The Atlanta Braves have proven to be the most dominant team in Major League Baseball, as they remain the only team above the 40-win mark (41-20).
Braves Legend Believes the Dodgers Are the Team to Beat
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The Braves have dealt with injuries to key personnel but have had the depth to withstand the losses. The latest blow came when the Braves lost catchers Drake Baldwin (strained right oblique muscle) on May 19 and Sean Murphy (fractured left middle finger) on May 12. Persevering through their injuries and sitting two games ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in baseball, Braves legend John Smoltz still thinks the Dodgers are the team to beat.
“I think right now the healthiest team is the Atlanta Braves,” Smoltz said to DJ Siddiqi of Casino.org. “But to say what the future holds, the Dodgers have assimilated the best roster altogether. And in that case, I give a nod to the Dodgers based on their roster. But it’s still up in the air based on all the other components. It’s going to be hard-pressed to accumulate the kind of roster that they did, unless you make some trades. They’ve definitely got the head start over the rest of the teams.”
Smoltz spent 20 seasons with the Braves (1988-2008) and was a part of one of the greatest trios in baseball history, paired with Hall of Famers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine in a starting rotation.
Smoltz did add that the Braves are one of the healthier teams — right-hander Hurston Waldrep (right elbow inflammation) began throwing bullpens in early May and could return this summer — and can beat anybody.
“It’s all health,” Smoltz told Casino.org in an exclusive interview. “Their ability to stay healthy is going to be how they navigate the National League, which is loaded with teams. If they can keep their pitching staff healthy, they’re going to be right there and can beat anybody. That’s the problem, though. Last year was a perfect storm. They were not able to be healthy, and they started the season 0-9. The opposite has happened this year. So quite different between the two extremes, and somewhere in the middle is what the Atlanta Braves can be.”
The Braves Get A Positive Update On Drake Baldwin
Drake Baldwin received a positive update on his injury, with manager Walt Weiss telling MLB.com’s Mark Bowman that the reigning Rookie of the Year should be available when the Braves play the San Francisco Giants and Milwaukee Brewers next homestand (June 16-21).
“He’s coming along,” Weiss said to Bowman. “We’re getting to the point where you start to look down the road a little bit and start to wonder when it might happen. So, I think realistically, the next time we’re at home.”
Getting Baldwin back will help the Braves continue to separate themselves from the Dodgers. Baldwin was hitting .303 with a .932 OPS and 13 home runs in 48 games before hitting the injured list.
Main Photo Credits: Matthew Dae Smith/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
