Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports One of the toughest road trips for the Braves in quite a while. On one hand, the Braves do not fair well when visiting Seattle or Dodger Stadium. On the road, they are 2-6 against the Mariners and 6-21 against the Dodgers since 2014. However, this version of the Braves is better than most in franchise history, at least on paper. The simple truth that was validated by a 1-5 road trip for the Braves is that right now, the Braves are simply not playing up to their standard. During a 5-1 loss to the Dodgers on Sunday to complete the series sweep for Los Angeles, the Braves experienced a microcosm of their play in recent weeks. Several missed opportunities on very hittable pitches while also suffering through some bad luck on hard hit balls in play. Sure, Atlanta’s fortunes could change shortly if they simply keep hitting the ball hard. But it is crystal clear this Braves offense is experiencing one of its worst slumps in recent years. Hopefully, a return home can help the Braves lineup return to form. Braves News If there is one positive, it is that Ronald Acuna Jr. is feeling more like himself at the plate, and he is making hard contact more frequently. This hopefully means his normal level of results will follow suit. Justin Toscano looks at how the Braves are looking to keep things as normal as possible with faith that better times are ahead in the near future. Gabe Burns looks at how and when the Braves offense might return to its normal form of being among the the best in the game. ESPN dives deep at what to take away from the early season matchup between the Braves and Dodgers. Adam Maier and others impressed in their minor league performances over the weekend. Braves Podcasts Via their new home with “Hammer Territory”, Brad Rowland and Scott Coleman discuss a tough week of baseball and the Pierce Johnson Injury over the weekend. https://hammer-territory-an-atlanta-braves-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/the-wrong-side-of-a-broom-in-los-angeles David O’Brien and Eric O’Flaherty also dive into the Dodgers series on “755 Forever”. MLB News The new MLB.com power rankings are out, with the Dodgers ascending back to the top spot while the Braves drop to number 4. Aaron Judge and Juan Soto both contributed in Yankees win. While the Braves have certainly hit a snag, the Phillies remain hot as ever. With a win over the Giants on Sunday, the Phillies are 9-1 in last 10 games and have best season. start since 1995. The Mets lost to Tampa Bay as they are working through their own recent losing struggles. Due to an injured triceps, the Padres placed Joe Musgrove on the 15-day IL. Rangers rookie Wyatt Lankford landed on the 10-day IL. A hamstring injury will result in Dodgers reliever Evan Phillips going to the 15-day IL. Top Guardians prospect Kyle Manzardo is being called up to the majors.

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports After a week to consider the Falcons’ 2024 NFL Draft class, Atlanta’s fans are nearly evenly split on whether or not the team came away a winner. The 2024 NFL Draft has come and gone, and the Atlanta Falcons certainly created a stir in league with their selection of quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at 8. It has since come out that as many as three teams were trying to trade into the top-10 for Penix, per NFL Network’s James Palmer, so perhaps the pick wasn’t the reach that many perceived it to be on the night of the draft. At any rate, the pick itself was shocking given Atlanta’s recent $100M+ investment in Kirk Cousins at the start of free agency. Falcons fans were...not complimentary of the decision to draft Penix at 8 immediately following the first round of the draft. A whopping 54% of fans gave the pick an “F”, with another 18% giving the pick a “D”. That’s an overwhelming 72% grading the pick as a failure. Only 6% gave the pick an “A” and 8% a “B”, with 13% giving it a “C”. There’s a very common psychological phenomena that’s present in pretty much every aspect of life, but seen very clearly in sports and particularly the NFL Draft. That’s the tendency for fans to “come around” on picks or moves their team makes after a short amount of time, even if they were vehemently opposed at first. For this week’s SB Nation Reacts, we asked Falcons fans if they now view Atlanta as a winner in the 2024 NFL Draft. Let’s see how much opinions have changed in a week’s time. After an overwhelming majority—72%—graded the Penix pick as a failure just a week ago, Falcons fans are now almost evenly split on whether or not Atlanta was a winner in the 2024 NFL Draft. Obviously, this questions takes into account the entire draft and not just the Penix pick, but the first round pick is the biggest and most important investment in the entire class. Any way you slice it, that’s a significant change of opinion from a week ago. To be clear, I don’t blame fans for changing their minds on the pick. Few people really want to linger in anger over things like this—especially for something like fandom that’s supposed to be fun! We’ve also all had a bit more time to let the surprise fade and consider that our assumptions heading into the draft may have been incorrect. We also asked a question to all NFL fans that I thought was interesting for Falcons fans in particular: which first-round QB will have easiest transition to the NFL? Unsurprisingly, Caleb Williams tops the list. He’s got a clear path to start and is walking into an offense with a suddenly elite receiving corps and improving offensive line. I have some concerns about the offensive coaching staff considering how poorly they utilized Justin Fields, but it’s a great situation overall. All the way at the bottom, you’ll see Michael Penix Jr. To be fair, he’s only separated from #4 and #5 by 2% in total, but still: NFL fans think Penix is walking into a disaster. I think this is more national fans upset with Atlanta’s selection, and less about Penix actually walking into a bad situation. In theory, it could be a good situation for Penix—but it’s also rife with potential drama. He also has no clear path into the starting lineup for two seasons, so that could contribute. Otherwise, Penix would seem to have a decent setup given Atlanta’s stout offensive line and improving receiving corps. What are your thoughts on the quick turnaround of public opinion towards Atlanta’s draft, and do you think Penix is really walking into a bad situation compared to the other rookies in this class? Check out DraftKings Sportsbook, the official sportsbook partner of SB Nation.

Raise your glass to Applebee’s! Enjoying drinks with friends and family is a great way to relax. But adding cocktails to lunch or dinner can definitely make the final tab skyrocket. Thankfully, Applebee’s is making drinks more budget-friendly with the return of its popular The Dollarita to the menu. For a limited time, Applebee’s is […] The post Applebee’s invites you to enjoy the “Dollarita” — house margaritas for just $1! appeared first on Atlanta on the Cheap.

Sonny’s BBQ is thanking nurses for their hard work on behalf of the nation’s health. In honor of Nurse Appreciation Week, nurses can get a FREE Pork Big Deal on May 6 and 7, 2024. To redeem the deal, nurses will go to sonnysbbq.com/national-nurses-week-2024 to verify employment. Then you’ll receive a coupon via email with […] The post Sonny’s BBQ offers a FREE meal to nurses on May 6th & 7th at metro ATL locations appeared first on Atlanta on the Cheap.