends are being expressed through the lens of the Atlanta aesthetic. DeAsia’s work can be seen in Pitchfork, Essence, Teen Vogue, Elle and more.

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Atlanta, GA

Thousands of flights canceled over weekend as shutdown enters day 40

Published

2 days ago

November 10, 2025

Press Room

Thousands of flights canceled over weekend as shutdown enters day 40

ATLANTA – Travel headaches are piling up at the world’s busiest airport as the government shutdown stretches into another week.

What we know:

More than 800 flights into and out of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport were canceled over the weekend, according to FlightAware, while more than 1,500 were delayed. Officials say a shortage of air traffic controllers triggered the widespread disruptions.

To address the growing number of absences, the Federal Aviation Administration has ordered airlines to reduce flights at the nation’s 40 busiest airports. The cuts started at 4% last week, will increase to 6% on Tuesday, and are expected to reach 10% by Friday.

As of Monday afternoon, FlightAware reported more than 220 cancellations and over 300 delays at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Interantional Airport.

What they’re saying:

“Was supposed to fly out this morning at 10 a.m. that was canceled,” said frustrated traveler Jason Julio. He and his son have been trying to get home to New Jersey since Sunday.

“You book a trip to have a good time and make memories,” Julio said. “These are the last types of memories you want to have.”

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told CNN that 18 of the 22 air traffic controllers scheduled to work in Atlanta on Saturday didn’t show up.

“As we get closer to Thanksgiving travel, I think what’s going to happen is you’re going to have air travel slow to a trickle, as everyone wants to travel to see their families,” he said.

SEE ALSO:

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association says the ongoing shutdown is to blame.

“Congress must act immediately and end the government shutdown, and ensure that all individuals who have not been paid during this prolonged closure receive their compensation,” said Nick Daniels, president of the union.

Even with the phased flight cuts, the weekend was chaotic at airports across the country because of staffing shortages and weather issues.

Rabbi Paula Mack Drill said the travel mess has even affected a group of female rabbis attending a retreat in Georgia.

“So far, at least a dozen of us have had to cancel because there was no way to get in from all around the country and internationally,” Drill said.

The Source: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, FlightAware, and the FAA provided details for this article. FOX News, FOX Business, and the Associated Press contributed to this report. Previous FOX 5 Atlanta reporting was also used.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International AirportPoliticsNewsTravelTravel NewsTransportation

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