Sadly: Braves sack LHP Ray Kerr For Another dangerous  Star

The Braves keep switching around their pitching staff.

After their Monday doubleheader split, the Braves made an unexpected move by optioning left-handed reliever Ray Kerr to AAA Gwinnett.

The Braves are still rearranging their rotation because they have no upcoming off days and their pitching plans have become more complicated due to a rainout and doubleheader this week. And they’re probably not finished.

Since moving to Atlanta a few weeks ago, Kerr has been a fantastic weapon out of the bullpen, amassing a 2.89 ERA in over 10 innings pitched with 10 strikeouts and 0 walks. Kerr was, in a sense, a victim of his own success. With a doubleheader scheduled, Kerr entered the game after Bryce Elder was thoroughly beaten by the Padres on Sunday Night Baseball. Kerr pitched three innings of relief to save the bullpen from taking on too much workload. Kerr found himself sent down for a new arm on Monday night, which is often the immediate reward for hard labor.

Soon enough, we’ll see him again in Atlanta. He is too talented to be down for long.

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San Diego Padres’ comeback victory over the Braves allowed them to split the doubleheader.

Friars defeat Atlanta 5-0 after falling behind.

Dylan Cease’s debut season in San Diego has seen him pick up the Padres many times. Now it was time for his colleagues to pay him back.

An unexpectedly shaky Cease was hit early, but four bullpen arms blocked the flow, allowing San Diego’s offense to heat up in the late innings of a 6-5 comeback victory over the Braves that gave the Friars the series victory and guaranteed a split of the doubleheader in Atlanta.

With 4.0 innings pitched, Cease gave up five runs, giving the Braves a 5-0 lead that is usually plenty in their home field. After he was out of the game, Padres extra player Logan Gillaspie pitched two scoreless innings to keep the game from getting out of control. The Friars were struggling offensively against Braves starter Reynaldo Lopez.

After Jackson Merrill’s RBI groundout in the fifth inning, they managed to score one run off him, making the score 5-1. With Lopez out of the picture, the bats took over. Merrill scored another run in the seventh inning against reliever AJ Minter with a single with two outs. However, they really got into the fun in the eighth.

Joe Jimenez entered and started walking Ha-Seong Kim right away. The Padres have crumbled following leadoff walks. It was their chance to damage that free pass on Monday. After Jurickson Profar walked and Fernando Tatis Jr. singled, Jake Cronenworth had the opportunity to load the bases for his game-winning single.

Jake reduced the margin to 5-4 with a 2-run single to centerfield. He didn’t spend much time on first base. After two pitches, Manny Machado doubled to split the gap, scoring Profar and Kim and giving the Padres a 6-5 lead. All we needed, then, was some defense because their offense and pitching were contributing.

I saw that in the ninth inning. Michael Harris II hit a little flare to centerfield after Robert Suarez, the closer, got close. Before Kim made an incredible play to steal a leadoff single by slicing beneath the ball and making a basket catch, it appeared to be a bloop single. Adam Duvall was next, and he hit another soft liner down the right field line after being sawed off by a fastball. For the second out, Cronenworth produced another outstanding diving grab.

Generally speaking, the Padres oppose those kinds of things. Everything appeared to be going their way this time. In order to secure a 6-5 victory and record his 13th save of the year, Suarez got Jared Kelenic to fly out harmlessly to left field.

One potentially difficult bit of news. After making a diving play on a ground ball, second baseman Xander Bogaerts appeared to have injured his left shoulder. Although the initial imaging was negative, manager Mike Shildt stated that Bogaerts will need additional testing before returning to the field.

The Braves prevailed 3-0 against the Friars in the late game thanks to a brilliant outing by Chris Sale. In seven innings, Sale gave up five hits and zero walks while striking out nine batters.

Despite Randy Vasquez’s strong start, the Padres were unable to offset the little damage he gave up. The first season, Padre allowed Marcell Ozuna to hit a home run while scattering 10 hits and walking just two batters. Vasquez gave up the first three runs of the contest.

After the game, Mike Shildt observed, “The guys fought their tails off, played really well, and played good baseball the whole time.” “We were able to obtain the first one, but not the second.” However, we’ll win three of the four and go on.