Atlanta, GA
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!
Omari James. Photos provided by Atlanta police
ATLANTA – Atlanta police are asking for the public’s help locating 11-year-old Omari James, who has been classified as critically missing.
What we know:
Investigators said Omari ran away from his home around 9:30 p.m. Thursday after getting into an argument with his parents over his cell phone.
Police said Omari was last seen wearing a black shirt, red, white and blue shorts, black Nike slides and a Nike ski hat.
What you can do:
Anyone who has seen Omari or knows where he may be is asked to call 911 or contact the Atlanta Police Department’s Special Victims Unit. The investigation remains ongoing.
Atlanta, GA
Georgia Secretary of State opens investigation into voter registration mailers sent to deceased residents
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced Thursday that his office has opened an investigation into Ready to Register and other third-party organizations after reports that voter registration mailers were sent to deceased Georgians and other ineligible recipients.
According to the Secretary of State’s Office, election officials have received numerous complaints about voter registration solicitations being mailed to people who have died. In one unusual case cited by the office, a deceased family dog reportedly received one of the mailers.
State officials said they are reviewing whether the mailings violate Georgia law or otherwise undermine confidence in the state’s election system.
The Secretary of State’s Office said third-party voter registration groups frequently conduct mass mail campaigns ahead of major elections but often rely on commercial databases that can contain outdated or inaccurate information, unlike Georgia’s official voter registration system.
“Groups like this highlight the unreliability of commercial data,” Raffensperger said in a statement. “Georgia maintains one of the cleanest voter rolls in the nation through continuous list maintenance and citizenship verification. These outside organizations don’t use those standards. Instead, they flood mailboxes with inaccurate solicitations that confuse voters and waste election officials’ time.”
Raffensperger also thanked voters who alerted his office to the mailings.
“I want to thank the voters who have flagged the inaccurate mailings and sent them to our office,” he said. “Whether checking their ballots for accuracy or keeping their own registration information up to date, voters are a crucial line of defense in election security.”
Georgia officials said the issue mirrors problems recently identified in North Carolina, where election officials warned residents about similar mailings from Ready to Register. According to the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office, North Carolina officials said the organization mailed registration forms to deceased individuals, used outdated forms, listed incorrect election office addresses and included QR codes that raised privacy concerns.
Raffensperger criticized the mass mailing campaigns, saying they create confusion while increasing the workload for local election offices.
“Whether intentional or simply reckless, these mail campaigns operate like a grift — raising money and generating activity while shifting the costs onto taxpayers, election officials, and voters,” Raffensperger said. “Georgia taxpayers should not have to clean up the mess created by organizations that prioritize volume over accuracy.”
The Secretary of State’s Office is encouraging Georgians to verify their voter registration through the state’s My Voter Page and says voters who are already registered at their current address should disregard unsolicited voter registration mailers.
Project aims to curb dengue by releasing millions of mosquitoes
Google-backed researchers are taking an unusual approach to fighting mosquito-borne diseases: releasing more mosquitoes. The effort, known as Debug, is designed to reduce populations of mosquitoes that spread illnesses such as dengue fever by using specially bred male mosquitoes that cannot produce viable offspring.
Fox – 35 Orlando
Mosquitoes in the Grant Park neighborhood of Atlanta have tested positive for West Nile Virus, according to Fulton County health officials.
Fulton County Board of Health Environmental Health mosquito control staff say the mosquitoes were tested following trapping in Fulton County.
“Mosquitoes can be dangerous if infected and may pose a serious health risk to people in our area,” Environmental Health Director at the Fulton County Board of Health, Brandon Leftwich, said in a statement from the agency. “We want to make sure communities are aware and take necessary precautions to protect themselves.”
Grant Park is in southeast Atlanta, south of Old Fourth Ward and west of East Atlanta.
Here’s what to know.
What is West Nile Virus?
West Nile Virus is the illness caused by infections from a pathogen in the Flaviviridae family. Mosquitoes are hosts for the pathogen, meaning they can spread it to people and other animals without dying.
It is the leading cause of mosquito-borne illness in the contiguous United States, infecting more than 2,000 people each year. About 1,300 people develop a severe illness, and more than 130 people die annually in the U.S. from the infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It spreads during mosquito season, or the period between June and October each year. Infections typically peak in late August and early September.
Many people infected may never show symptoms, and others will only experience mild, flu-like symptoms. It can take between 2 and 6 days after a mosquito bite to feel poorly, and then people may experience headaches, body aches, joint pain, vomiting, diarrhea or a rash. Those with mild illness can recover completely, but some fatigue and weakness can last much longer, even weeks or months.
In cases of severe illness, West Nile Virus attacks their central nervous system and can result in hospitalization or death. Patients may experience a very high fever, headaches, neck pain, stupor, disorientation, muscle weakness and other serious symptoms. Recovery can take weeks or months, and some effects could become permanent.
How is West Nile Virus treated?
There is no medicine that can treat West Nile Virus, so those with mild symptoms can take over-the-counter medication like acetaminophen to manage pain, fever or headaches. Those with West Nile Virus should not take ibuprofen or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, according to the CDC. Patients should stay hydrated and take lots of rest to let your body fight the virus and recover.
Those with severe illness may need intravenous fluids, pain medication and nursing care at the hospital level, though there is still no medication that can be taken to cure the infection.
It is believed that those who have been infected by West Nile Virus develop a lifelong immunity or protection, meaning they can’t get the virus again, according to the CDC.
How to prevent mosquito bites
Fulton County health officials recommend following the “5Ds of mosquito bite prevention” to keep yourself safe from mosquito-borne illnesses.
- Dusk/Dawn: Avoid being outside during periods when mosquitoes are most active, including in the early morning and as the sun is setting.
- Dress: Loose-fitting clothes and items with long sleeves or pants will reduce the amount of exposed skin for a mosquito bite and make it difficult for a mosquito to bite through clothes.
- DEET: Insect repellant should contain DEET. It is the most effective ingredient in mosquito repellant.
- Drain: Standing water is a great place for mosquitoes to breed, so make sure to dump out water from buckets, barrels, flowerpots and tarps outside that could harbor mosquito larvae. You should also cut overgrown grass or weeds.
- Doors: While it might be nice for a breeze to pass through your house in the evenings, make sure doors and windows are closed and sealed to keep mosquitoes out of the house.
Irene Wright is the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.
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