Atlanta Braves
The Braves looked to bounce back after their first loss since the All-Star break against John Lackey in his first start since coming off the disabled list. Even when Lackey was healthy, he has not been effective this season, toting an ERA well over five coming into Tuesday night’s matchup.
Sean Newcomb was looking for a little bounce back of his own, coming off two poor outings and consecutive losses against Houston and Washington. Control was his issue in his last start and that proved to be the culprit once again against a Cubs lineup that is beginning to hit their stride.
After Nick Markakis gave the Braves a 1-0 lead with his fifth homer of the season, Chicago would jump on Newcomb in the top of the third. It began with a solo shot by Javier Baez, but Newcomb’s first mistake came when he walked both Ben Zobrist and Kris Bryant before the heart of the Cubs lineup. He made the same mistake in his last start against Washington in the first inning resulting in three runs. Newcomb would compound this mistake once again with a fastball over the heart of the plate to the Cubs hottest hitter, Willson Contreras.
Contreras’s thirteenth home-run of the season would give Chicago a 4-1 lead, and the bats of the Braves never woke up. Newcomb would finish the game going 5.1 innings, giving up eight hits and five earned. The loss pushes his record to 1-5, and although that record is not exactly indicative of how well the rookie has looked at times, his control has been a major issue in his last two starts. That was the main concern with him coming into the majors. If he can not fix it in these next couple starts, he may find himself back in AAA once again.
Atlanta will look to avoid a sweep this afternoon at 12 ET. The Braves hottest pitcher, R.A Dickey, will take the mound against Mike Montgomery for Chicago.
Atlanta Hawks
No major news from the Hawks, but the details surrounding the buyout of Jamal Crawford were released.
Jamal Crawford was owed $14.2 mil & $3 mil over next 2yrs – Atlanta Hawks will pay $10.9 mil & $2.3 mil – gave back $4 mil @BBallInsiders
— Eric Pincus (@EricPincus) July 19, 2017
Atlanta was not going to buyout Crawford unless there was something in it for them. But given there seemed to be no trade market for the longtime veteran, saving $4 million dollars and garnering a little respect from the players in the NBA proved to be enough.
https://twitter.com/JCrossover/status/883468806714208256
Atlanta United
The United’s extended layoff is near an end with their next match set to take place on July 21st in Orlando. And of course, us United fans are ready.
https://twitter.com/SportsTalkATL/status/887456780191662084
Nothing wrong with a little trash talk. The United are playing some of their best football of the season and will be looking to continue that great run of form in their next two games against Orlando City.