Atlanta Braves Freddie Freeman Still Sidelined; Not Improving
Jun 2, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The timing of such news is never good, but probably couldn’t be much worse for the Braves:
At Turner Field where #Braves Manager Fredi Gonzalez said Freddie Freeman will be out longer than expected. Not coming off DL this Friday
— Zach Klein (@ZachKleinWSB) June 30, 2015
#Braves Gonzalez says Freeman is "frustrated" and his injured wrist is just not getting better. No timetable for return
— Zach Klein (@ZachKleinWSB) June 30, 2015
Other reports are suggesting “another week”, but that second tweet above is rather ominous-sounding.
Freddie Freeman has been out of commission since June 18th and was placed on the DL five days later. While he’s eligible to return on Friday, the fear early on was that this date would not be kept.
Now? … it’s clear that there’s not even a ‘best guess’.
Checking the Calendar
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This week, the Braves face the Nationals, and then the schedule – in theory – gets a little easier, with ten more games before the All-Star break. In those ten, the Phillies, Brewers, and Rockies are on the docket. But it’s also a stretch of 13 games in 13 days overall.
Another two weeks of absence – if that’s enough – would bring Freeman back just after the break (July 17) as Atlanta begins a new tough stretch vs. the Cubs, Dodgers, Cardinals, and Orioles. However, at that point, it’s certainly possible that a couple of rehab games might be appropriate after missing a month of play.
That’s most of the schedule going through July and leading up to the trading deadline (July 31). The schedule doesn’t exactly do the Braves any favors, but missing the biggest bat in their lineup is worse. It will certainly be difficult to ‘make a run’ without Freeman’s presence in the order.
Freddie Freeman has missed 10 games so far. In those 10 games, Atlanta has scored 21 runs. In the 10 games prior to that, 46 runs (and through part of that, Freeman was hurting… though present).
Want some other reasons Atlanta misses his bat?
- 41 RBI. Next closest is Cameron Maybin (36).
- 43 runs scored (tied with Andrelton Simmons, but after him, it’s 32 for 3rd place)
- 144 wRC+ score. Juan Uribe is next at 123
- …and yes, the home runs: 12… double of the next closest Braves’ player
Muddling Through
The pitching has recovered… somewhat. The bullpen is no longer throwing batting practice, and the starting pitching is hanging in there.
But it is the bats that will face a tough challenge this week, vs. Jordan Zimmermann, Doug Fister, and … (draws a breath in sharply) Max Scherzer.
Well, the offense probably can’t do any worse against Scherzer than his previous three opponents. Heck, the Phillies actually scored earned runs off of him!
It starts up again tonight… Shelby Miller leads it off, so hits should be going for a premium rate tonight. Anything to slow down this Nats club that has won 8 of their last 9.
Get well soon, Freddie: we could use you.