Atlanta, GA

Mariners win battle of dueling no-hitters over Atlanta, 2-1

Published

7 months ago

April 30, 2024

Mariners win battle of dueling no-hitters over Atlanta, 2-1

We all sign up for baseball knowing that it isn’t fair. You can square up a ball perfectly and have it go for an out; you can throw a gem on the mound and still get tagged with an “L.” Perhaps nothing is more frustrating in baseball than being a pitcher and seeing how your hours of hard work can be undone with one swing.

Tonight Bryce Miller outdueled Braves starter Max Fried in every way except, unfortunately, where it counted—on the scoreboard—and the beautiful sand castle he’d spent hours painstakingly building threatened to collapse under the tidal wave of the Braves’ offense. However, Miller beat back the current, showcasing just how much he’s grown since the last time he faced these Braves, and the Mariners came through with just enough offense—not enough to give Miller a win, mind you, because as aforementioned, baseball is not fair, but enough that the Mariners were able to bank another win, which is all anyone—including Miller—really cares about.

The last time Miller faced Atlanta, in May of 2023, it was just his fourth start, but the rookie held the powerful Braves lineup at bay into the seventh inning, allowing just one run to score, working around a little traffic on the bases and striking out four. He left after allowing a leadoff base hit in the seventh and then walking a runner; both inherited runners would later score.

Tonight, Miller bested himself, this time working through the seventh inning, striking out 10 and carrying a perfect game into the sixth inning, and a no-hitter into the seventh. In a night that was maybe under-billed as a pitching duel between two of the game’s brightest young starters, Miller bested Fried in innings pitches—seven to Fried’s six—and issued just one walk to Fried’s two. He collected more whiffs, and struck out 10 to Fried’s 7. But when Miller departed the game after the seventh, he was in line for the loss, with the Mariners down 1-0.

“Last year, if the fastball wasn’t working or if I gave up a couple hits on it, it was like, I guess I’m gonna keep throwing it and see what happens,” said Miller postgame. “But now I’ve got other stuff, and third time through, they were seeing stuff they hadn’t seen, or they hadn’t seen much of. So it’s big getting into the back half of the game.”

“That’s about as good an outing we’ve seen Bryce maybe ever have,” said Scott Servais postgame. “That was some kind of electric fastball he was featuring tonight.”

Miller went nine up and nine down in the first three innings with five strikeouts: two in the first, one in the second, and two in the third, in a nice little palindromic run. He threw seven of nine first-pitch strikes and demonstrated arguably the best command over his four-seam fastball we’ve seen yet this season. It was a vintage* (*early 2023) Bryce Miller performance, where he leaned heavily on his four-seamer, but sprinkled in his fun new toys of the two-seamer, sweeper, and splitter to pick up outs on the ground and at the plate.

Miller’s one bobble came in the seventh inning; with the perfecto gone on a walk to Travis d’Arnaud in the sixth that was just as quickly erased by former Mariner Jarred Kelenic grounding into a double play on the sweeper, Miller’s new favorite toy to deploy against lefties, Ronald Acuña Jr. opened the seventh inning with a base hit on a fastball away that Dylan Moore, playing in place of the injured J.P. Crawford, couldn’t quite corral. He then rudely stole second and third. I thought the South was all about manners?

Miller then made one of his few mistakes of the night, leaving a fastball in the middle of the plate to Ozzie Albies that would have scored Acuña from first even if he’d been wearing one of those boots they put on cars with unpaid fines. It had the makings of a kind of meltdown inning that plagued Miller at times last season. But Bryce Miller 2.0, fully loaded with new accessories, is a different animal than 2023 Bryce Miller. He came back to strike out Austin Riley looking at a perfectly located slider, nailed Matt Olson with a slider in the same location for another backwards K, and got Marcell Ozuna lunging after a slider for an easy flyout. Deep South, meet Big Tex.

Servais called those the biggest three outs of the game. “That just shows me so much where he’s at, maturity-wise. So many guys, when they have a night like that going and it starts to get away from them, they just lose it, and he didn’t, which is a credit to him.”

“Bryce Miller, he’s a unique cat. It’s Big Tex. It’s always Big Tex. He doesn’t get too high, he doesn’t get too low, and you saw that play out tonight.”

Meanwhile, the Mariners did what they could against Max Fried, created in a lab to be a nightmare for the spin/breaking ball-allergic 2024 Mariners. They did work some counts: Rodríguez and Haniger both worked full counts in the first, and Mitch Garver actually worked a walk in the second, but he was undone by Cal Raleigh swinging through a fastball for a strikeout, Ty France lunging after a curveball for a strikeout, and Jorge Polanco actually making contact but for a soft popout. Polanco also gets a star for a ten-pitch at-bat in the fourth which ended in a strikeout, and it tells you a little bit about the quality of these other at-bats that a ten-pitch strikeout is worthy enough to note. Credit where it’s due, though: Fried’s pitch count was pushing into the sixties in the bottom of the fourth, while Bryce Miller was at a trim 46 (with 33 strikes!) headed into the top of the fifth.

However, even with Fried out of the game, the Mariners went down quietly against Pierce Johnson in the seventh, but were able to get a little traction against Joe Jiménez in the eighth when Ty France led off with a walk. With a righty on the mound, the Mariners finally let Josh Rojas out of his platoon cage, and he of course immediately got a hit and ended the no-hitter. Right now Rojas is serving the role of 2023 J.P. Crawford, bailing this team out when they desperately need people on base, and he needs to be in every game regardless of handedness.

The Mariners actually had Jiménez on the ropes, but right after Rojas broke up the no-hitter (which would have been that most grotesque of creatures, the combined no-hitter), Luis Urías struck out. I wasn’t listening, but the sound Dave Sims made was described to me as “soul-hollowing.” However, pinch-hitter Luke Raley kept hope alive by sneaking a single through virtually the same spot, loading the bases for Julio and Haniger with one out. Surely one of them could cash in the run, right? Surely not, as Julio went after a slider and popped it out to shallow left field, and Mitch Haniger—who has quietly been on a pretty rough run these past couple weeks—struck out, lunging after a slider that ended up in the other batter’s box.

At this point, although it did not feel fair to Bryce Miller to hand him this loss, it felt fair that the Mariners would lose this game. They’d had chances, and squandered those chances. Miller had been better than Fried, but the Mariners hitters had not been better than the Braves hitters. Sometimes, that’s just how it goes.

Until it isn’t.

Braves closer Raisel Iglesias was unavailable today, having pitched yesterday, so Atlanta brought in lefty A.J. Mintner. Jorge Polanco greeted him by leaping on the first fastball he saw, lacing a base hit down the left field line. That brought up Mitch Garver, who’s been scuffling at the plate, to put it mildly. Garver got ahead 3-0, before taking a pair of pitches—one borderline, one less so—to make it a full count.

Then Minter left a cutter in the middle of the plate. And this time, Garver did not miss it.

“I think he can breathe now,” said Servais. “He got a big hit. And once you get a big hit with a new team, it does help.”

That was Garver’s first career walkoff home run at any level, and he described it as a “relief”—not just to have ended the game, but also to have contributed during a time when he’s been scuffling at the plate.

“In a time when things aren’t going my way and I’m not feeling quite like myself, to be able to come through for the team in any way shape or form, that’s a huge W.”

Tonight Miller’s sterling outing was threatened to be undone by one swing; at the same time, Garver’s frustrating stretch of play was also undone by one good swing. It’s a good reminder that as frustrating as baseball can be, as Garver says,

“The game gives back to you at times, too.”

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Atlanta, GA

Reward upped to $25K for suspect in violent Atlanta bank robbery

Published

5 hours ago

November 26, 2024

Press Room

Reward upped to K for suspect in violent Atlanta bank robbery

article

(Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta)

ATLANTA – Atlanta police have increased the reward in their search for a suspect accused of stabbing a bank employee during an attempted robbery last week.

Officials say the robbery happened around noon on Nov. 20 at the United Community Bank on Caroline Street NE.

On that day, officers responded to the bank after receiving reports of a robbery and stabbing and found one employee stabbed in the stomach.

According to investigators, an unidentified male entered the bank, went behind the employee counter, and demanded money from a staff member.

When the man was informed that there was no money available, he reportedly stabbed the employee and ran off.

The injured employee was transported to the hospital and is expected to recover from their injuries.

“This act of violence is deeply appalling,” a spokesperson for United Community Bank said in a statement. “We are enormously grateful to law enforcement and will continue to support their efforts, so this individual is arrested and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

Officials hope the new reward of $25,000 will lead to information that will help them arrest and indict the suspect.

“We are deeply committed to ensuring justice for the victim and the safety of our community,” said Sgt. Travis Williams, Director of Crime Stoppers of Greater Atlanta. “We believe this significant increase in the reward will encourage someone with critical information to step forward.”

Authorities are urging anyone with information about the incident to submit tips anonymously through Crime Stoppers Atlanta. Tips can be provided by calling 404-577-TIPS (8477), visiting StopCrimeAtl.org, or texting “CSGA” along with the tip to CRIMES (738477).

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Atlanta, GA

Basketball Pickups: Naji Marshall and Jaden Hardy shine in Atlanta

Published

13 hours ago

November 26, 2024

Press Room

Basketball Pickups: Naji Marshall and Jaden Hardy shine in Atlanta

The Mavericks went into Monday’s game in Atlanta down three perimeter players. With Luka Doncic already sidelined, Klay Thompson and Quentin Grimes joined him on the sideline. Naji Marshall (17%) and Jaden Hardy (1%) were the replacements, and both played well in Dallas’ win over the Hawks. Marshall played 28 minutes, finishing with 22 points, six rebounds, one assist, and two 3-pointers, his third consecutive game of 20 or more. Hardy put up a season-high 23 points with three rebounds, two assists, three steals (career-high), and two 3-pointers.

Marshall’s fantasy value has increased since Doncic went down, and he’ll miss at least one more game (Wednesday vs. New York). As for Hardy, his value depends on the availability of Thompson and Grimes. Also, we can’t forget about Spencer Dinwiddie (2%), who produced a line of 22 points, three rebounds, four assists, and four 3-pointers. His fantasy status moving forward is similar to Hardy’s; he’ll need multiple people to sit to be worth the risk.

Let’s look at a few more of Monday’s top pickups:

Moussa Diabate (20%), Charlotte Hornets

Diabate didn’t start Monday’s loss to the Magic (Taj Gibson did), but he effectively played starters’ minutes off the bench. Diabate didn’t provide much scoring, but the rebounds (eight) and defensive stats (two steals and four blocks) were the important takeaways. He’ll be worth rostering as long as the Hornets remain without Mark Williams and Nick Richards, and neither has a concrete timeline for return.

Anthony Black (14%), Orlando Magic

Already playing without Jalen Suggs, the Magic lost his replacement in the starting lineup five minutes into Monday’s matchup with the Hornets. Gary Harris suffered a strained hamstring, and his exit led to Black starting the second half. While the final stat line wasn’t particularly impressive (10 points, three rebounds, one assist, three steals, and two 3-pointers in 22 minutes), the opportunities for Black to produce will be there if Suggs and Harris remain sidelined. Those injuries also impacted Cole Anthony (1%), who re-entered the rotation and played 27 minutes. He finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and two 3-pointers. However, fantasy managers may want to ensure Anthony sticks in the rotation before moving to add him.

Yves Missi (13%) and Elfrid Payton (2%), New Orleans Pelicans

New Orleans received good news on the injury front Monday, as CJ McCollum returned from a strained adductor. However, with the team still down multiple contributors, there was room for Missi (who came off the bench) and Payton to provide value. Despite backing up Daniel Theis, Missi played 31 minutes off the bench and finished with 16 points, 13 rebounds, two steals, and two blocked shots. As for Payton, all he did was establish a new career-high with 21 assists while also putting up 14 points, seven rebounds, and two steals in 31 minutes. While Missi should have value for the remainder of the season, even after everyone returns, Payton’s fantasy relevance likely ends once Dejounte Murray returns from a broken hand.

Keon Ellis (8%), Sacramento Kings

Malik Monk’s return from a sprained ankle was the most notable change to the Kings rotation, but it wasn’t the only one. Ellis made his second start of the season on Monday, replacing Kevin Huerter. The matchup certainly influenced the decision, with Sacramento needing to defend Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. But this is something to watch, especially with Huerter only playing ten minutes in Monday’s loss. Ellis played 28, finishing with eight points, one rebound, three assists, one steal, and two 3-pointers. The line itself isn’t enough to make Ellis a player worth adding. But that changes if he remains in the starting lineup, which is a realistic possibility due to the Kings’ issues defending on the perimeter.

Jalen Wilson (2%) and Ziaire Williams (2%), Brooklyn Nets

Despite being down multiple rotation players and losing Cameron Johnson and Cam Thomas during Monday’s game, the Nets erased an 18-point deficit to beat Golden State. Wilson and Williams, inserted into the starting lineup with Dorian Finney-Smith and Nic Claxton sidelined, made vital contributions. Wilson scored a career-high 18 points with seven rebounds, two assists, one block, and three 3-pointers. As for Williams, he recorded a double-double with 19 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two 3-pointers. Their values for Wednesday’s game against the Suns will depend on the Nets’ injury report.

Neemias Queta (2%), Boston Celtics

While Kristaps Porzingis was available to make his season debut on Monday, the Celtics were without Al Horford and Luke Kornet. As a result, Queta remained in the rotation and was stellar in 25 minutes off the bench. He finished Monday’s blowout of the Clippers with 12 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals, and four blocked shots. Queta was a case in which the few managers who rostered him benefitted, and he’ll be a schedule play moving forward. Boston’s Sunday/Monday back-to-back against the Cavaliers and Heat will be the next opportunity to consider streaming Queta.

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Atlanta, GA

Atlanta Hawks vs Dallas Mavericks: Starting Lineups

Published

22 hours ago

November 25, 2024

Press Room

The Atlanta Hawks and the Dallas Mavericks are about to tipoff their game in Atlanta and both teams just announced their starting lineups for tonight’s game.

Hawks:

G- Trae Young

G – Dyson Daniels

F – Zaccharie Risacher

F – Jalen Johnson

C – Clint Capela

Mavericks

G-Kyrie Irving

G- Jaden Hardy

F- Naji Marshall

F- P.J. Washington

C- Dereck Lively

Currently, the Hawks rank 28th in PPG allowed, 18th in field goal percentage allowed, 30th in three-point attempts allowed, and 30th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 20th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 30th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

Atlanta’s offense has struggled to produce in the last two games and they are going to face one of the NBA’s best defenses so far this year. The Hawks were unable to score 100 points in the loss to Golden State and they had a terrible 1st half against Chicago on Friday. This team has shooting and spacing concerns and that is something that they will have to figure out on offense.

The Hawks desperately need Trae Young to start playing at an All-NBA level. That won’t solve all of the offensive issues this team is having, but it would help. Young had 25 points and 13 assists vs the Bulls, but most of the production came in the second half when the game was out of reach.

After a great stretch of games on offense and defense, Dyson Daniels has struggled to score the ball, but the defense is still great. He shot 3-14 from the field on Friday vs Chicago and has not found consistency with his three point shot. The Hawks are counting on him to provide that and he will be tasked with guarding Kyrie Irving tonight.

Zaccharie Risacher has been in the starting lineup for the Hawks for most of the season, but he is struggling to shoot the ball and he only played 16 minutes on Friday vs Chicago. Would Quin Snyder consider moving De’Andre Hunter back into the lineup? He played close to 30 minutes on Friday and is performing well this season, especially on offense. This is something to monitor going forward.

Jalen Johnson is coming off of a 25-point, 13 rebound performance vs the Bulls and he will be counted on tonight vs Dallas. Defensively, Atlanta needs more from Johnson, but he has shaken off a slow start and is playing well.

The center position has been mostly underwhelming for Atlanta this season, but Clint Caplea is coming off of his best game of the season offensively. He scored 21 points and pulled in 11 rebounds in the loss on Friday and he is going to be a key player tonight vs the center duo of Dereck Lively and Daniels Gafford. Onyeka Okongwu is struggling on both ends of the floor and the Hawks do have Larry Nance, but Nance does not play often and did not on Friday vs Chicago.

Snyder mostly used a nine-man rotation against the Bulls, with Kobe Bufkin, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Okongwu, and Hunter coming off the bench. Perhaps the only good thing that came out of Friday’s loss was that Bogdanovic finally looked like himself again. He scored 16 points and shot 4-8 from three in the game and after two bad games to start the year, he finally played well. Bufkin is one of the players who has really struggled this year, but he should be given time to try and figure things out. Will this be the rotation for Atlanta tonight or will guys like VIt Krejci and Garrison Matthews get more minutes?

While the record might not indicate it, the underlying numbers show that Dalls is one of the NBA’s elite teams. The Mavericks are 9th in PPG, 8th in FG%, 22nd in three-point attempts, 22nd in 3P%, 18th in free-throw attempts, 9th in rebounding and 8th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, Dallas is 4th in points per 100 possessions, 10th in effective field goal percentage, 6th in turnover percentage, 14th in offensive rebounding, and 20th in free throw rate. Defensively, this is shaping up to be the best defense Dallas has had in years. They currently rank 9th in PPG allowed, 5th in FG% allowed, 9th in three-point attempts allowed, and 10th in three-point percentage. Per Cleaning the Glass, Dallas is 7th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 4th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

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