00:00But the Atlanta Braves, Craig, we've talked a lot over the first couple shows of this Major League Baseball season
00:05saying, boy, it just wasn't right for the Braves last year.
00:07So many injuries and you can't dig yourself a hole to start the season against quality Major League Baseball teams
00:12and expect to win the division and or make the playoffs.
00:15And here the Braves are close to 20 wins already on the season and in first place by roughly five
00:21and a half games over everybody, which includes nine and a half and nine over the New York Mets here.
00:25The Atlanta Braves hot start this season and we're still waiting for that pitching staff, Craig, to get healthy here.
00:32Yeah, it does feel like when they brought in Walt Weiss and they made some changes and added some bullpen
00:39pieces, although Iglesias is hurt, it felt like Donnie that they looked at last year and said, we cannot have
00:45a repeat of that because it did feel like the Braves buried themselves in the month of April, maybe similar
00:50to your team, the Phillies and even the Mets as well.
00:52Right now, the Braves are just firing on all cylinders or taking care of all the teams that they need
00:57to take care of.
00:57They did very well against Washington.
00:59They won two out of three.
01:01You know, we'll see what happens obviously Sunday.
01:03But I think that the Braves are probably not only overwhelming favorites, but a team, as you mentioned, that's going
01:10to get back players healthy and playing well.
01:13I really like the position that they're in right now.
01:16And if you look, by the way, Donnie, at their run differential last season, it sort of indicated that they
01:21were very unlucky.
01:21It was an unlucky team last year.
01:23They probably should have had better success.
01:25I think that they're clearly the team to beat in the East.
01:28I still think it's going to be tough for them to beat the Dodgers and some of these other teams
01:32in the National League.
01:33But, you know, Donnie, it's fair to ask yourself the question, what happens later on in the season if the
01:40Braves face a Mets team that's punted and faces a Phillies team that's punted and faces a Washington team that's
01:47punted?
01:47Maybe it's, you know, them and the Marlins are the only team that are fighting it out.
01:51In the end, they could really, really have a nice second half of the season if that is indeed the
01:56case.
01:57They certainly can.
01:58And, Craig, just from a pitching perspective here, the expectations are always high for Chris Sale.
02:02And he was really a scrap heap guy.
02:03Maybe he can just come back to Atlanta and give us a couple good innings.
02:06He's been everything and that much more.
02:08And then you take a look at the season, Craig.
02:102.79 ERA.
02:11Ronaldo Lopez.
02:12Not a great pitcher, but 3.74 keeps you in there.
02:14Then you have that great start by J.R.
02:16Ritchie here in his first game.
02:18Grant Holmes, 362.
02:19And Bryce Elder, you know, a 195 ERA that he has as well.
02:22Then you look at that bullpen.
02:24Suarez has been fantastic.
02:25Lee and Kinley.
02:26I mean, they have guys at the top of the staff and the bottom of the staff providing it.
02:30And also, we know we love that lineup.
02:31They just have to stay healthy.
02:33By the way, Craig, hearing any noise around Spencer Strider, the expectations on him for this season for the Atlanta
02:38Braves,
02:38do you have any news on him when he's coming back or even what we can think of him?
02:42Yeah, I think you're going to have to see him probably be worked back slower because now that the Braves
02:47are looking at it,
02:47they're like, hey, you know, look at this lead we have.
02:49We got to make sure that we get back healthy.
02:52And look, a lot of those pitchers that they had, the other ones, Smith-Shauver and Schwellenbach,
02:57I mean, those are longer-term injuries and Striders is not.
03:00So, Donnie, if I had to guess sometime next month, right, like May, we're almost there,
03:03but May would be a guess for me and just kind of insert him back in that rotation.
03:08And by the way, the Braves have not been bereft of injuries, too.
03:11As I mentioned, Iglesias, that was their big signing in the offseason.
03:14And I think they're saying all the right things about him, but they're going to be careful with him as
03:19well.
03:20Atlanta's position is so good right now, they can't afford to take their time with players,
03:26whereas maybe some other teams that are in a different position that are under .500 and fighting
03:31may need to get their guys back sooner.
03:33So, I would say next month for Strider.
03:35So, I think we're going to get to see if we can see if we can see if we can
03:35see if we can see if we can see if we can see if we can see if we can
03:35see if we can see if we can see if we can see if we can see if we can
03:35see if we can see if we can see if we can see if we can see if we can
03:35see if we can see if we can see if we can see if we can see if we can
03:35see if we can see if we can see if we can see if we can see if we can
03:35see if we can see if we can see if we can see if we can see if we can
03:35see if we can see if we can see if we can see if we can see if we can
03:35see if we can see if we can see if we can see if we can see if we can
03:35see if we can see if we can see if we can see if we can see if we can
03:35see if we can see if we can see if we can see if we can see if we
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